The persimmon is an edible fruit shaped like tomatoes, with an edible skin of orange colour and sweet pulp.
Persimmons are not a high source of macronutrients, except for manganese and phytochemicals with many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Furthermore, persimmons are a good source of Vitamin C and copper. But, if you are following a low potassium diet, the mineral that you should take care of is potassium. So do persimmons contain potassium?
Potassium is a mineral with important functions in our body. For example, potassium helps our nerves to function and muscles to contract properly, as well as regulate the correct heartbeat.
If you are not suffering from any form of kidney disease, you have to follow the recommended daily intake of potassium, which is fixed to 4,700mg daily for a male.
While people have to follow a low potassium diet, they have to take care of the potassium content of each fruit and vegetable, avoiding the possible increase of potassium with several consequences on their overall health.
Are persimmons good for you?
Persimmons are low in calories, only 70kcal/100g, and they are a good source of fibre 3.6g of dietary fibre for 100g of pulp.
The persimmon is an excellent source of antioxidants, mainly due to its Vitamin A, C, E. ( visit: Vitamins & Minerals)
One of the best advantages of consuming persimmons is dictated by its Vitamin C content. Vitamin C is an excellent antibacterial that helps our body to develop resistance against infectious agents.
Furthermore, the consumption of persimmons can have many benefits for heart health.
These effects on heart health are mainly due to flavonoid antioxidants.
Are persimmons good for kidneys?
Consuming Japanese persimmons may not be the perfect fruit if you follow a low potassium diet.
For a serving of 100g of persimmons, they contain 802 mg of potassium; considering that the suggested value for people suffering from kidneys failure is 200 mg of potassium for each food, we can notice that the amount of potassium is 4 times higher than the one suggested.
Due to its high amount of potassium, persimmons should be avoided by chronic kidney disease patients, and consumption of fruits and vegetables with lower amounts of potassium should be advantaged.
Persimmons varieties
There are different varieties of persimmons, and their nutrition profiles and taste dictate the main difference among them.
Persimmons can be divided into 2 categories:
- Astringent
- Sweet
Make part of astringent persimmons
- Hachiya
- Kyushu-Hyakume
- Saijo
- Tanenashi
While the sweet varieties of persimmon are:
- Fuyu,
- Hyakume (or cinnamon persimmon)
- American persimmon varieties (Early Golden, Ennis, Miller, Woolbright)
- Mérida (black persimmon)
- Organic Sweet Pumpkin Persimmon
Depending on the places you live, you might find difficulty finding these varieties of persimmons.
Anyway, if the potassium content may slightly vary, it is essential to keep in mind that whatever types of persimmons will always be rich in potassium.
Final thoughts
Feeding our body with the right amount of potassium is essential. Potassium is a mineral mainly found in fruits and vegetables, and your health status with the suggestion of a doctor will dictate the potassium content that you have to assume daily.
