So for a while I was having problems with muscle cramps in my legs when I was trying to fall asleep at night. You know that thing where your toes want to curl down and it really hurts if you let them? I would have to push my toes against something to make this stop!
Well, people often tell you to eat bananas for this (for the potassium). Then the other day I was entering a homemade recipe into MyFitnessPal and happened to notice that mushrooms have LOTS of potassium. So that got me wondering, what else have I been missing on the subject of potassium rich foods? I did an internet search (of course) and found this website that listed the “top ten foods” for potassium. I thought, “Hmmm…. avocado is first on their list but I’m pretty sure that’s going to add too many calories to my diet.” So I got out my cell phone, opened up MyFitnessPal and started digging, created a spreadsheet and found out the rankings on that website were really off if you look at potassium per calorie. As in way off! So then I visited another website that touted 15 different foods for potassium (including clams and orange juice) and found nine more foods not on the other list. But once again, no white potatoes. Because why? White potato privilege? (Okay, okay, I know they are not great for you because of their high glycemic index….) But they also didn’t list broccoli, which it turns out is a pretty decent source of potassium. Weird.
Oh, and with MyFitnessPal, sometimes the entries won’t list potassium so you may have to try several different entries for a food before you find what you need.
So I proceeded to add mushrooms and spinach to my diet.
And I kept getting the muscle cramps. So then I went to a body building website instead of nutrition websites. Oh, yeah, salt.
Seriously?
Yep – I wasn’t eating enough salt. I started eating pretzels before and after every workout (110 calories of them altogether) and guess what. No more muscle cramps.
Wow.
But just because I went to all the trouble and potassium is good for you for more than just muscle cramps, here’s what I found. (Sorted with the most potassium per calorie at the top.)
| Serving size | Calories | Protein | Potassium (mg) | Potassium per calorie | Protein per calorie | |
| Raw white mushrooms | 1 cup | 15 | 2.2 | 428 | 28.5 | 0.147 |
| Spinach, chopped, frozen | 1 cup | 35 | 3.0 | 839 | 24.0 | 0.086 |
| Acorn squash | 1 cup | 56 | 1.1 | 899 | 16.1 | 0.020 |
| Tomato sauce | 1 cup | 78 | 3.2 | 811 | 10.4 | 0.041 |
| Coconut water | 1 cup | 44 | 0.0 | 429 | 9.8 | 0.000 |
| Brocolli, frozen | 1 cup | 30 | 1.0 | 210 | 7.0 | 0.033 |
| Potato, baked with skin | 1 large | 279 | 8.0 | 1600 | 5.7 | 0.029 |
| Green beans | 1 cup | 50 | 2.0 | 270 | 5.4 | 0.040 |
| Molasses | 1 cup | 977 | 0.0 | 4934 | 5.1 | 0.000 |
| Skim milk | 1 cup | 80 | 8.0 | 390 | 4.9 | 0.100 |
| Dried apricots | 1 cup | 313 | 4.4 | 1510 | 4.8 | 0.014 |
| Plain, nonfat Greek Yoghurt | 1 cup | 130 | 20.0 | 579 | 4.5 | 0.154 |
| Orange Juice | 1 cup | 112 | 1.7 | 496 | 4.4 | 0.015 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | 83 | 1.1 | 350 | 4.2 | 0.013 |
| Sweet potato | 1 cup | 114 | 2.0 | 471.1 | 4.1 | 0.018 |
| Cod | 4 oz | 138 | 23.7 | 540 | 3.9 | 0.172 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 110 | 1.0 | 422 | 3.8 | 0.009 |
| Salmon | 4 oz | 100 | 21.0 | 365 | 3.7 | 0.210 |
| 1% Milk | 1 cup | 110 | 8.0 | 400 | 3.6 | 0.073 |
| California Avocado | 1 whole | 322 | 2.0 | 1068 | 3.3 | 0.006 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 230 | 17.9 | 731 | 3.2 | 0.078 |
| Prunes | 1 | 23 | 0.2 | 70 | 3.0 | 0.009 |
| Soybeans | 1 cup | 240 | 22.0 | 676 | 2.8 | 0.092 |
| Whole milk | 1 cup | 150 | 8.0 | 360 | 2.4 | 0.053 |
| Potato chips | 1 oz | 160 | 2.0 | 340 | 2.1 | 0.013 |
| Chicken, skinless breast | 4 oz | 120 | 24.0 | 250 | 2.1 | 0.200 |
| Clams, raw | 2 oz | 100 | 5.0 | 180 | 1.8 | 0.050 |
| Grilled steak | 4 oz | 160 | 23.0 | 250 | 1.6 | 0.144 |
| Kidney beans, dry | 1 cup | 613 | 43.0 | 502 | 0.8 | 0.070 |
And sorted by protein per calorie.
| Serving size | Calories | Protein | Potassium (mg) | Potassium per calorie | Protein per calorie | |
| Salmon | 4 oz | 100 | 21.0 | 365 | 3.7 | 0.210 |
| Chicken, skinless breast | 4 oz | 120 | 24.0 | 250 | 2.1 | 0.200 |
| Cod | 4 oz | 138 | 23.7 | 540 | 3.9 | 0.172 |
| Plain, nonfat Greek Yoghurt | 1 cup | 130 | 20.0 | 579 | 4.5 | 0.154 |
| Raw white mushrooms | 1 cup | 15 | 2.2 | 428 | 28.5 | 0.147 |
| Grilled steak | 4 oz | 160 | 23.0 | 250 | 1.6 | 0.144 |
| Skim milk | 1 cup | 80 | 8.0 | 390 | 4.9 | 0.100 |
| Soybeans | 1 cup | 240 | 22.0 | 676 | 2.8 | 0.092 |
| Spinach, chopped, frozen | 1 cup | 35 | 3.0 | 839 | 24.0 | 0.086 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 230 | 17.9 | 731 | 3.2 | 0.078 |
| 1% Milk | 1 cup | 110 | 8.0 | 400 | 3.6 | 0.073 |
| Kidney beans, dry | 1 cup | 613 | 43.0 | 502 | 0.8 | 0.070 |
| Whole milk | 1 cup | 150 | 8.0 | 360 | 2.4 | 0.053 |
| Clams, raw | 2 oz | 100 | 5.0 | 180 | 1.8 | 0.050 |
| Tomato sauce | 1 cup | 78 | 3.2 | 811 | 10.4 | 0.041 |
| Green beans | 1 cup | 50 | 2.0 | 270 | 5.4 | 0.040 |
| Brocolli, frozen | 1 cup | 30 | 1.0 | 210 | 7.0 | 0.033 |
| Potato, baked with skin | 1 large | 279 | 8.0 | 1600 | 5.7 | 0.029 |
| Acorn squash | 1 cup | 56 | 1.1 | 899 | 16.1 | 0.020 |
| Sweet potato | 1 cup | 114 | 2.0 | 471.1 | 4.1 | 0.018 |
| Orange Juice | 1 cup | 112 | 1.7 | 496 | 4.4 | 0.015 |
| Dried apricots | 1 cup | 313 | 4.4 | 1510 | 4.8 | 0.014 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | 83 | 1.1 | 350 | 4.2 | 0.013 |
| Potato chips | 1 oz | 160 | 2.0 | 340 | 2.1 | 0.013 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 110 | 1.0 | 422 | 3.8 | 0.009 |
| Prunes | 1 | 23 | 0.2 | 70 | 3.0 | 0.009 |
| California Avocado | 1 whole | 322 | 2.0 | 1068 | 3.3 | 0.006 |
| Coconut water | 1 cup | 44 | 0.0 | 429 | 9.8 | 0.000 |
| Molasses | 1 cup | 977 | 0.0 | 4934 | 5.1 | 0.000 |
So if you need more potassium and are on a high protein, low calorie diet I hope you really like mushrooms! 😉
Ye Olde Peacock Lady 