Avocado--my favorite way to get my potassium!
Posted by Natalie on September 10, 2009 - Posted in Recipes There are no comments, Add yours!
I had a new client wonder out loud why we don’t encourage bananas...and essentially pose the question ‘how else am I going to get my potassium?’.
If you’ve ever eaten one--you know that bananas are pretty darn sweet--and you know how we feel about sugar...so you can guess why we don’t encourage much banana consumption! Bananas do provide about 450 mg of potassium...along with 35 grams sugar! There are plenty of other delicious foods out there that can meet your potassium needs (2500-4500mg/day) that don’t cause an insulin spike! My favorite is the avocado...just one half will provide over 500mg of potassium---with only 7 grams of carbohydrate.
Here are a few reasons why you need potassium:
* It helps your muscles and nerves function properly
* It maintains the proper electrolyte and acid-base balance in your body
* It helps lower your risk of high blood pressure
Check out my 2nd favorite way to eat my avocado (my first is straight from the skin, sprinkled with a little salt!).
Orange & Avocado Salad with Jicama
4 oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 avocados peeled and sliced
1 jicama, peeled and cut into strips
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Toss oranges, avocado and jicama in a large bowl. Mix dressing and orange juice and pour over salad. Sprinkle with cilantro and orange zest. Serve immediately! I served this with grilled burgers.
This recipe is modified from one that I found on kraft.com.
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