Newsflash! Potassium is good for diabetics.
We don’t know about you but to us, potassium equals bananas. When someone says potassium, we’ll probably think of bananas when we’re hungry or how Nazi war criminals committed suicide before or during their trials after the World War 2 when we feel like reminiscing. But enough of that depressing talk, it was just recently discovered that there is a correlation between low potassium levels and type 2 diabetes.
The researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine linked high levels of insulin and glucose with low levels of potassium in people who otherwise looked healthy. These two traits (low levels of potassium and high levels of insulin and glucose) are two telling sings that doctors associate with diabetes. The research is still ongoing to see why this relation exists in the first place, but we digress.
If there’s one small chance of potassium being a determining factor in the regulation and management of blood sugar in the body, then we should use this knowledge to our advantage. The recommended daily intake for the human body is 4700 mg. With the foods we listed below, you’ll surely go over the recommended minimum.
- Watermelon
A fruit that originally came from Africa, watermelon can now be found in almost all large supermarkets worldwide. Juicy and tasty, this fruit is very low in fat and calories and packs a punch when it comes to potassium content. Two refreshing wedges of this fruit can net you as much as 641 mg of potassium. Other than that, it is also a good source of lycopene, a plant pigment that can help in reducing certain types of cancer.
- Sweet Potato
Looking like deep-hued yams, the color of sweet potatoes ranges from orange to dark purple, indicators of their potent antioxidant content. A 5-inch raw sweet potato can net as much as 438 mg of potassium, whereas a large one can have as much as 850 mg. Other than potassium, this root crop also contains large amounts of Vitamin A, having 100-1600 micrograms of said vitamin or around 35% of the required daily intake.
- Tomato Sauce
You might be wondering why we included tomato sauce here whereas fresh tomatoes are also an excellent source of potassium. There is a very large difference depending on the form of tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes only have 400 mg whereas tomato puree and tomato paste (1065 mg and 2455 mg) have really high potassium levels.
- Yogurt
A nutritious diary product that is known for containing calcium for keeping the bones strong, and protein for keeping the muscles healthy, yogurt is also an excellent source of potassium. The amount of potassium is different for every kind of yogurt: plain low-fat yields 380 mg per 8-ounce serving, plain yogurt with whole milk has 420 mg, and Greek yogurt has 250 mg in a 6-ounce serving.
- Winter Squash
There are 3 major varieties of squash: Asian, summer, and winter. Asian squash includes silk squash, opo squash, winter melon, and fuzzy melon. Summer squash, on the other hand, comprises chayote, yellow squash, and pattypan. Lastly, winter squash includes buttercup, butternut, turban squash, pumpkin, and kabocha. Among the three, winter squash has the most potassium, ranging from 250-445 mg, whereas summer and Asian squash only range from 90-250 mg.
Experimentation Is Key
Meal plans can sound very unappealing at first, considering the circumstances that led to the recommendation of using them in the first place. It doesn’t help that for diabetics and stroke patients, the consensus was just to cut everything that has flavor. It doesn’t have to be that way. Nutritious foods can be very flavorful, if you’re willing to experiment and explore.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a dull and dreadful activity. It can be fun, adventurous even. You just need the patience to look for recipes and try them, and the willingness to sample dishes that are far from what your comfort food used to be.
