You might have heard that potassium rich foods in your diet is good for you, but you may not know why. Potassium serves multiple important roles in your body’s health and well being, including regulating heart functions, reducing blood pressure, and converting glucose into glycogen. This last task is important in the process of using glucose for muscle energy.

Additionally, potassium is important for carbon dioxide elimination from the lungs, normal nerve and muscle function, and maintaining an acid/alkali balance. This mineral is necessary for proper functioning across several body systems.

The recommended daily allowance for potassium changes as you age. Infants and toddlers, ages 0 to 3, should be consuming 750 to 800 milligrams per day, and children from 4 to 10 years old should ingest 1,100 to 2,000 milligrams of potassium per day. From 11 years old through adulthood, the suggested amount is 3,100 to 3,500 milligrams of potassium every day. One banana contains 440 milligrams, and a medium baked potato contains 450.

Potassium is good for us, but what else is there to eat besides bananas and potatoes? Below is a few more food high in potassium foods:


Lima beans		 1 cup 955
Potatoes, baked, 1 potato 1081
Tomato products, canned sauce 1 cup 909
Winter squash 1 cup 896
Prunes, dried 1 cup 828
Raisins 1 cup 1089

Recipe for Green Beans and Potatoes
Ingredients
* 3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and broken in half
* 3 cups thinly sliced potatoes
* 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
* 2 to 3 large garlic cloves minced
* 1/4 teaspoon of each, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
1. Heat the Virgin Olive Oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute or so until the garlic is tan /fragrant. Add potatoes, green beans and reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until vegetables are tender.
2. Sprinkle on the parsley.

Tip: The steamed green beans and potatoes will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.