More often than not, students pay attention to the food they eat or do not eat, whenever their body starts showing serious signs of a health disorder. Feelings of unexplained fatigue, digestive problems such as constipation and bloating, heart palpitation, muscle spasms, stiffness and cramps, tingling and numbing sensations, breathing difficulties and mood changes, are some examples of symptoms related to mineral deficiency.
If you are to consult with a physician, the first area of concern will be your food intakes. In knowing the regular food you take in as daily subsistence, the physician will have an inkling of the minerals you either lack or have in excessive quantities in your body.
However, most students nowadays, tend to determine disorders connected to any discomfort or unusual bodily responses by researching medical information in the World Wide Web. They then make a self diagnosis of their conditions, without knowing the root cause of the symptoms.
Importance of Understanding the Indications of Potassium Related Symptoms
Potassium is one of the lesser known minerals that the body requires in order to function properly. Although, the symptoms mentioned above are all indications of potassium deficiency, low potassium intakes rarely result to a health disorder on its own.
Potassium deficiency may result when linked with an illness that causes the body to lose excessive amounts of potassium already present in the body. Chronic diarrhea, chronic vomiting and dehydration are the most common health disorders that can cause potassium deficiency.
On the other hand, an overabundance of potassium in one’s system is more likely caused by taking in too much potassium by way of over-the-counter food supplements. This is one reason why it is important to first consult with a physician instead of self-medicating, or before taking food supplements to address deficiency symptoms.
Nonetheless, an ounce of prevention is still the best action to take if your purpose for self medication is to keep the doctor and the healthcare costs away.
What Makes Potassium Important In One’s Daily Diet
Once dissolved by water inside the body, potassium acts as an electrolyte that carries positive ion charges. On the other hand, the mineral that acts as an electrolyte with negative ion charges is sodium.
When positive and negative ions interact, it is important that there is balance between the two, to ensure that the body has sufficient electricity to carry out other bodily functions. Examples of which include: maintaining fluid balance, delivering nerve signals and activating proper muscle contractions.
Since sodium is more common as part of daily intakes, the body’s fluid produces more negatively-charged electrolytes. Still, the body stores 98% of potassium intakes in cells, ensuring that an abundant supply of the mineral is present in the body. At the least, muscle cells store 80%, bone cells receive 20%, while blood cells and the liver get as much as 6%. Once the body needs positive electrolytes, the body part, through its sufficient supply of potassium stored in its cells, can provide such requirement.
Including potassium-rich food therefore will help restore the potassium supply used up by the body. Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium, but those ascertained as potassium-rich include pinto beans, beet greens, white potato, spinach, kale, peas, avocado, banana, portobello mushroom, sweet potato, yam and salmon.
Suggestion to Student Food Bloggers: When offering information about food nutrients, it would be best to have your blog post reviewed by an online paper editor. That way, those who rely on the Internet as source of helpful food and health related information will be provided with credible guidelines.