Potassium
You may remember potassium as the mineral or electrolyte that fends off muscle cramps, but it can do a lot more, too. Perhaps you have experienced an excruciatingly uncomfortable Charley horse, a muscle spasm that occurs most often in the legs, and were then instructed to eat more bananas as a result. Well, as it turns out, this all-important mineral is also responsible for regulating blood pressure, says Lori Chong, registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
”High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke,” she tells us. And one study found that consuming a higher intake of potassium was linked to a 24 percent risk reduction of stroke.
There are several foods that have notable amounts of potassium, so you don’t just have to rely on one fruit to get your proper serving. Here are four foods that pack more potassium than one banana. The milligrams of potassium for each food were retrieved from the United States Department of Agriculture Food Composition Databases unless noted otherwise.
