Need A Potassium Boost? Forget Bananas And Grab This Starchy Tuber

Bananas are the first food that comes to mind when we think about boosting our daily potassium intake — and for good reason. Since we were kids, we were told in school about this fruit being the go-to source of this mineral. Even as we grow older, we continue to hear the same idea being regurgitated in the mainstream media and pop culture. Interestingly, while bananas do provide a healthy dose of potassium, they aren't the only reliable option out there. In fact, the next time you're at the grocery store, you may want to grab some potatoes as well. Unbeknownst to many of us, this starchy tuber can also deliver our daily potassium needs just as effectively as bananas, if not more so.

Potatoes are naturally rich in potassium, along with other vitamins and minerals, regardless of variety. So, whether you choose russets, petites, fingerlings, reds, yellows, purples, or whites, you'll still benefit from a substantial amount of this vital electrolyte. That said, you should also consider how potatoes are cooked in different recipes, as this can affect their nutritional value. Simply boiling potatoes for as little as 10 minutes can reduce their potassium content by up to half. This also lowers their vitamin B and C content. Nevertheless, not all preparation techniques diminish the nutrient levels of potatoes. Research has found that microwaving or baking potatoes with their skins on actually helps preserve more of their potassium and overall nutritional content.

Technically speaking, potatoes have a higher potassium content than bananas. A medium-sized russet offers around 900 milligrams of the nutrient, which is already 30% of the recommended daily intake. In comparison, a similar-sized banana only contains around 450 to 650 milligrams of potassium. Based on this, potatoes can be considered a better source of potassium for people who need to replenish the electrolyte, which is typically lost in sweat. So, how come bananas have become the poster child of potassium intake?

Apparently, even though potatoes are among the most-consumed and favorite vegetables by Americans, they may not be directly considered a predominant source of dietary potassium since a chunk of the essential mineral is reduced or lost during the cooking process. On the contrary, bananas — though famously used in confections like banana bread — are almost always eaten raw, so no percentage of the electrolyte is lost from food preparation, making them a more convenient and readily accessible source of potassium. Potatoes cannot be eaten raw. This is inadvisable due to their hard-to-digest starch content. As such, it is understandable why many people prefer to munch on bananas to fulfill their dietary potassium needs.