A study published in the September edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that only 2% of the U.S. population is meeting its needs for potassium. Two percent!
While we spend an endless amount of energy discussing reducing sodium, very little seems to be said about the importance of getting more of this important mineral potassium into our diets.
While the sodium story was not encouraging (over 99% of U.S. adults consumed more than 1,500 mg per day, and 90% consumed more than 2,300 mg), the potassium news was equally bad: The average intake was a mere 2,631 mg per day, or just more than half of the recommended 4,700 mg per day. What’s more, it appears that, while sodium intake is holding steady among U.S. adults, potassium intake seems to have declined since the late 1980s, though the researchers did not have enough data to explain why.
While bananas might be the poster child for potassium, several other common foods actually rank higher on the potassium scale, including baked potatoes (yes, potatoes), sweet potatoes, plain yogurt and soybeans.
Are you getting enough Potassium? Probably not...
