According to this report NIH say only 5% of Americans get the 4700mg of potassium daily. Think about it, who gets 4700mg potassium daily from their FOODS?

How Much Potassium Should You Take to Lower Blood Pressure? | LIVESTRONG.COM

I've been dealing with higher BP probably since my 50's and even on meds I get spikes from certain foods, situations, etc....but believe more and more about this potassium issue.

It's been spiking when I've been going to the Osteopathic doctor I see weekly so thinking about this more and more and will take a larger dose of potassium when I leave the house tomorrow and take more potassium generally. I know I don't get the RDA daily amount.

We are overloaded with sodium unless one eats everything cooked from scratch...no processed stuff.

Do your research as always.

There is the "white coat" syndrome - Drs office's etc BP will raise..

It is white coat a lot of times, but it's higher at home too and I take 3 meds....so I'm putting 2 and 2 together on the potassium and blood pressure, heart issues. How many know how much potassium they take in and you know the doctors don't talk this...so out goes the script pad and drugs for the rest of one's life.

I found another site that says 98% Americans are potassium deficient. NIH says 95%, this other site says 98%. Enough for my mind to understand all this more. I know I'm lucky if I get 2000mg potassium rich foods daily. I sure don't eat 5 bananas a day, I might eat 2-3 small ones a week. C

I took bp meds for about 3 years, after I had a stroke BUT I do believe the stroke was caused by the bp med, metropolol. I had to stop taking it because it was eating up my insides. I had a constant stomach ache and was bleeding all the time and my hair fell out, 80% of it. Plus I felt terrible. I tried others after that then weaned myself off of them but that one was the worst.

I think it's better now since I got away from doctors who were slowly killing me with meds. I do sleep more now and take frequent rest periods during the day.

I am trying to stop smoking, I've cut down a lot, I'll stop any day now. And I take potassium and magnesium and B complex.

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.

Everyone is different and many cannot get the exercise they need, I'm one of them. I exercised a LOT into my 60's and then with OA getting worse, I had to back down. With this narley hip replacement, I have a hard time walking.

I cannot get 4700mg of potassium from foods, I'd be sitting around eating lbs all day. Many don't even know about the need for potassium.

I had a friend who is now gone, but she was paranoid about salt intake, didn't know much about potassium but ate a banana daily 400mg and the other foods she ate.... but was no where getting enough potassium in her body.

She would pass out a lot and end up in the ER and was found to be so potassium deficient and had to have potassium IV's to be released... She was aging and again the old folks mostly are happy to be walking. Not many 80 yr old marathoners.

Kiwi, it's good that you can meet your country's RDA with foods...is the RDA the same as in the U.S., just curious.

More on this, I rely on Dr. Sinatra's heart info on all aspects from cholesterol, homocysteine, statins, BP you name it. Here is what he says about potassium and heart health. He adds coconut water to the high in potassium foods...I just drank an 8oz container of CO water and it has 510mg potassium. I'm getting ready to go to the D.O. for a session and working to keep BP down....wish she would stop pulling out the BP machine.

High Salt + Low Potassium = A Dangerous Cause for High Blood Pressure | Dr. Stephen Sinatra

I would like to comment on this thread.

Since you, caroline, see a doctor regularly now for treatments, you should ask for a serum potassium (electrolytes) done to see what is going on with you.

Some blood pressure drugs cause potassium to go UP when they are used. ACE inhibitors, triamterene, spirolactone, cause elevated potassium levels.

On the medical side, chronic loose stools, some kidney diseases, can cause loss of potassium. Diuretics also deplete sodium and potassium.

It is important, therefore for people reading here to discuss potassium worries with a doctor, and have some testing.

Potassium is fortunately very common in many foods.

Here is a very useful website, that can help you choose potassium rich foods:

Foods highest in Potassium
pay attention to serving size:
100grams on that list

If you look up individual foods, you can see more information in detail with different serving sizes.

example:
one cup of cantaloupe = 473mg of potassium

"Kiwi, it's good that you can meet your country's RDA with foods...is the RDA the same as in the U.S., just curious."

Caroline, the Australian recommendations are 3.8 g/day for men and 2.8 g/day for women (Potassium | Nutrient Reference Values).

I was taking 25mg of Hydrochlorothiazide once a day. I switched to 2 500 mg bilayer tablets 2 times a day. The results were the same. This could be an alternative if you wanted another way to go.