Low Potassium Diet

Potassium is a mineral that assists in maintaining normal blood pressure and proper contraction of the heart. The nervous system, digestive system, muscles and heart are kept healthy. This mineral is found in whole grains, vegetables, milk, fruits, peas and dried beans.

Low Potassium Food

1 serving of the following can be considered to be low potassium food. 1 serving implies ½ cup. More than 1 serving of the following can make it high potassium food.

General Food

• Bread (bread products)
• Cake - angel, yellow
• Coffee ( maximum 8 ounces)
• Cookies (without nuts or chocolate)
• Noodles
• Pasta
• Pies (without chocolate or high-potassium foods)
• Rice
• Tea (maximum 16 ounces)

Vegetables

• Alfalfa sprouts
• Asparagus - 6 spears
• Beans (wax or green)
• Cabbage (red and green)
• Canned Chestnuts
• Carrots (cooked)
• Celery (1 stalk)
• Corn (Fresh - ½ ear, Frozen - ½ cup)
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Fresh mushrooms
• Green Peas
• Kale
• Leached potatoes
• Lettuce
• Mixed vegetables
• Okra
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Radish
• Rhubarb
• Water
• Watercress

Fruits

• Apple - 1 medium/juice/sauce
• Apricots, canned in juice
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Cranberries
• Fruit cocktail
• Grapes (juice)
• Grapefruit, ½ whole
• Mandarin oranges
• Peaches - Fresh (1 small), Canned (½ cup)
• Pears - Fresh (1 small), Canned (½ cup)
• Pineapple (juice)
• Plums - 1 whole
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Tangerine - 1 whole
• Watermelon - 1 cup

Food High in Potassium

If the potassium level in the blood becomes high, hyperkalemia occurs. It implies that the input of potassium is more than that of the kidney to eliminate it. The symptoms are tingling in the hands and feet, muscular weakness and sometimes paralysis. A very serious complication is the development of cardiac arrhythmia that may lead to cardiac arrest.

A "high potassium diet" means eating 2000 to 4000 mg of potassium per day. One serving of the following contains more than 200 milligrams of potassium and hence can be classified as "high potassium foods".

General Food

• Bran (products) - ½ cup
• Chocolate - 1.5 to 2 ounces
• Granola - ½ cup
• Milk - ½ cup of any type
• Molasses - 1 tablespoon
• Nutritional supplements
• Nuts and seeds - 1 ounce
• Peanut butter - 2 tablespoons
• Salt substitutes - ½ cup
• Salt free broth - ½ cup
• Snuff or chewing tobacco
• Yogurt - ½ cup

Vegetables (½ cup)

• Acorn squash
• Artichoke
• Bamboo shoots
• Baked beans
• Butternut squash
• Beets (fresh or boiled)
• Black beans
• Brussels sprouts
• Chinese cabbage
• Carrots (raw)
• Dried beans and peas
• Greens (excluding Kale)
• Hubbard squash
• Kohlrabi
• Lentils
• Legumes
• Mushrooms (canned)
• Parsnips
• Potatoes (white and sweet)
• Pumpkin
• Refried beans
• Rutabagas
• Spinach (cooked)
• Tomatoes (products)
• Vegetable juices

Fruits

• Apricots (Raw - 2 medium, Dry - 5 halves)
• Avocado - ¼ whole
• Banana - ½ whole
• Cantaloupe - ½ cup
• Dates - 5 whole
• Dried fruits - ½ cup
• Figs (dried - ½ cup)
• Grapefruit juice ( ½ cup)
• Honeydew (½ cup)
• Kiwi (1 medium)
• Mango ( 1 medium)
• Nectarine (1 medium)
• Orange ( 1 medium or ½ cup juice)
• Papaya (½ whole)
• Pomegranate (1 whole or ½ cup juice)
• Prune (½ cup or ½ cup juice)
• Raisins (½ cup)