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Originally Posted by kiwi33
This link provides helpful information about food sources of potassium Potassium | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University.
I meet the potassium RDA from the fresh fruit and vegetables that I eat.
Medication for hypertension is complicated, Current evidence suggests that beta-blockers are not recommended as first line treatment Beta-blockers for hypertension | Cochrane. Others may be better - I am on a calcium channel-blocker which works well for me.
Life-style choices, in my case regular exercise and stopping drinking and smoking, have also helped me. |
Hi Kiwi - thanks for the useful Linus Pauling link - as someone who has to manage both potassium & sodium levels 'manually', as my body no longer does it naturally (due to Addison's Disease), it provided some good detailed info.
In regard to the potassium content of food I was told by my endocrinologist to avoid too many 'orange' colored fruits as they tend to be high in potassium: eg: apricots, oranges, persimmons etc. Other than that I eat a pretty normal diet - (mostly home prepared with little processed food) but still eat avocados, yogurt etc regularly. My potassium/sodium levels are tested 3 monthly and are normally within range - the only exception being once after surgery when the potassium was low - which I corrected within two weeks by bulking up on banana's, avocado and yogurt.
A normal healthy diet should provide adequate potassium - it is found in such a wide range of foods. If test levels are regularly low (or high) it may be an indication of another condition which might need medical investigation.