Why are there baked home fries from white, and sweet, potatoes on my plate tonight? Why are cantaloupe, salmon, bananas, and more spinach on my shopping list? What possibly could be missing?

Precisely!

Something is missing, and this detective was pretty sure of the culprit …,er, the missing one.

Problem? Maybe you are familiar with those troublesome foot spasms that occur in bed – usually in the morning hours for me, just prior to rising – that can only be fixed by standing up to gently return the tortured foot into proper alignment?

This had been going on with even greater frequency lately. Coupled with a few other seemingly random symptoms, I was wondering if, maybe, I was just in a total mind/body/spirit funk.

Have been there and done that before with foot spasms, but the other complaints were new to me. After reading the article HERE, I was able to put things together. Let me summarize signs and symptoms of possibly being low in a vital nutrient: Potassium.

You may have low potassium if you are experiencing:

Weakness and fatigue – Low potassium can interfere with blood sugar levels, depriving muscles of the energy they need.

Muscle spasms and cramps – BINGO! Therefore, athletes are very careful about their potassium intake.

Digestive problems – let’s just say things slow down…a…lot. Also, there’s bloating. Check.

Heart palpitations – not to be confused with serious heart issues that are not fixed by a meal high in potassium. Starting to check this, too.

Muscle aches and stiffness – Again, the pathways to proper muscle function are disrupted.

Numbness and tingling – When nerve pathways are affected, it’s best to contact your doctor.

Breathing difficulties – Potassium pathways for proper muscle function and communication may become disturbed with severe deficiencies.

Mood disorders – while more research is needed on this one; there is a correlation of mood disorder patients being low on potassium. I certainly could check this box off as my usual chipper inner — self seemed to be in a funk.

What to do? Most people know to eat bananas for potassium, but there are other choices that are even better. The following table shows the ranges of potassium level to consider when choosing food sources:

What is the recommended daily allowance for potassium, you may ask? There ,actually, isn’t an official RDA, but the umber of 4,700 mg a day is the consensus. Not surprisingly, most people are deficient.

Armed with these target ranges, let me give you a short list of high-potassium foods I gleaned from this source HERE:

Artichoke 345 mg.

Banana 425 mg

Beef, ground 270 mg

Beets 260 mg

Dried peas and beans 300-475 mg

Haddock, perch, salmon 300 mg

Lentils 367 mg

Milk 350-389 mg

Baked potato 925 mg

Prunes 305 mg

Spinach 420 mg

Baked sweet potato 450 mg …

There are more, but check the resource cited above for serving amounts and other options.

The caveat comes for those using the lite versions of salt which are formulated with high levels of potassium. Work with your doctor about balancing potassium and sodium levels.

Additionally, let’s not jump off the cliff with this.

Geez you give some people an inch, (read ground beef and white potatoes), and they’ll start eating hamburgers, French fries, and loaded baked potatoes saying I told them it was good for their potassium levels.

No. No. And no.

Think of dinner consisting of baked fish, one HALF of a potato (I like to cut them into home fries, toss in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper, and bake), along with a generous green salad with that creamy yogurt-based dressing I shared recently. Evening snack of a small bowl of cantaloupe (also on the list) and ½ banana.

No cramps this morning. Just sayin’.

In health-

Deidre

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