How's Your Mineral Intake?

Vitamins… antioxidants… micronutrients… fiber...

These are all things that are important to a healthy diet, but don't forget about the minerals. Your body needs minerals to support normal, healthy function. From bone-building to immune system function to cellular metabolism, minerals play an important role in all those systems and more.

Minerals even help to regulate your blood pressure.

When it comes to minerals and blood pressure, most of the focus is on sodium. It's true that excess sodium can increase blood pressure, but sodium isn't the only mineral that affects blood pressure.

Getting too little potassium can actually be just as damaging as getting too much sodium… it may be even worse.

In one study presented last weekend at the American Society of Nephrology, researchers found that low potassium intake had a stronger correlation with high blood pressure than did high sodium intake.

If you have high blood pressure you can make a big difference by reducing your sodium intake and increasing your potassium intake.

To reduce your sodium start by reducing the amount of processed foods that you eat. Most processed or prepackaged foods are loaded with sodium. Even canned vegetables have high sodium. If you eat canned vegetables, rinse them thoroughly before heating them up. This will help lower the sodium per serving. Also, resist the urge to add salt to your food at the table. Adding a small amount during cooking is fine—it gets stretched across the entire dish. When you add it to the serving on your plate, though, it adds up fast.

To increase your potassium intake, eat more fruits like bananas and oranges and eat more vegetables. When you eat potatoes, eat the skins, too. Also, make sure your multivitamin contains essential minerals like potassium. That way you'll fill in any gaps.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn