Eat Your Bananas

In a study posted in the January 2009 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine, it has been found that seniors with a higher potassium intake will reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Potassium is found to counteract the amount of sodium in a person's daily intake and groups studied show that a lower sodium to potassium ratio in their urine led to less chance of heart disease. Sodium-potassium ratios were found to be better indicators than looking at individual sodium or potassium amounts.

It is known that high levels of sodium is dangerous for adults and continued increased consumption can cause a rise in blood pressure and pre-hypertension. Currently, one out of three adults have high blood pressure and 37% show signs of pre-hypertension. These numbers are higher in senior citizens (ages 65 and older). It is difficult for adults as well as seniors to control the amount of sodium that is added to food. How does one find a prepared dish that hasn't been made with a least a small amount of sodium?

Potassium may be the answer. While it is commonly known that high sodium is not good for your diet, it is not well known that potassium is effective at counteracting sodium intake. Adults should consume 4.7 grams of potassium per day unless directed otherwise due to a pre-existing condition or medication. Foods that are good sources of potassium include:

Food, Standard Amount	Potassium (mg)	Calories
Sweetpotato, baked, 1 potato (146 g)	694	131
Tomato paste, ¼ cup	664	54
Beet greens, cooked, ½ cup	655	19
Potato, baked, flesh, 1 potato (156 g)	610	145
White beans, canned, ½ cup	595	153
Yogurt, plain, non-fat, 8-oz container	579	127
Tomato puree, ½ cup	549	48
Clams, canned, 3 oz	534	126
Yogurt, plain, low-fat, 8-oz container	531	143
Prune juice, ¾ cup	530	136
Carrot juice, ¾ cup	517	71
Blackstrap molasses, 1 Tbsp	498	47
Halibut, cooked, 3 oz	490	119
Soybeans, green, cooked, ½ cup	485	127
Tuna, yellowfin, cooked, 3 oz	484	118
Lima beans, cooked, ½ cup	484	104
Winter squash, cooked, ½ cup	448	40
Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup	443	149
Rockfish, Pacific, cooked, 3 oz	442	103
Cod, Pacific, cooked, 3 oz	439	89
Bananas, 1 medium	422	105
Spinach, cooked, ½ cup	419	21
Tomato juice, ¾ cup	417	31
Tomato sauce, ½ cup	405	39
Peaches, dried, uncooked, ¼ cup	398	96
Prunes, stewed, ½ cup	398	133
Milk, non-fat, 1 cup	382	83
Pork chop, center loin, cooked, 3 oz	382	197
Apricots, dried, uncooked, ¼ cup	378	78
Rainbow trout, farmed, cooked, 3 oz	375	144
Pork loin, center rib (roasts), lean, roasted, 3 oz	371	190
Buttermilk, cultured, low-fat, 1 cup	370	98
Cantaloupe, ¼ medium	368	47
1%-2% milk, 1 cup	366	102-122
Honeydew melon, 1/8 medium	365	58
Lentils, cooked, ½ cup	365	115
Plantains, cooked, ½ cup slices	358	90
Kidney beans, cooked, ½ cup	358	112
Orange juice, ¾ cup	355	85
Split peas, cooked, ½ cup	355	116
Yogurt, plain, whole milk, 8 oz container	352	138

Source: Nutrient values from Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17.