The Holiday Season is upon us and has foods loaded with spices. Most of the spices are high potassium foods, and contain very little sodium. As such, they have the desirable 3 to 1 ratio of potassium to sodium that improves blood pressure, cardiac risk, stroke risk, and bone density.
Although they have a great ratio, they are only used in small amounts. So they need help from the dish they are flavoring for you to reach the desired 4.7 grams of potassium daily. However, you can add all the spice you want, knowing that in addition to tasting great, you are improving your health.
As usual, the values for potassium (K) and sodium (Na) are in milligrams. The values are for 100 grams of food.
Except for the potassium to sodium ratio (which we calculated), the source of data is: USDA National Nutrient Database Standard Reference – Release 22
| Food | K | Na | Ratio K:Na |
| Allspice, ground | 1044 | 77 | 13.6 |
| Anise seed | 1441 | 16 | 90.1 |
| Basil, dried | 3433 | 34 | 101 |
| Basil, fresh | 295 | 4 | 73.8 |
| Bay leaf | 529 | 23 | 23 |
| Caraway seed | 1351 | 17 | 79.5 |
| Cardamom | 1119 | 18 | 62.2 |
| Celery seed | 1400 | 160 | 8.8 |
| Chervil, dried | 4740 | 83 | 57.1 |
| Cinnamon, ground | 431 | 10 | 43.1 |
| Cloves, ground | 1102 | 243 | 4.5 |
| Coriander leaf, dried | 4466 | 211 | 21.2 |
| Coriander seed | 1267 | 35 | 36.2 |
| Cumin seed | 1788 | 168 | 10.6 |
| Curry powder | 1543 | 52 | 29.7 |
| Dill seed | 1186 | 20 | 59.3 |
| Dill weed, dried | 3308 | 208 | 15.9 |
| Dill weed, fresh | 738 | 61 | 12.1 |
| Fennel seed | 1694 | 88 | 19.2 |
| Fenugreek seed | 770 | 67 | 11.5 |
| Garlic powder | 1193 | 60 | 19.9 |
| Ginger, ground | 1343 | 32 | 42 |
| Mace, ground | 463 | 80 | 5.8 |
| Marjoram, dried | 1522 | 77 | 19.8 |
| Mustard seed, ground | 738 | 13 | 56.8 |
| Nutmeg, ground | 350 | 16 | 21.9 |
| Onion powder | 985 | 73 | 13.5 |
| Oregano, dried | 1260 | 25 | 50.4 |
| Paprika | 2344 | 34 | 68.9 |
| Parsley, dried | 2683 | 452 | 5.9 |
| Pepper, black | 1259 | 44 | 28.6 |
| Pepper, red or cayenne | 2014 | 30 | 67.1 |
| Pepper, white | 73 | 5 | 14.6 |
| Peppermint, fresh | 569 | 31 | 18.4 |
| Poppy seed | 719 | 26 | 27.7 |
| Poultry seasoning | 684 | 27 | 25.3 |
| Pumpkin pie spice | 663 | 52 | 12.8 |
| Rosemary, dried | 955 | 50 | 19.1 |
| Rosemary, fresh | 668 | 26 | 25.7 |
| Saffron | 1724 | 148 | 11.6 |
| Sage, ground | 1070 | 11 | 97.3 |
| Savory, ground | 1051 | 24 | 43.8 |
| Spearmint, dried | 1924 | 344 | 5.6 |
| Spearmint, fresh | 458 | 30 | 15.3 |
| Tarragon, dried | 3020 | 62 | 48.7 |
| Thyme, dried | 814 | 55 | 14.8 |
| Thyme, fresh | 609 | 9 | 67.7 |
| Turmeric, ground | 2525 | 38 | 66.4 |
| Vanilla extract | 148 | 9 | 16.4 |
| Vanilla extract, imitation, alcohol |
98 | 4 | 24.5 |
| Vanilla extract, imitation, no alcohol |
0 | 3 | 0 |
| Vinegar, balsamic | 112 | 23 | 4.9 |
| Vinegar, cider | 73 | 5 | 14.6 |
| Vinegar, red wine | 39 | 8 | 4.9 |
