Potassium
You may have heard recently that almost all preschoolers do not consume the recommended amount of potassium in a given day. What does this mean for your preschooler?
Potassium is an electrolyte mineral that helps maintain normal blood pressure, helps transmit nerve signals and helps muscles work properly. Potassium is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products like yogurt.
We know that many preschoolers are not consuming fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Diets low in fruits and vegetables may result in preschoolers not getting their daily recommended intake of potassium. In a large survey about what foods preschoolers eat, researchers found that almost one third (1/3) of preschoolers did not eat a single serving of vegetables in a day and ~25% of preschoolers did not eat a single serving of fruit (excluding 100% juice).
Your preschooler needs 1 cup of fruit and 1 cup of vegetables each day. A typical serving size for preschoolers is 1/3 cup. Here are some fruit and vegetable servings you can offer your preschooler to help them meet their potassium intake for the day:
- 1/3 cup sliced banana
- 1/3 cup orange juice or sliced fresh oranges
- 1/3 cup diced tomato
- 1/3 cup diced avocado
- 1/3 cup diced cantaloupe
- 1/3 cup mashed sweet potato or mashed potatoes
- 1/3 cup cooked lima beans
Helpful Tip - When it's snack time, treat your preschooler (and yourself) to delicious fruits or vegetables. These snacks can help you meet your fruit and vegetable daily servings and maybe your daily potassium intake.