Are you getting enough Potassium?

I brought up potassium last week as it is a very important mineral for anyone involved in fitness...well, it's important to everyone really.  Potassium, along with calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride, help to make up electrolytes which are required for every function in the body that is dependent upon our nervous system (muscle movement, breathing, digestion, thinking, etc.) We get these minerals through the food we eat, and lose them through excretion in various ways; specifically, when a person sweats allot-like bodybuilders, runners, tennis players, soccer, football etc-you lose lots of  sodium, chloride, and potassium.
I recently read that when a person smokes cigarettes, their cardiovascular system is robbed of potassium as well.

Many athletes know that muscle cramping can be a sign of potassium deficiency; other symptoms can include muscle weakness, numbness and tingling in the lower extremities, nausea, vomiting, confusion and irritability. Heartbeat irregularities are considered a classic sign of potassium deficiency.

Apparently, according to some of my research-most people do not get enough potassium. It is recommended that most people get about 3500mg of potassium a day; Studies show most people only get about 2650mg per day.

So, where do we get potassium? Below is a great list of awesome foods high in potassium.

Avocado - 1/2 medium - 550 mg

Banana - 1 medium - 451

Beef, ground - 3 ounces - 205

Black beans - 1 cup - 801

Broccoli, cooked - 1/2 cup - 228

Cantaloupe - 1 cup - 494

Carrot, raw - 1 medium - 233

Cauliflower, cooked - 1/2 cup - 200

Chicken - 3 ounces - 195

Chickpeas - 1 cup - 477

Corn - 1/2 cup - 204

Flounder - 3 ounces - 292

Kidney beans - 1 cup - 713

Kiwi - 1 medium - 252

Lentils - 1 cup - 731

Milk - 8 ounces - 381

Okra - 1/2 cup - 257

Orange - 1 medium - 250

Orange juice - 8 ounces - 474

Potatoes, baked with skin - 1 medium - 844

Prune Juice - 8 ounces - 706

Spinach, cooked - 1/2 cup - 419

Strawberries - 1 cup - 247

Sweet potatoes - 1 medium - 397

Tomato - 1 medium - 397

Tomato juice - 6 ounces - 658

Watermelon - 1 cup - 186

Wheat Germ - 1/4 cup - 259

Too much potassium ( more than 5000 milligrams) can upset the balance of minerals in your body and cause heart and kidney problems. Other potential side effects include muscle weakness, tingling in the hands, feet or tongue and a slow or irregular pulse.

So-what do you think? Are you getting enough potassium?
Ciao for now!

Source for chart and some text from McVitamins.com.