Getting Enough Potassium

As a follow up to my post on lowering blood pressure and monitoring one's sodium intake (MOST of us get to much sodium and much of it from hidden sources in foods), and increasing ones potassium intake.

Benefits of adequate potassium include:

• Lowering blood pressure
• Reducing the risk of kidney stones
• Decreasing bone loss as we age

Recommendations for potassium intake are from 3000 mg to 4700 mg daily. My understanding from many websites is it is pretty difficult to over dose on potassium. You must become a LABEL READER and use common sense. Do not take the approach if 4700 mg of potassium is good, then 9400 mg of potassium should be great.....IT ISN'T.

Here are some foods that should be in your daily regimen and diet. I understand you simply may not like some of these or perhaps have never tried them. That is okay. There is a pretty good variety of foods you can include in your daily diet and hopefully some of these you might really like.

• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Squash
• Yellow vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Raisins, prunes, and dried fruits (WATCH the sugar content and don't go overboard on these)
• Papayas
• Bananas
• Melons
• Oranges
• Fish
• Brown rice
• Milk and dairy products including cheese and yogurt

I think everyone could find something on this list to like and perhaps buy small amounts of the other products and TRY them. You might surprise yourself. I recommend if you are having a blood pressure problem to take a HARD LOOK AT YOUR SODIUM INTAKE AND POTASSIUM INTAKE before rushing to the doctor and signing up for another high blood pressure prescription drug or a high dose of one you are already on.

I am NOT giving medical advice and every one's situation is different. By all means check with your doctor after keeping track of your CURRENT potassium and sodium intake from reading labels and then TELL him or her that you would like to voluntarily reduce your sodium intake and increase you potassium intake of your diet. Do this ESPECIALLY if you have a condition that might be affecting your blood pressure or some allergy to any of the foods listed above.

I mentioned that I would post some of my results from limiting sodium and increasing potassium in my own diet. Here are recent results:

Here are the last few days results:

• 4/3/15 Morning (151/83)
•            Evening  (131/75)
• Easter Sunday Evening 12:00 midnight (132/72)
• Tuesday 4/7/15 at  9:40 AM  (123/72)
• Wednesday Evening 4/8/15 at 9:30 PM  (136/72)
• Thursday morning 4/9/15 at 8:10 AM (136/72)
• Thursday evening 4/9/15 at 11 PM   (137/82)
• Friday morning 4/10/15 at 7:30 AM (138/85) Noon (123/66) and 2PM (129/73)
• Saturday morning 4/11 TODAY 8:35 AM (127/78)

This is a dramatic improvement over an 8 day period compared to the readings back around 3/28/15 of (167/95) and higher. Is this a CURE ALL OR A MIRACLE? Probably not and every individual is just that...AN Individual and each of us has our own gene pool, dietary and exercise habits to take into consideration. It is meant to be a guideline and to provide information concerning potassium and sodium intake in regards to your blood pressure. For me personally, I believe the results show I am headed in the right direction.

God Bless,

Dan