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Low-Potassium Diet

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA

Home | Health Information Center | Wellness Centers | Food & Nutrition | Article

What Is Potassium?

Why Should I Follow This Diet?

Foods High and Low in Potassium

Tips

En Español

What Is Potassium?

Potassium is a mineral found in many foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, dried beans, and peas. It helps steady blood pressure and also helps muscles like the heart contract the right way.

Why Should I Follow This Diet?

People with kidney problems or those who are taking certain medicines may need to eat this way. Potassium can build up to harmful levels in the blood in people who have kidney problems. This can lead to confusion, irregular heartbeats, or a heart attack.

Foods High and Low in Potassium

Food With High Potassium

The foods in the left-hand column have more than 200 milligrams (mg) per serving. People who need to limit potassium should not eat these foods. Talk to a dietitian to find out how much potassium is right for you.

Food With Low Potassium

The foods in the right-hand column are low in potassium. Eating these foods can help keep your levels normal. But eating more than 1 serving of any of these foods can make it a high-potassium food.

Food Group	Food With High Potassium	Food With Low Potassium
Fruits	Apricots Avocado Banana Cantaloupe Dates Dried fruits Figs Grapefruit juice Honeydew Kiwi Mango Nectarine Orange or orange juice Orange juice Papaya Pomegranate or pomegranate juice Prunes Prune juice Raisins	Apple, apple juice, apple sauce Apricots Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries Cherries Fruit cocktail Grapes, grape juice Grapefruit Mandarin oranges Peaches Pears Pineapple, pineapple juice Plums Tangerine Watermelon
Vegetables	Acorn squash Artichoke Bamboo shoots Baked beans Butternut squash Beets, fresh then boiled Black beans Brussels sprouts Chinese cabbage Carrots, raw Dried beans and peas Greens, except kale Hubbard squash Kohlrabi Lentils Legumes Mushrooms, canned Parsnips Potatoes, white and sweet Pumpkin Refried beans Rutabagas Spinach, cooked Tomatoes, tomato products Vegetable juice	Alfalfa sprouts Asparagus Beans, wax or green Cabbage, green and red Carrots, cooked Cauliflower Celery Corn Cucumber Eggplant Kale Leached potatoes * Lettuce Mixed vegetables Mushrooms, fresh Okra Onions Parsley Peas, green Peppers Radish Rhubarb Water chestnuts, canned Watercress
Protein Foods	Beans, dried or canned Nuts Tofu	Beef Poultry Egg Fish Pork Peanut butter
Dairy Foods	Dairy items are high in potassium. Keep your portion sizes to 1 serving: Buttermilk Chocolate milk Eggnog Evaporated milk Malted milk Milkshakes Soy milk Yogurt	Cheese Ice cream Skim milk 2% milk Whole milk
Other Foods	Bran/bran products Chocolate Granola Milk, all types Molasses Nutritional supplements Nuts and seeds Peanut butter Salt substitutes Salt-free broth Yogurt	Bread and bread products (not whole grains) Cake—angel food cake, yellow cake Coffee Cookies (without nuts or chocolate) Noodles Pasta Pies (without chocolate or high-potassium food) Rice Tea
Other	Snuff or chewing tobacco

*To leach potatoes: Peel and cut them into small pieces. Soak them in a large amount of water for at least 2 hours. (Use at least 5 cups of water for every 1 cup of potatoes.) Drain, rinse, and cook.

Tips

Keep track of the foods that you eat. You may want to keep a food diary or download a food-tracking app on your phone.
Most food has some potassium. Read food labels to find out how much potassium a food has per serving.
Do not drink juice from canned fruit, canned vegetables, or cooked meat.
Work with a dietitian to come up with a meal plan that is right for you. It should list the serving size and amount of low potassium food groups you should take in each day.

RESOURCES:

American Society of Nutrition
http://www.nutrition.org

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

Kidney Foundation of Canada
http://www.kidney.ca

References:

Patient education: dietary and fluid compliance for patients on hemodialysis. EBSCO Nursing Reference Center website. Available at: https://www.ebscoh.... Updated January 4, 2019. Accessed June 17, 2019.

Potassium and your CKD diet. National Kidney Foundation website. Available at: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/potassium. Accessed June 17, 2019.

Last reviewed June 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Dianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN
Last Updated: 8/4/2020

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