As an athlete, do you know why potassium is essential for your health? If not, then this article is going to enlighten you on why it is.
Importance of Potassium to Your Health
Potassium plays a key role in many body functions including, muscle contractions, fluid balance, transmitting nerve signals and other bodily reactions. Potassium also plays a role in maintaining heart health. It does so by regulating that the heart properly contracts.
Potassium upholds many responsibilities in your body. Here are several of them:
Maintains your blood pressure and proper heart function
Aids your muscles contract
Helps in the process of waste removal
Releases energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrates during the metabolic process
Aids nervous system by supporting the accurate function of tissues needed for transferring nerve impulses
Boosts muscle controls; thus, ensuring the growth and health of your cells
Supports cognitive function by delivering oxygen to the brain
Preserves the electrolyte balance in your body’s cells
Potassium is used to alleviate plenty of mental and physical issues. Here is a host of health issues that potassium can treat:
hypertension
stroke
menopause
allergies
blurred vision
acne
alcoholism
Menière’s disease
Arthritis
cancer
Alzheimer’s disease
bloating
insulin resistance
headaches
fever
dermatitis
muscular dystrophy
gout
insomnia
constipation
irritability
muscle weakness
As you can clearly see, potassium heals plenty of mental and physical ailments that you had or may be dealing with at the current moment. Getting an adequate dose of potassium is essential to your health. Alcoholism, high stress, physically inactive, diarrhea and vomiting for prolong periods are ways to become low in potassium. If you’re low in potassium long-term, then mental issues such as anorexia, depression, insomnia, and some nervous disorders can occur. Physical issues due to low potassium levels include fatigue, muscular weakness, poor reflexes, muscular cramps & twitching, heart attack, irregular heartbeat & other heart problems, weak bones, lung and kidney failure. If you’re suffering from any of those symptoms but aren’t sure if you are deficient in potassium, go to the doctor and get a blood test.
How to Getting Potassium in Your Diet
Potassium can be found in various food choices, mainly in fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Here are 20 food choices that are rich in potassium:
Best Supplements for Potassium Replacement for Athletes
Food Items (1 cup or medium-sized) Milligrams per serving (mg) of potassium
| 925.55 |
| 716.85 |
| 727.50 |
| 730.62 |
| 745.56 |
| 838.80 |
| 885.80 |
| 925.55 |
| 950 |
| 955.04 |
| 838.40 |
| 390.40 |
| 960.75 |
| 457.08 |
| 90.65 |
| 237.11 |
| 422.44 |
| 318.42 |
| 518.50 |
| 427.20 |
:
It is good to get at least 4700 mg of potassium per day, especially as an athlete. If you are having issues getting an adequate supply of potassium per day, try potassium supplement pills.