Potassium lowers blood pressure

[Marianne]

I took a free online herbalism course and get an email newsletter from them. In this last newsletter, they talked about the benefits of watermelon. Not like I need any convincing to eat a lot of that. But I didn't know that it's high in potassium (among other things, of course). You can read the issue here:

http://www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_70.html

Which led me to Googling potassium and blood pressure. Found this short article from Harvard Health:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0705c.shtml

I need more watermelon!

 

[sunsaver]

Watermelon is high in antioxidants and potassium, but it also has a very high glycemic index. Be sure to eat plenty of good fats (walnuts, almonds, olive oil) at the same meal of watermelon, to prevent a spike in your blood sugar.

 

[Henrietta23]

For what it's worth (I found it on the Williams-Sonoma website!)
What kinds of fruit contain potassium?
The amount of potassium in milligrams (mg) contained in each fruit or serving of fruit is listed beside the item.

High potassium foods (more than 200 mg per serving):

◦One papaya (781).


◦One cup of prune juice (707).


◦One cup of cubed cantaloupe (494) or diced honeydew melon (461).


◦One small banana (467).


◦One-third cup of raisins (363).


◦One medium mango (323) or kiwi (252).


◦One small orange (237) or one-half cup of orange juice (236).


◦One medium pear (208).


Medium potassium foods (100-200 mg per serving):

◦One medium peach (193).


◦One cup of watermelon (176).


◦One small apple (159) or one-half cup of apple juice (147).


◦One-half cup of peaches canned in juice (158).


◦One-half cup of canned pineapple (152).


◦One-half cup of fresh, sliced strawberries (138).


Low potassium foods (less than 100 mg per serving):

◦One-half cup of mandarin oranges (98).


◦Ten small grapes (93).


◦One-half cup of sweetened applesauce (78).


◦One-half cup of fresh blueberries (63).

 

[abifae]

Watermelon is delicious with feta cheese....

*thinks of other fats to toss in*

 

[Marianne]

Oh Abi, you have a stronger stomach than I do! I love plain ol' watermelon, no salt...and no cheese that smells like dirty feet. My son loves scrambled eggs and feta, though!

 

[Wifezilla]

While I love melon, as ss already pointed out, it is high glycemic.

I was running pretty high blood pressure for years. 149/95 was typical. I stopped eating grains and it dropped like a rock. Now is it usually 110/62.

 

[sunsaver]

Watermelon is delicious with feta cheese....

*thinks of other fats to toss in*

I'll have some. Let me know when it's ready.

 

[Improvementalist]

Some good potassium foods here. Avocado is another food rich in potassium that won't spike your blood sugar. It's actually recommended for diabetics with all its healthy monounsaturated fat.

 

[Bettacreek]

I used to think that watermelon would be a great way for me to increase hydration, but found out later that it also has a diuretic in it. :/

 

[Marianne]

I used to think that watermelon would be a great way for me to increase hydration, but found out later that it also has a diuretic in it. :/

And I learned the hard way not to eat a washtub full of watermelon shortly before you go to bed, too.