Why Consider Potassium in Your Diet

Potassium is an essential mineral found in many everyday foods, including leafy vegetables, legumes, dairy and fish such as salmon. Most of the body's potassium sits inside its cells, where it helps carry nerve signals and, together with sodium, helps regulate the body's fluid balance.

Diets rich in potassium are associated in research with a lower risk of high blood pressure, stroke, kidney stones and age-related bone loss. The evidence points to the balance between potassium and sodium mattering more than either mineral alone, and modern diets, heavy in processed food and light on fruit and vegetables, tend to be low in potassium and high in sodium.

There is no single minimum that every healthy adult needs, and requirements vary with health and activity. The World Health Organization suggests at least 3,500 mg of potassium a day, and people at higher risk of high blood pressure or stroke are sometimes advised to aim higher. National guidance differs, so these are general figures rather than a prescription.

One often-cited early study, from 1986, gave mildly hypertensive patients a potassium-rich, sodium-reduced salt in place of common salt, and reported a greater fall in blood pressure over the following days than in the group given ordinary salt. It is a small, early study and only one result among many, but it is part of why the potassium-to-sodium ratio has been studied for decades.

Potassium is not suitable for everyone in concentrated form. Registered dietitians note that people with reduced kidney function or diabetes, or who take certain medicines, may not clear potassium normally and should speak to a doctor before using any potassium-rich salt or substitute. Indigo Salt is a food, not a treatment, and the best sources of potassium remain a varied diet built on whole foods.