Winter is a great time to nourish the body. I love to eat hydrating, mineral dense, warming soups and broths for a couple of weeks. I particularly use wholesome root vegetables to make a potassium broth.
Potassium works with sodium at a cellular level, like an electrical pump to produce energy. It is easy to obtain sodium in a standard diet, and much harder to obtain potassium. If you are feeling a little depleted and your batteries are running low, then you could consider a little homemade potassium broth!
Recipe
1 small turnip or swede
2 carrots
4 stalks of celery
2 small onions
1.5lbs of tomatoes
1 lb potatoes (avoid green or sprouted)
I pinch cayenne pepper
4 cloves of garlic
1 small beetroot
You can add in sprig of parsley for the last few moments cooking time
Instructions
Buy organic veg if you can. If not, wash all veggies well as you will leave the skins on. Chop them up so they will cook down evenly and place in a pan with 3 1/2 pints of filtered water.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Stain and compost the vegetable pulp. It should keep up to three days in the fridge and then you can freeze the rest into ice cube trays. Let us know in the comments how you feel, did it help?
How Much To Take
I drink a spoon-cup a day until the batch is used; you can freeze the broth in ice cubes trays for handy daily treats. Most people drink a small cup each day, it should last two days in the fridge and then freeze the rest.. For reference, Adequate Intake recommendations are 2600mg-3400mg per day. Potassium broth is estimated to hold 600mg of potassium per cup (levels will vary as it is homemade!). It is important to avoid standard broths that are high in sodium, this is not the same thing.
As this is a concentrated potassium drink, there are a few cautions. I would say, as this is a generalised blog, that it is always good practice to build up slowly and to be moderate and use for short periods don't rely on a single nutrient. Avoid if you are sensitive to the Solanaceae family. If you have a medical condition or are on certain medications you should seek advice from your doctor, especially if you are on heart and kidney medications which control potassium levels.