Low Potassium Diet Menu

Potassium is an essential mineral that is required by the body for its proper functioning. Since potassium is abundant in many foods, incidents of potassium deficiency is uncommon. However due to some diseases, the body might have excess levels of potassium in the bloodstream than normal. This is mainly due to the underlying illness related to the functioning of the kidneys. High levels of potassium in the bloodstream can lead to irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness and even paralysis. If you are diagnosed with higher than normal levels of potassium in the body, then you need to follow a diet that is low in potassium. Before you embark on such a diet, you need to consult your physician.

Menu for a Low Potassium Diet

Since most food contains some amount of potassium, the key to eating a low potassium diet is to choose foods that have low potassium levels. Another method to eat low potassium food is to reduce potassium levels in vegetables by first soaking them in a bowl of water after cutting them into thin slices. This method of reducing potassium in vegetables is known as leaching and it is a highly successful method to reduce potassium in certain vegetables like beets and carrots.

Breakfast
For breakfast you can have white bread toast with honey, English muffins, porridge, bagels, pancakes and croissants. Things to avoid on a low potassium diet are bacon, sausages, cured meats whole grain products and juices made with high potassium fruits and vegetables like oranges, grapefruit and tomatoes. Also avoid full-fat dairy products and butter in your diet.

Lunch
For lunch you can choose from salads made from low potassium vegetables like lettuce, cucumber, cauliflower, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, celery and radishes. Avoid foods like marinated mushrooms, gherkins, pickles, tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, groundnut and spinach. You also need to avoid eating any form of potato salads or salads made with kidney beans, pinto beans and black-eyed beans. Beans and potatoes contain a high amount of potassium and needs to be avoided at any cost. Also switch to low sodium salad dressing or simple oil and lemon vinaigrette instead of store-bought salad dressing.

For main course you can have grilled pork chops, baked chicken breast (fat removed) and grilled fish. The method of cooking employed while preparing protein dishes is also very important. Avoid fried meat, fish and poultry particularly those dishes that are deep-fried or batter-fried. Meat that is made with potato based gravy or baked with plenty of cheese and potatoes should be strictly avoided. Other protein components to be avoided are salted and cured fish and meat.

Dinner
For a low potassium diet, the dinner menu is same as that of lunch. You can add side dishes to your dinner menu but you need to watch the kind of vegetables you choose to make side dishes. Low potassium vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, green beans, eggplant, asparagus, okra and green beans, can be used to make side dishes for dinner. A side dish of steamed or sautéed green beans or asparagus is an ideal side dish when following a low potassium diet. You need to avoid side dishes with baked beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes and sauerkraut.

For desserts you can have sorbets, ginger cookie, plain cakes without any added nuts or preserved fruits and fruit pies that are not made with high potassium fruit fillings like strawberry, raspberry and peaches. Cheesecakes, ice creams and puddings as well as desserts made with high potassium fruits like orange, banana, grapefruit and rhubarb are to be strictly avoided.

All these food restrictions might seem very challenging to incorporate in a diet. But if you think creatively, you can come up with a healthy as well as delicious eating plan. As with any other kind of diet, do exercise portion control and avoid fizzy drinks while following a low potassium diet.