Study on Sodium and Potassium Contents of Foods Produced in Korea

Sodium and potassium are important cations essential to higher animals which regulate the composition of their body fluids. They participate in muscle contraction, stimualtion of nerve, maintenance of osmotic prossure, water metabolism, and maintenance of acid-base balance in blood. This study was designed to determine and report the sodium and potassium contents in Korean foods eaten in our daily lives and to give a help to the diet pattern of the patients who need low-sodium diet. Samples were cereals, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. They were obtained in the open market at the day experimented and the sodium and potassium contents of them were determined with flame photometer(Coleman Model 51).