Power up your potassium intake with potatoes

Potassium has become a casualty of the low-carb era as women have shunned cooking potassium-packed potatoes in the pursuit of easier waist management. It's time women take note of potassium's health benefits to avoid the pitfalls of short supply.

Eating foods with sufficient potassium can help regulate the negative effects of sodium. High sodium intake is linked to a variety of illnesses, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and the development of kidney stones.

But a dash of potassium may counter some of these ailments because your balance of sodium and potassium, also known as your electrolytes, is key to just how damaging excess amounts of sodium may be.

Potassium-rich resources
When trying to regulate blood-pressure readings, health-care providers' key tactic is usually slashing patients' sodium counts. But research on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet by the National Institutes of Health in the United States has shown that there is a better way to manage high blood pressure. DASH are dietary guidelines chock-full of potassium-rich choices such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and low-fat dairy products.

The DASH regimen was shown to be as effective as low-dose medication in reducing blood-pressure readings for those with mildly elevated blood pressure. In addition, it also seemed to stall increasing blood-pressure levels, which can often rise as people age.

Other studies show that simply eating more potassium-rich foods, without reducing sodium, can help to bring down elevated blood pressure. That's not to say that you can eat all the salty foods you want, but adequate potassium intakes seem to protect against sodium-sensitivity, in which a person's blood-pressure readings are closely tied to how much sodium he or she consumes.

Potassium and your bones
Potassium plays a vital role in bone health as well. When trying to maintain healthy bones, most women focus on how much calcium they consume. But keeping it in the bones once it has been deposited there is key.

Excess sodium seems to be an offender in the battle against osteoporosis because it can cause bones to lose calcium and therefore lead to a higher risk of the disease. Potassium also helps prevent bones from losing calcium into the urine. As a result, eating potassium-rich foods also helps reduce the risk of calcium-containing kidney stones in those predisposed to developing them.

While there are definite advantages provided by a potassium-rich diet, most women don't suffer from serious potassium deficiencies. Women should not take potassium supplements unless advised to do so by a doctor.

Bananas vs. potatoes
As for potassium-rich foods, there are plenty of nutritious offerings that top the banana. For example, a baked potato with the skin on provides more than double the amount of potassium -- 1,081 milligrams -- than a banana (422 milligrams). Remember that preparation methods of various foods can cheat you out of some potassium (remove the skin and the count for the potato drops down to just over 600 milligrams).

A quick glance at the top-ranking stars in the potassium lineup reveals that these foods aren't just full of potassium; they're also super sources of a range of other nutrients and disease-fighting compounds, and they are terrific allies in the battle of the bulge.

Get the scoop on sodium and slash your salt intake.

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