Potassium

OK, Class, it's time for Sunday School.  Today, we're going to talk Potassium.  It's one of the primary electrolyte minerals that keeps us humans from getting dehydrated.  Sodium is, too, of course, but potassium is harder to find than sodium.  Sodium is in everything--it's everywhere.  Potassium? Not so much.

OK, now I know you have all heard how Gatorade and the whole genre of so-called "sports drinks" are supposed to provide you with the potassium you need to keep from getting dehydrated.  That's bunko, bucko! The good Ol' USDA says you are supposed to have a whopping 4.7 grams of potassium every day!  That's 4700 milligrams. An 8 ounce bottle of Gatorade has less than 100 milligrams of potassium--barely two percent of your recommended daily intake.

I've personally found I am susceptible to a potassium deficit in hot weather. In other words, if I don't watch my potassium intake, I get dehydrated. That means I get a whopping headache or feel real tired or even nauseous. I hate being dehydrated! It's been getting hot here in Arizona--upper 80's. I've been sweating a lot and, therefore, I've become very worried about getting dehydrated. So, that's why I am focused on potassium right now. It's the silver bullet--at least for me. Get plenty of potassium and stay hydrated. Simple.

Well, maybe NOT so simple. Just where the heck does one find potassium? It's not exactly lying around on the street corners. Here's a tip for ya'll--if you need potassium, drink tomato juice or eat canned tomatoes. POOF--you got potassium--in SPADES! Get this, a single can of stewed tomatoes has 1150 milligrams of potassium, more than 11 times the amount that's in a single Gatorade! Chow down on some canned tomatoes or slurp some tomato juice and you're good to go.

According to the USDA, tomatoes rank #1 of all foods for potassium content. Click here for a 26-page ranking of the potassium content of all foods.

It's pretty annoying when we hear people talking about how you need to intake some sports drinks to get your potassium. All you are getting is a huge dose of high fructose corn syrup and some piddling, token potassium. Those drinks are worthless in my opinion. Stick with good ol' primal tomatoes and you're going to be way ahead of the curve.

As our annual warm/hot season approaches, you can bet tomatoes are going to always be close at hand. Today, we were in the hot sun for a couple of hours up at that V Bar V Heritage Days thing. I could feel myself getting on the verge of being dehydrated--so I wolfed down a whole can of Stewed tomatoes when we got home and I feel much better now. Three cheers for potassium!

And three cheers for you, Loyal Blog Readers! jp