Sunday, January 17, 2010

False alarm.

According to this article, food manufacturers are not required to report the amount of potassium in their products, although a few are starting to do so. The information on Daily Plate appears to come from the nutrition labels, at least for the brand name items. That means my potassium intake could be much higher than it appears. In fact, it seems all but certain given that the article mentions many high-potassium foods that I have eaten over the last week. Sweet potatoes, spinach, edamame, white beans, apricots and peaches, melon, halibut, and (low-sodium) tomato products are all good sources of potassium. Not surprisingly, a balanced diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables will provide most of what my body needs. This is also the conclusion of Michael Pollan’s newest book, Food Rules, in which Pollan offers 64 plain-English guidelines for eating. His motto is “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”, and the rules help guide you toward that lifestyle. If you are interested in eating better, this might be a good (and cheap) place to start. If you already eat this way, it's a little less useful but still a fun read.

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