Nutrient Gaps: Potassium

Potassium. You think bananas, right? Well, I think potatoes! That’s right… good ol’ white potatoes! Now don’t get me wrong, sweet potatoes have potassium too, and fiber and vitamin A.  But white potatoes win when it comes to potassium.  Fun fact, right?!

Actually, potassium is found in lots fresh produce, beans, dairy and meat.  Despite that it’s found in a variety of foods, less than 3% of four to thirteen-year-olds meet their daily needs!  When we take a look at data from several reports and studies (the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and What We Eat in America, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 2015-2018) we see that most of us fall short.  In 2016, it was even mandated that nutrition labels start to list potassium in order to place more awareness on this “shortfall” nutrient.

So why is potassium so important?  Our bodies need potassium to regulate fluid, pH levels and electrolytes in the body, to help muscles and nerves function, to maintain a normal blood pressure, and minimize bone loss.  Potassium also helps move nutrients into cells and waste out of them. Without it, our hearts would stop beating!  One of the major concerns with lack of potassium in the diet is how it couples with a high sodium diet.  When a high sodium, low potassium diet collide (as with many Americans) there’s an increased risk for elevated blood pressure (even for little children) which can cause a multitude of health problems if left unaddressed.     

On a positive note, the kidney’s do a great job regulating the amount of potassium in our blood.  If you have healthy kidney’s, there’s little reason to supplement, restrict or over-consume potassium.  In fact, most multivitamins (that we might use as our “nutrition backup”) don’t really have a significant amount of potassium just because the body regulates it so well.  So, do you supplement with potassium if you think your child isn’t getting enough?  That’s for you and your doctor to determine.  In most cases with typical picky eating, I’d say there’s no reason to supplement.  Just be sure you are offering fruits, vegetables, dairy and protein food groups daily.

There are special circumstances where potassium could get depleted, though.  If you’re child is sick with vomiting and diarrhea, they could become dehydrated and depleted of important electrolytes -  potassium included.  Potassium can also be depleted if your child is playing sports or doing some sort of rigorous activity for over an hour or in very hot weather.  In this case, find a snack or beverage to replenish potassium (and other electrolytes) – chocolate milk is a GREAT choice! (Another post on this will come soon!)

So how much potassium do our kiddos need?  That all changed just recently, actually! Recommendations for potassium used to be much higher.  Then in 2019, the NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) changed their recommendations to reflect the highest medium potassium intakes in healthy children and adults. 

7-12 months: 860 mg

1-3 years: 2,000 mg

4-8 years: 2,300 mg

9-13 years: males 2,500 mg and females 2,300 mg

14-18 years: males 3,000 mg and females 2,300 mg

Here’s a list of foods known for their “potassium punch”.  Notice the trend here – orange and green fruits and veggies, dairy, beans, and proteins.

Apricots (1/2 cup, dried): 1,101 mg

Baked potato (1 small): 738 mg

Lima beans (1/2 cup, cooked): 477 mg

Bananas (1 medium): 422mg

Canned white beans (1/2 cup): 421 mg

Chocolate milk (1 cup): 418 mg

Spinach (1/2 cup, cooked): 419 mg

Tomato (marinara) sauce (1/2 cup): 405 mg

Prune juice (1/2 cup): 370 mg

Lentils (1/2 cup, cooked): 366 mg

Edamame (1/2 cup): 338 mg

Milk (1 cup): 366 mg

Salmon (3 ounces, cooked): 319 mg

Butternut squash (1/2 cup, cooked): 291 mg

Yogurt (1/2 cup, plain): 286 mg

Sweet potato (1 small): 285 mg

Raisins (1/4 cup): 270 mg

Dark meat turkey (3 ounces, cooked): 250 mg

Orange juice (1/2 cup): 248 mg

Avocados (1/4th): 243 mg

Kiwi (1 small): 240 mg

Broccoli (½ cup, cooked): 230 mg

Lean beef (3 ounces, cooked): 224 mg

Cantaloupe (1/2 cup): 215 mg

Peanut butter (2 tbsp): 210 mg

Cod (3 ounces, cooked): 207 mg

Honeydew (1/2 cup): 200 mg

Corn (1/2 cup): 195 mg

Peach (1 medium): 185 mg

Carrots (1/2 cup, cooked): 180 mg

Green peas (1/2 cup): 177 mg

Cherry tomatoes (1/2 cup, raw): 176 mg

Orange (1 small): 174 mg

Yellow squash (1/2 cup, cooked): 173 mg

Again, if you are offering a variety of fruit, vegetables, proteins, dairy and beans meeting potassium needs shouldn’t be a far reach.  The term “eat the rainbow” comes to mind with all the colors from the list above! If you have further questions about potassium or nutrition in general, please reach out.  I’d be happy to help!