Low Potassium Vegetables

Potassium is an essential mineral, responsible for the overall functioning of the body system. It is crucial for the kidneys, muscles, nerves and heart, to perform normally. As per medical data, the amount of potassium required by an adult on a daily basis is 3-6 g. Any fluctuation from the normal potassium levels lead to medical conditions like hyperkalemia (high potassium levels) and hypokalemia (low potassium levels). Taking a note of high potassium foods, as well as low potassium vegetables will help in planning a balanced diet and maintaining normal potassium levels.

Why Consume Low Potassium Vegetables?

The amount of potassium in the body is counterbalanced by sodium levels. Like for instance, presence of high sodium leads to depletion of potassium and vice versa. Similarly, intake of magnesium mineral has a direct impact in balancing potassium in the body. Researchers have found that a diet rich in potassium and low in sodium helps in controlling high blood pressure. On the contrary, patients diagnosed with chronic kidney problems are strongly recommended to consume low potassium vegetables and fruits. A low potassium diet (1500 to 2700 mg per day) is also recommended to reduce side effects of some medications.

List of Low Potassium Vegetables

The kidney plays a crucial role in maintaining potassium level in blood, thereby excreting excess of this mineral in urine. Considering this, a malfunctioning kidney can no longer filter potassium for elimination during urination, this leading to high potassium levels in blood. Ultimately, the individual will experience hyperkalemia symptoms. Consuming a daily diet with low potassium vegetables, fruits and meat items will help in combating hyperkalemia.

Potassium amount in vegetables can be reduced to a certain extent by some preparation methods. For example, soaking raw and frozen vegetables in water for about 2 hours (or more) before cooking will help in lowering the potassium content. Discarding boiling water or cooking water is also another approach to lower this mineral in the cooked vegetables. While following a low potassium diet plan, do not use salt substitutes in cooking, as they are formulated with potassium salts. Following is a list of vegetable items that contain relatively low amount of potassium.

• Snow peas
• Green beans
• Wax beans
• Leached potatoes
• Crookneck
• Zucchini
• All summer squashes
• Fresh mushrooms
• Garlic
• Onion
• Bell pepper
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Carrots
• Celery
• Canned chestnuts (without canned water)
• Cucumber
• Corn
• Kale
• Okra
• Rhubarb
• Leached spinach
• Leached collards
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Watercress
• Radish
• Parsley
• Lettuce
• Eggplant

Apart from the low potassium vegetables listed above, the renal dietitian will suggest restriction of fruits, cereals, milk products and other potassium rich foods. Vegetables to avoid with hyperkalemia are dried beans, tomatoes, beets and winter squashes. Milk and dairy products are basically rich sources of potassium. Hence, it is logical to replace them with nondairy, healthy foods, which contain optimal nutrients. While purchasing packaged foods, make a point to check the label and avoid products that have potassium chloride in the ingredients list. At any point of time, do not use liquid portion of canned vegetables and fruits.

Knowing the list of foods with low potassium and learning low potassium recipes are not sufficient for controlling hyperkalemia. One has to keep a check on the food serving size (half cup is ideal) to make sure that the potassium level is low. In simpler terms, intake of large portions of low potassium vegetables will be of no use, as the potassium level will shoot up anyway. So, one has to have a thorough idea about the low potassium foods list and limit the serving amount as per the recommendations of the concerned doctor, to maintain safe potassium levels in the blood.