It’s the perfect time of year for home-made broths and soups, and I wanted to share a simple recipe for potassium broth which has seen me through the past couple of months while I have been feeling extra depleted. Potassium is one of the major essential electrolytes that we need in sufficient amounts. It is a mineral that is depleted by stress and I see so many of the people that I work with very deficient in this mineral. Ideal levels on a HTMA are 10, but in 90% of cases I see levels around 2 or less than 1! Potassium is also the mineral most closely related to cortisol. For many people, low levels of potassium on a HTMA chart can indicate a low overall cortisol output (and therefore low energy), very low levels can indicate burnout.

Symptoms of low potassium:

Symptoms include slow oxidation, fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, constipation, low blood sugar, irregular heart-beat, low blood pressure and muscle weakness.

‘Ideal’ daily intakes are set at 4700mg, but most of us don’t even get half of this!

Potassium Broth benefits:

Potassium broth is best sipped warm like tea and is incredibly replenishing. It is a wonderful tonic for pregnant and breastfeeding women. According to Healthy Home Economist, when a tablespoon of liquid whey is stirred into each cup, it assists digestion and absorption of the copious amounts of potassium and other minerals present in the broth

Potassium broth is cheap and easy to make- no need to boil for hours, and it is ready in 30 minutes! You’ll need:

• Organic potato peels plus potato from about 3 potatoes, I also use sweet potato plus peels.
• 1-2 onions
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 organic chopped beetroot
• 3 chopped organic carrots
• 3chopped celery stalks
• 1 bunch fresh, organic parsley

1. Place all chopped veggies into a pot and top up with filtered water (3-4 litres, depending how big your pot is).
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add parsley and simmer for 5 more minutes.
3. Once cool, strain liquid into a glass mason jar (or similar), veggies can be mashed and served with dinner, or composted.

Sip one cupful or more a day to receive the full benefits. One cupful contains approximately 560mg of potassium and 190mg of sodium, although I do add a little celtic salt to my cup of broth. You can also add it to your cooking.

References:

www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetable-stock

www.healthyhomeeconomist.com