The state of fatigue, apathy and bad mood often do not cause anxiety in an adult. This state of affairs can go on for a long time, significantly worsening the quality of life. But it’s enough just to establish the cause of poor health, physical and moral, which very often lies in the insufficient number of micronutrients received. And then a change in diet and sufficient intake of foods containing potassium and other important compounds will make you feel healthy and happy again.
About the importance of trace elements
The participation of various trace elements in all metabolic processes of the human body cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately, few people pay attention to the full presence of each compound in the daily diet, although everyone has heard about the need for a balanced diet.
Each of the microelements plays an important role, and with a significant deficit of one or more of them, metabolic processes are disrupted, which leads to a gradual deterioration of well-being and even the development of diseases. After all, everyone heard that iron deficiency leads to anemia, but what happens if there are not enough foods containing potassium and magnesium in the body, only those who have already suffered from their deficiency know.
You can protect yourself from a lack of trace elements by regularly taking complex vitamin preparations. But doing this is not necessary if you build your daily diet correctly.
When there is not enough potassium
Knowledge of certain symptoms and conditions that develop with long-term deficiency will allow you to pay attention to your nutrition and the full receipt of all important trace elements.
Potassium is a trace element necessary for humans, which plays a crucial role in metabolic processes. In particular, potassium is important for the normal functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. The absence of potassium-containing foods in the diet leads to increased fatigue, arrhythmias and nervousness. A lack of potassium can also be manifested in irritability, consistently bad mood and apathy, since potassium is important primarily for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
Also, people prone to vascular diseases will be able to feel one of the first potassium deficiency. Potassium is responsible for the saturation of the heart with oxygen, so when this element is lacking, the heart muscle begins to contract poorly, which leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, arrhythmia and pain in the heart.
Potassium also has a direct effect on the brain, so people who are constantly in mental stress need to eat foods containing potassium in large quantities.
Making up for the lack of potassium
To provide your body with this important trace element in the required amount, you need to properly build your diet. Daily inclusion in the diet of foods containing potassium will improve your well-being and get rid of the obsessive feeling of fatigue.
The following products will be most useful:
- Sea kale. This product is extremely healthy, contains a large amount of potassium, but it is dietary. Seaweed can be included in the diet daily without harm to the figure and the digestive system. In addition to potassium, seaweed will saturate the body with such an important element as iodine.
- Dried apricots. Such a product is known for its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system precisely because of its high potassium content. But you should be careful not to abuse dried apricots, because it is quite high in calories and contains a lot of sugar.
- Lentils A very useful product, rich not only in potassium and magnesium, but also in proteins. Lentils can be added to soups, salads, and also used as a side dish. It is also a dietary product that contains large amounts of potassium.
Regular inclusion of prunes, almonds and cashews, peas and bananas in the diet will also help replenish potassium reserves in the body.
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
Along with potassium, an element such as magnesium regulates the metabolic processes of alkali and salt in the cells of the body. Its deficiency also has rather striking symptoms that at least once happened to experience every person: we are talking about muscle cramps, an unpleasant and painful phenomenon.
Also, a lack of magnesium in the body can manifest itself in various disorders of the nervous system. This can be twitching of the eyelids, irritability, poor sleep, tingling in the limbs.
Magnesium is found in bone and tooth tissue, and therefore a deficiency of this element makes bones too fragile and teeth prone to caries. Brittle dull hair, brittle nails can also speak of a lack of magnesium.
With a lack of foods containing a large amount of potassium and magnesium in the diet, a person may suffer from constant dizziness, poor performance, tearfulness and a depressed state.
Magnesium in Simple Products
Preventing the appearance of unpleasant symptoms that can develop into significant health problems will help the inclusion of the following products in the daily menu.
- Buckwheat. This indispensable product is not only tasty, but also a real storehouse of trace elements. Buckwheat is rich in magnesium and iron, it is low in calories and has a good effect on the digestive system.
- Nuts. The product containing the largest amount of potassium and magnesium among cashews is cashew nut. They are very tasty, you can use them in the form of a snack or add to salads. But do not forget that nuts have a high fat content and calorie content, so do not abuse this product for overweight people and digestive problems.
- Legumes. Beans are a great source of magnesium. It also contains a large amount of vegetable protein and can be an excellent side dish and component of salads.
Spicy herbs and herbs will help to add magnesium to your diet: use basil, parsley, saffron and coriander in the preparation of fresh salads daily.
For whom potassium and magnesium are especially important
It is worth noting the categories of people for whom a lack of these important elements can result in serious health problems. That is why it is very important to include them in the diet in sufficient quantities if you belong to one of these groups.
Potassium and magnesium products are very important for the heart and blood vessels. Therefore, they must be present in the daily diet for people who suffer from pain in the heart, arrhythmias, varicose veins.
People who, due to their occupation or life circumstances, experience an increased load on the nervous system, are often in a state of stress and nervous strain, it is also necessary to pay increased attention to the adequate intake of magnesium and potassium. This may be necessary in a short period of time, for example, in preparation for exams or an important project.
Also, an increased intake of potassium and magnesium in the body should be provided if antibiotics or hormonal drugs have to be taken.
If you find one or more symptoms characteristic of a lack of magnesium or potassium, it is worth trying to adjust the diet. If changes could not be achieved on their own, you must consult a doctor who can choose the right dosage of the necessary trace elements in the dosage form.
We replenish, but do not lose!
Products containing potassium and magnesium, which are regularly ingested, do not guarantee that a deficiency of these elements does not threaten you. The fact is that there are a number of factors that impede their proper assimilation.
For example, excessive consumption of coffee and black tea, especially too sweetened, do not allow these trace elements to be absorbed properly. Problems with saturating the body with potassium and magnesium can be caused by the abuse of sweets, pastries and pastries.
A negative effect on the number of useful microelements in the body is the constant inclusion in the diet of pickles, marinades, strong seasonings based on vinegar.
Balance in everything!
Our body is a well-functioning mechanism, the correct functioning of which entirely depends on our habits, behavior, and also “fuel” - nutrition. When compiling a diet, you need to carefully consider its ratio in order to obtain in sufficient quantities not only the proteins, carbohydrates and fats we need, but also vital trace elements.
You can turn to a professional nutritionist who will help you develop the right sample menu, or you can search for information about products, which are in great demand in the public domain, and think about your diet yourself.
Knowing which foods contain potassium and magnesium in large quantities and what threatens the deficiency of these elements, you can easily saturate your body with useful substances. So, you will feel healthy and full of energy every day!