I have moderately high blood pressure, which I have been trying to control with diet and exercise. I have been making some progress. Anyway, I was at the neighbor’s house and we were snacking on Lay’s Sour Cream and Onion potato chips, and I was checking out the nutrition label. Yeah, there is sodium in them, but not a huge amount, surprisingly, but there is even more potassium! Potato chips are rich in potassium! My understanding is that it is the balance between sodium and potassium that is one of the factors that influences blood pressure. So, am I barking up the wrong tree here?
Most of the medical evidence seems to suggest potassium is beneficial in mitigating the effects of high sodium intake on blood pressure (e.g. Whelton et al. 1997). This isn’t to suggest that crisps are health food or that 9% of an upper bound for sodium intake in a 28g snack is small, but it does offset the danger. Other foods high in potassium, besides potatoes, include bananas, citrus fruits, cantaloupes, avocados, tomatoes, lima beans, flounder, salmon, cod, chicken, and other meats.