Non-pill potassium supplements have seen increased demand lately. That’s because recent learned studies have found many of us need a potassium boost. But if all you need is a little extra, you can try some creative ‘fresh food’ alternatives…
Beloved across cuisines, cultures and applications, the Avocado
is also a leading source of supplemental potassium!
‘Food-based’ potassium supplementation is no longer limited to the one-size-fits-all, ‘banana-a-day’ prescription…
Unsuspected (and forgotten) options
Classic PB&B
That’s Peanut Butter & Bananas, to you. I know we said ‘banana-free’ but there’s a unique, a serious side to this admittedly derivative combo that should not go unnoted in the current context. Peanuts are a rich source of vegetable protein and ‘healthy’ fats. Bananas, as we’ve recently noted, are a great source of potassium. And their combined flavours and textures have proven an unbeatable tag team for ages.
The idea of teaming PB with Bananas may not be new, but it certainly has an elevated, newstalgic feel to it! Try uniting PB and Bananas between two slices of pillowy, fresh, light Caraway Rye Bread. You’ll believe you’ve actually made something old brand new again!
Equally-classic Quiche Florentine
This whole concept of Quiche was probably introduced to Western Europe by Catherine di Medici (see photo, top of page). She brought the Italian culinary tradition to France when she married King Henry II to make peace between France and the confederation of city states that was the Italy.
In particular, the still-popular luxury Quiche Florentine is named after the Italian Renaissance centre for the arts and sciences, Florence. back then, nobody knew anything about potassium, blood pres-sure or nutrition in general. But they knew what they liked!
Legumes: An Asian Secret
Peas and Beans – legumes – are particularly good sources of potassium. Specifically, Soy products, all kinds of Lentils, and particular types of beans (including Limas and Edamames) deliver a flood of po-tassium.
This is just one reason legumes have naturally gravitated to their current status as one of the central pillars of vegetarian-veganism!
Leafy Greens
This whole class of fresh produce, in general, deserves star billing in the potassium supplementation sweepstakes. But all too often it’s spectacular talents are left hidden under a culinary bushel.
The obvious application: Salads, in all their variety, colour and glory!
Avocados
In spite of their recent association with South American cartel wars for control of the market, and the threat posted by climate change to the traditional avo-growing regions, these popular little gems remain more or less available and affordable. And that’s good, because…
We saw an explosion of interest in the avocado back around the millennium. And that bona fide trend has neither weakened nor wavered since. Because of where they naturally grow, Tex-Mex applications re-main a leading focus for avocado employment.
Potatoes
Whether sweet or regular, ‘potatoes’ of all ilks have been recognised as good sources of potassium for more than 100 years.
The sweet potato – which is not really a true potato at all – has come into the spotlight relatively recently as a particularly valuable of not only potassium but other essential nutrients, as well!
My take
The foregoing is just a microscpically tiny sample of some of the more outstanding ‘natural’ sources of potassium we could all be introducing in our diets.
I’m a firm believer in the experts’ opinion that closer-to-nature sources are the best, most beneficial way to go, in supplementing your intake of any essential nutrient. Potassium just happens to be an especially-useful example of how easily and deliciously that model can work!
~ Maggie J.