Potassium is a crucial mineral that supports numerous bodily functions. However, individuals with kidney disease need to carefully manage their potassium levels to maintain their health. This article provides guidance on how to manage potassium intake through diet.
Understanding Potassium
Potassium plays a vital role in the body, contributing to various essential functions. For individuals with kidney disease, maintaining potassium levels within a target range is particularly important, as they are susceptible to having levels that are either too high (hyperkalemia) or too low (hypokalemia). Managing potassium intake through diet is often necessary to keep potassium levels in the optimal range. For more comprehensive information on potassium, resources like the NKF Potassium AtoZ page can be helpful.
Depending on whether an individual has hyperkalemia or hypokalemia, a healthcare provider may recommend limiting or increasing the consumption of potassium-rich foods, respectively.
Identifying High and Low Potassium Foods
Virtually all foods contain some amount of potassium. Foods with 200 mg or more of potassium per serving are generally considered "high-potassium." The serving size is a critical factor; consuming a large quantity of a low-potassium food can inadvertently make it a high-potassium meal. Consulting a dietitian can aid in identifying the potassium content of specific foods and developing a personalized eating plan that ensures adequate potassium intake.
Fruits
Here's a comparison of fruits, categorized by their potassium content per serving (typically ½ cup unless specified):
Read also: Navigating a Low Potassium Diet
Higher Potassium Fruits:
- Apricots (raw, 2 medium; dried, 5 halves)
- Avocado (1/4 whole)
- Banana (1/2 whole)
- Cantaloupe
- Dates (5 whole)
- Dried figs
- Dried fruits
- Grapefruit juice
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi (1 medium)
- Mango (1 medium)
- Nectarine (1 medium)
- Orange (1 medium)
- Orange juice
- Papaya (1/2 whole)
- Pomegranate (1 whole)
- Pomegranate juice
- Prunes and prune juice
- Raisins
Lower Potassium Fruits:
- Apple (1 medium)
- Applesauce and apple juice
- Apricots (canned in juice)
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Fruit cocktail
- Grapes and grape juice
- Grapefruit (1/2 whole)
- Mandarin oranges
- Peaches (raw, 1 small; canned, ½ cup)
- Pears (raw, 1 small; canned, ½ cup)
- Pineapple and pineapple juice
- Plum (1 whole)
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Tangerine (1 whole)
- Watermelon (limit to 1 cup)
Vegetables
Potassium content in vegetables also varies significantly. Here's a breakdown per ½ cup serving (unless noted):
Higher Potassium Vegetables:
- Acorn squash
- Artichoke
- Bamboo shoots
- Beans (baked, black, dried, or refried)
- Butternut squash
- Beets
- Broccoli (cooked)
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots, raw
- Chinese cabbage
- Greens (except kale)
- Hubbard squash
- Kohlrabi
- Lentils
- Legumes
- White mushrooms (cooked)
- Okra
- Parsnips
- Peas, dried
- Potatoes (white and sweet)
- Pumpkin
- Rutabagas
- Seaweed
- Spinach (cooked)
- Tomatoes and tomato products
- Vegetable juices
Lower Potassium Vegetables:
- Alfalfa sprouts
- Asparagus (raw, 6 spears)
- Beans (green or wax)
- Broccoli (raw)
- Cabbage (green or red)
- Cauliflower
- Celery (1 stalk)
- Corn (fresh, ½ ear; frozen, ½ cup)
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mixed vegetables
- White mushrooms (raw)
- Onions
- Parsley
- Peas (green)
- Peppers
- Radish
- Rhubarb
- Water chestnuts (canned)
- Watercress
- Yellow squash
- Zucchini squash
Other Foods
The following lists provide potassium information for other food categories:
Higher Potassium Foods:
- Beef (3 ounces)
- Bran and bran products
- Chicken (3 ounces)
- Chocolate (1.5-2 ounces)
- Granola
- Milk (all types, 1 cup)
- Molasses (1 tablespoon)
- Nuts and seeds (1 ounce)
- Peanut butter (2 tablespoons)
- Salmon (3 ounces)
- Salt substitutes / lite salt
- Salt-free broth
- Yogurt
- Wheat germ
Lower Potassium Foods:
- Bread and bread products (not whole grains)
- Cake (yellow or angel)
- Coffee (limit to 8 ounces)
- Pie (without chocolate or high-potassium fruit)
- Cookies (without nuts or chocolate)
- Noodles
- Pasta
- Rice
- Tea (limit to 16 ounces)
Strategies for Reducing Potassium in Foods
If you wish to incorporate high-potassium vegetables into your diet, leaching can be employed to reduce their potassium content. This process involves soaking the vegetables in water, which helps to draw out some of the potassium.
How to Leach Vegetables:
- Peel the vegetable and immediately place it in cold water to prevent discoloration.
- Slice the vegetable into thin pieces, approximately 1/8 inch thick.
- Rinse the sliced vegetable in warm water for a few seconds.
- Soak the vegetable in warm, unsalted water for a minimum of 2 hours. Use a ratio of ten parts water to one part vegetable (e.g., 1 cup of vegetable requires 10 cups of water). If soaking for longer periods, change the water every four hours.
- Rinse the vegetable again under warm water for a few seconds after soaking.
- Cook the vegetable in unsalted water, using five parts water to one part vegetable (e.g., 1 cup of vegetable requires 5 cups of water).
It's crucial to understand that leaching does not eliminate all potassium. Therefore, even after leaching, it's essential to moderate the consumption of high-potassium vegetables. Consult with a dietitian to determine if leaching is appropriate and how it fits into your overall dietary plan.
Another straightforward method to minimize potassium intake is to avoid consuming the liquid from canned fruits and vegetables, as well as the juices from cooked meats.
Read also: Potassium and Diet: What You Need to Know
Read also: Boosting Potassium on Carnivore