I’ve been meaning to write a column on potassium for quite a while. Say what?
For years, I was bothered by something called PVCs — premature ventricular contractions of the heart. Most people call this your heart skipping a beat. Seventy-five percent of people experience them, and about two percent of people are having one at any given time. They are generally considered harmless and benign.
Maybe so but given that my father dropped dead from a heart attack caused by ventricular fibrillation, these PVCs scared the living daylights out of me. I got them on the tennis court. I got them lying in bed reading a book. I just never knew when a PVC attack would come. (Interesting side fact: Only 50 percent of adults are even aware of their heartbeat. The ability to feel your heartbeat is considered genetic.)
I researched what caused them. High stress? Check. Strong coffee? Check. High blood pressure? Check. Alcohol? (Who, me?) Low potassium? Huh?
I couldn’t have low potassium. I take a multivitamin every day. So, I checked the back of my multivitamin jar. It said: “Potassium, two percent of the minimum daily requirement.”
Two percent? That’s nothing. All the other vitamins were like 100 percent and 50 percent and such. Why was I only getting a measly two percent of my daily required potassium from my multivitamin?
Turns out, you used to be able to get large dosages of potassium in pill form, but the pills burn holes in your intestines, so the FDA restricted potassium in over-the-counter pills to only two percent of the daily requirement.
This would not be a problem except for one thing: Americans are experiencing a nationwide shortage of potassium in their bodies. According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, an analysis of U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data indicates that clinical potassium deficiency in the United States surged from 3.78% to 11.06% over a 17-year period. Researchers attribute this decline in blood potassium levels to the heavy consumption of ultra-processed foods and reduced potassium concentrations in agricultural topsoil. Our processed food diets and agribusiness are depleting our natural sources of potassium.
For optimal blood pressure management and stroke prevention, major healthcare organizations like the American Heart Association traditionally recommend 4,700 mg of potassium per day—which remains the standard "Daily Value" (DV) printed on FDA Nutrition Facts labels. Yet, the average male potassium intake is 3,016 mg, and for women, the average intake is 2,320 mg. This means we’re not even coming close to getting enough potassium in our normal diet.
This is a problem because potassium is foundational to your body's metabolism. While people often associate "metabolism" strictly with burning calories or losing weight, in biochemistry, metabolism refers to the billions of chemical reactions your cells use to create energy, build tissue, and sustain life. Potassium acts as the literal electrical current and chemical cofactor that allows these processes to happen. It impacts your body's metabolism across several critical pathways.
Muscles need potassium to do their thing. The heart is one big muscle. That’s why low potassium was causing my premature ventricular contractions.
Ever notice why homegrown tomatoes taste so good compared to store-bought tomatoes? It’s the potassium. Homegrown tomatoes don’t rely on agri-business' potassium-depleted soil from countless crops. Any homegrown tomato connoisseur knows that banana peels are loaded with the potassium responsible for fruit quality and flavor. But don't just bury them raw, which can temporarily rob the soil of nitrogen as they decay; toss them in your compost pile first to unlock that sweet, bioavailable potassium your tomato plants can immediately drink up.
So, how do you get potassium? You can buy a big old jug of food-grade potassium chloride for $15. I drink a low-sodium V8 and put a 16th of an ounce of potassium chloride in it. In terms of pure elemental potassium, that tiny scoop delivers roughly 930 mg right into the glass, completely wiping out the average American daily deficit.
And guess what? No more PVCs. Not a single episode. It was a perfect cure. Plus, my energy level is as great on the tennis court and golf course as many of my friends who are 20 years younger than me. There’s a reason you see professional tennis players eating bananas on the changeovers.
A word of caution: Too much potassium can cause dangerous heart arrhythmias. If you go the powder route, you must measure carefully—never eyeball it. Err on the side of caution and watch your potassium levels when you get your annual physical blood work done. Every body is different. But for me, it was a great, inexpensive cure.
And if you want to go au naturel, eat more potatoes, spinach, lima beans, and bananas—all have a lot of potassium, as do tuna, salmon, avocados, apricots, and plain yogurt. Of all these foods, the lowly potato has the most potassium, which is why I find myself occasionally craving french fries. One potato a day will help cure your potassium deficit.
And on that note, here’s my recipe for delicious, oil-free french fried potatoes. It's a delicious, low-calorie, filling dish that costs about $1.50 (plus condiments).
Take two large potatoes and slice them by hand into steak-cut fries. Put them in the microwave for eight minutes. Then, put them in an air fryer for 15 to 30 minutes until toasty brown. The fries will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I like to eat mine with two condiments: ketchup and a mix of mayo, sriracha, and garlic oil.
