Potassium and Sodium an Important Balance
The balance between sodium and potassium in our bodies is extremely important to good health. Our ancestors evolved on diets that provided lots of potassium with a minimum of sodium. Early human physiology conserved sodium which was difficult to find and learned to excrete excessive potassium, which was found in abundance in their diets which in addition to meat consisted of fruits and wild vegetables.
Over the years that delicate balance has shifted to include far to much sodium and not enough potassium. With our reliance on highly processed foods we are exposing ourselves to a serious potassium/sodium imbalance. These foods contain high amounts of sodium and very little potassium. For example a 3 ˝ ounces of fresh peas has 380mg of potassium and less than 1mg of sodium. While the same serving from the can has 180mg of potassium and adds 230mg of sodium.
In a study released by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine it was found that too many people consume diets deficient in potassium and high in acid producing foods like meats and other animal proteins that further deplete the body’s supply of potassium. This becomes more critical as our population continues to reduce carbohydrates in favor of more animal protein. While eliminating refined flour and sugar has been found to be important to improving ones health, eliminating fruits and vegetables is pure folly. While many health professionals advocate an Atkins-like approach to diet they fail to remember that Atkins gradually over time increased the amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. I have always preferred the Barry Sears Zone Diet which I feel is a more balanced approach in providing proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
According to national diet studies the average person in this country consumes only about two-thirds the recommended amount of potassium which is 4700 mg, while at the same time their sodium intake has increased dramatically. The institute reported that “Humans evolved from ancestors who consumed large amounts of uncultivated plant foods which provided substantial amounts of potassium.” No these early peoples were not vegetarians they did eat meats, but it was balanced with plant foods. This diet allowed the kidney to develop a highly efficient mechanism to excrete excessive potassium, while at the same time sparing sodium. I think you can see what happens when the diet is high in sodium and low in potassium. The kidney excretes the potassium easily and holds on to the sodium. This is were the problem lies.
Potassium and sodium along with chloride are electrolytes. They regulate the electronics of the cell membrane. Which means that they regulate nerve impulses. Potassium is found primarily inside the cell while sodium and chloride are found mainly outside the cell. All three have to be in proper balance to assure normal metabolic and neuromuscular function. All three have a profound effect on the proper function of the adrenal glands. An imbalance of high sodium and chloride with respect to potassium is believed to be a major factor in several serious chronic ailments.
A chronic potassium deficiency will lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, kidney stones, and loss of bone minerals that may lead to osteoporosis. Did you know that osteoporosis is affecting many males in our population. Low potassium levels can also lead to a salt sensitivity furthering the risk of hypertension. Even small changes in potassium can harm nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and blood vessel tone. Most people have little warning of a potassium deficiency. They may feel tired, weak, and irritable. But don’t run out and start supplementing with potassium tablets. Excessive levels of potassium cause fatal disruptions in heart rhythms. The institute suggests that potassium levels be improved by increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and eliminating all processed foods. Even processed fruits and vegetables are to be avoided..
Foods that have the highest amounts of potassium are, if you say bananas you are very wrong, foods containing the highest levels are green leafy vegetables like bok choy, spinach, romaine, and cabbage, also artichokes, asparagus, vine-grown foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash, pumpkin, root vegetables like carrots, radishes, onions, turnips, and green beans. Fruits like apples, oranges, cherries, bananas, apricots, strawberries, and tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
In physically active people potassium is important in sustaining good muscle function. But sport drinks often used to restore nutrients lost in activity are worthless in providing potassium. Sport drinks contain 30mg of potassium you would have to drink 12 servings of a sport drink (600 calories) not to mention all the needless sugar that you would ingest, to consume the amount of potassium found in ˝ cup of cantaloupe (27 calories and 7gm of carbohydrate ). If you consume 100 calories of spinach, tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas, oranges, and potatoes you would take in a day’s recommended amount of potassium with only 600 calories consumed leaving room for other foods eating a potassium rich diet is great for weight control and your over-all health
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by Dr. Steven Felder
