Last week, I blogged (is that really a verb?) about the National Dialogue on Sodium put on by the American Society for Nutrition.  I talked in that blog about sodium because it was the main focus of the Dialogue and is a hot button in the minds of public health officials, the media and consumers right now.

But there’s a nutrient living in the shadow of sodium that I actually think deserves some attention, and which was discussed during the National Dialogue.  It’s sitting there, lurking in the shadows, just waiting for someone to notice its big potential.

Because it does have big potential.

While sodium can potentially raise your blood pressure (think heart disease), this nutrient can bring it down (think less risk of heart disease).  This little nutrient waiting to be discovered is potassium.  The recommended level is between 3,500 and 4,700 mg a day.  But both men and women get far less than what we need.

And I love this message.  Instead of all the negatives, getting more potassium can do a good thing for your body and your health.  It’s the power of food.  The reason we eat.  There’s something we need to eat more of.  What a refreshing change, right?

Where can you find potassium?  Of course, everyone thinks of bananas when it comes to getting more potassium.  But bananas don’t even make the top 10 when it comes to foods that are good sources of potassium.  Top choices include sweet potatoes, beet greens (never tried them myself, but I’m going to look at the Farmers’ Market and try them in a salad), tomato paste and puree (the Italian in me loves this!), potatoes, claims, yogurt, prune juice, oranges and juice, soybeans and tofu, white beans.  Lots to choose from, right?

The one cooking tip you need to know for retaining the potassium in foods is to not steam or boil them as the water can leach the potassium out of food.

Take some time and think about how you can get more potassium into your eating habits.  Help this nutrient get the attention it deserves!

Visit www.nuval.com to choose good sources of potassium with high scores, and high overall nutrition.

There are people in the world of nutrition and food who are pioneers, trailblazers, rebels.  My friend Anna’s dad was one of these people, and all in a good way.  As the owner of Natural Ovens Bakery, Paul Stitt was putting flax seed meal into his products long before it was trendy.  His reason?  Flax seeds provide omega-3 fatty acids.  He made whole grain breads and bagels (the real deal, here, folks) long before anyone else.

His latest passion?  For the past several years and prior to his death last year, Paul was all about vitamin D.  Not only for its known impact on maintaining healthy bones, but in light of emerging research that suggest vitamin D may have a role in heart disease prevention, immune disorders and inflammation.  He also knew that experts now believe the original recommendations on the amount of vitamin D we all need weren’t high enough.

What has always fascinated me about vitamin D is how we get it – through our skin.  Yes, that’s right, through our skin.  Ultraviolet rays hit the skin, which triggers vitamin D synthesis.  Pretty cool, right?  Your skin makes vitamin D.  This isn’t, of course, the only way we get vitamin D.  We also get it in foods we eat.

But the trick is that today, many of us aren’t getting enough vitamin D, which is needed for the body to adsorb calcium.   Public health announcements have worked so effectively that parents now slather their kids with sunscreen every time they walk out the door.  (Sunscreen prevents the UV rays from trigger vitamin D synthesis.)  Many urban areas are no longer safe enough for kids to go outside and play, limiting the amount of sun they get.  Other beverages are being chosen instead of milk (which has vitamin D).

So what can you do?  Simple things.  Drink milk.  Skip the sunscreen if you’re outside for short bursts of time.  Focus on getting a variety of foods to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs, including vitamin D.

Visit www.nuval.com to see a food scoring system which factors in many nutrients that have an impact on your health, including vitamin D.