1 cup cashews, soaked for one hour and drained
1/4-1/3 agave or maple syrup
splash vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
pinch salt
*Blend cashews with 1/2 cup of water until all major chunks are broken up. Add another 1/2 cup water, agave or maple, vanilla, and salt. Blend again until mixture is creamy and resembles a melted milkshake.
*Pour into pre-frozen ice cream maker container and churn for 10 minutes or so.
*If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can easily use a stand mixer with a pre-frozen bowl. You can also use a blender or food processor. In this case, freeze the cashew mixture about halfway, remove from freezer and blend a second time to add more air. Freeze and eat!
Cookie Dough Bites:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup cashews
2-3 tbsp. agave or maple syrup
pinch salt
chocolate chunks/chips or carob chips of choice
*Blend oats and cashews into a fine powder. Add agave or maple syrup and salt to form a ball of dough. Scoop into a bowl and mix in chocolate pieces with your hands. Form into small bite-size pieces. Refrigerate for snacking, ice cream topping, or mix right into the ice cream.
Homemade Magic Shell:
1 part cocoa powder
1 part agave or maple syrup
2 parts coconut oil
*Stir all together until smooth and chocolatey. Pour over ice cream and watch it turn to a shell! For regular chocolate sauce, omit the coconut oil and add a little extra agave, water, or milk of choice.
Experts say food, not supplements, is the best way to meet potassium needs.
“My preference is food because potassium is found in foods that provide other nutrients, such as fiber, that also have beneficial health effects,” Appel says.
Here’s how many milligrams (mg) of potassium you'll get from these potassium-rich foods:
Winter squash, cubed, 1 cup, cooked: 896 mg
Sweet potato, medium, baked with skin: 694 mg
Potato, medium, baked with skin: 610 mg
White beans, canned, drained, half cup: 595 mg
Yogurt, fat-free, 1 cup: 579 mg
Halibut, 3 ounces, cooked: 490 mg
100% orange juice, 8 ounces: 496 mg
Broccoli, 1 cup, cooked: 457 mg
Cantaloupe, cubed, 1 cup: 431 mg
Banana, 1 medium: 422 mg
Pork tenderloin, 3 ounces, cooked: 382 mg
Lentils, half cup, cooked: 366 mg
Milk, 1% low fat, 8 ounces: 366 mg
Salmon, farmed Atlantic, 3 ounces, cooked: 326 mg
Pistachios, shelled, 1 ounce, dry roasted: 295 mg
Raisins, quarter cup: 250 mg
Chicken breast, 3 ounces, cooked: 218 mg
Tuna, light, canned, drained, 3 ounces: 201 mg
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
You May Need More or Less Potassium
Besides being linked to the potassium in your diet, potassium levels in your body are influenced by several factors, including kidney function, hormones, and prescription and over-the-counter medications.
People who take thiazide diuretics, often used to treat high blood pressure, may need more potassium. That’s because thiazide diuretics promote potassium loss from the body. Steroids and laxatives also deplete potassium.
Other drugs used to lower blood pressure, including beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, raise potassium levels in the body.
People with reduced kidney function may need to limit their daily potassium intake.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about how all of the medications you take affect the potassium levels in your body, and if you need more, or less, of the mineral.
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