Getting enough Potassium While Dieting

by Lisa P | More from this Blogger

26 Jun 2008 07:27 PM

"I cramp up after workouts so I normally blend 1 banana with my protein shake mix and 2 cups of soy milk. Do bananas convert to fructose like other fruits that are more juicy such as oranges, apples, berries, etc?"

One banana has 200 calories, 51g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 28g sugar and 2g protein.

One orange has 85 calories, 21g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 17g sugar and 1g protein.

One apple has 65 calories, 17g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 13g sugar and no protein.

One cup of strawberries has 49 calories, 12g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 7g sugar and 1g protein.

The fructose in each of these is the sugar content. You'll notice when you compare them that bananas have a great deal more sugar per serving than the other fruits you mentioned. What redeems the poor banana is its potassium content. We all know that bananas are an excellent dietary source of potassium. Anyone who gets cramps after exercise or in the middle of the night would be well advised to either take a potassium supplement or start eating a banana every day. What most of us don't realize is that all of these fruits contain varying levels of potassium.

A banana has 555mg of potassium per serving.

An orange has 250mg of potassium. (You could eat two oranges and consume fewer calories while nearly matching the level of potassium of a banana but you'd be consuming more sugar.)

An apple has 143mg of potassium. (You'd need about 3.5 apples to match the potassium level of a banana and while the calorie count would be similar, you'd be taking in a lot of extra sugar.)

One cup of strawberries has 244mg of potassium. (This one is the big shocker! Two cups of strawberries would nearly equal the amount of potassium in one banana while providing half the calories, half the sugar and the same amount of fiber!)

If you are trying to lose weight, don't cut out bananas altogether. After all, they are a tasty fruit, but consider having a couple cups of strawberries to keep your potassium levels high while cutting calories.

Learn more about Lisa P

Lisa used to be a freelance writer and Community Manager for Families.com, but she has finally made the jump to novelist.

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