Potassium is a mineral that helps your muscles work. Your heart is a muscle and needs the right amount of potassium to work well. Too much or too little potassium in your blood can cause an irregular heartbeat and other serious problems.
Talk with your dietitian about how much potassium you can have. Guidelines no longer give one set amount of potassium per day. In general, a low-potassium diet is about 2,000 mg per day.
Fruits and Vegetables
Some fruits and vegetables have more potassium than others. If you need to limit potassium, choose foods from the low-potassium group more often.
Limit high and medium potassium fruits and vegetables unless your dietitian tells you they are okay. You can eat fruits and vegetables that are low in potassium.
Serving sizes are 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw unless a different amount is listed.
Low-Potassium Fruits
These foods have 150 mg of potassium or less per serving.
Apple juice
Applesauce
Apple, medium, without skin
Apricots, canned
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cranberries
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry juice
Figs, canned
Fruit cocktail, canned
Gooseberries
Grapes, canned or fresh
Lemon, 1 medium
Lime, 1 medium
Nectars: peach, pear, or apricot
Mandarin oranges
Peaches and pears, canned
Pear, fresh, 1 medium
Pineapple, raw or canned
Plums, canned
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tangerine
Low-Potassium Vegetables
These foods have 150 mg of potassium or less per serving.
Bamboo shoots, canned
Bean sprouts
Beans, green or wax
Broccoli, fresh or boiled
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery, 1 fresh stalk
Cucumber
Eggplant
Greens: collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, or turnip
Hominy
Leeks
Lettuce: cos, romaine, iceberg, leaf, endive, or watercress
Mushrooms, raw
Onions: green, red, yellow, or white
Peppers, sweet or hot
Medium Potassium Foods
These foods have 150-250 mg of potassium per serving. Limit these foods to 1-2 servings per day if you need to limit potassium. Serving sizes are 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw unless a different amount is listed.
Medium Potassium Fruits
Apple, 1 medium with skin
Apricots, fresh, 2 medium
Casaba, cubed
Cherries, 15 fresh or canned
Figs, fresh, 2 medium
Grape juice, canned
Grapefruit, 1/2 medium
Orange, 1 medium
Orange juice, frozen concentrate
Peach, fresh, 1 medium
Pineapple juice
Plums, fresh, 2 medium
Watermelon, 1 cup cubed
Medium Potassium Vegetables
Asparagus, frozen and cooked
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Corn, canned or 1 small ear
Garbanzo beans
Greens, frozen and cooked: kale or turnip
Mixed vegetables
Okra, canned or boiled
Green peas
Potatoes, double cooked
Summer squash: yellow, crookneck, or white scallop
*See Double Cook Potatoes recipe on the 3rd page.
High Potassium Foods
These foods have more than 250 mg of potassium per serving. Limit these foods to less than 1 serving per day if you need to limit potassium. Serving sizes are 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw unless a different amount is listed.
High Potassium Fruits
Avocado, 1/2 fruit
Banana, 1/2 medium
Cantaloupe, 1/4 medium
Dried fruit: apricots, dates, figs, prunes, or raisins
Kiwi, 1 medium
Mango, 1 medium
Nectarine, 1 medium
Prune juice
Tangelo
High Potassium Vegetables
Artichoke, 1 medium, raw, cooked, or frozen
Asparagus, raw or cooked
Beets and beet greens
Dried beans and peas: kidney, lima, navy, pinto, black-eyed peas, or split peas
Kohlrabi
Okra, raw or cooked
Potato, baked, boiled, or fried and not soaked
Pumpkin
Rutabaga, cooked
Spinach
Sweet potato or yams
Tomato, fresh or canned
Unsalted tomato juice
Unsalted vegetable juice
Winter squash: acorn, butternut, or Hubbard
Other Foods With Potassium
Milk and Milk Products
Milk and milk products are high in potassium. These include:
Milk
Yogurt
Pudding made with milk
Ice cream
Custard
Avoid chocolate milk products. Chocolate is high in potassium.
Cereal
Many dry cereals are high in potassium. Choose cereals with less than 150 mg of potassium per serving.
Protein Foods
Meat, fish, poultry, and eggs have moderate to high amounts of potassium. These foods are also good sources of protein, which your body needs.
Follow your diet guidelines for how much protein you need.
Legumes, nuts, and peanut butter are also high in potassium. Ask your dietitian how much you can have.
Double Cooked Potatoes Recipes
Double cooking potatoes can lower the amount of potassium.
Wash and peel the potato
Cut the potato into thin slices
Place the slices in room-temperature water. Use twice as much water as potatoes
Bring the water to a boil
Drain the water
Add fresh room-temperature water. Use twice as much water as potatoes
Boil the potatoes again
Potassium Additives
Many packaged foods and drinks have potassium added to them. Read the ingredient list and look for these ingredients:
Potassium chloride
Potassium sorbate
Potassium citrate
Potassium phosphate
Acesulfame potassium
Potassium benzoate
Potassium lactate
Dipotassium phosphate
Tripotassium phosphate
Monopotassium phosphate
Potassium bicarbonate
Potassium iodide
Foods and drinks that may have potassium additives include:
Processed meats, such as deli meat, ham, and hot dogs
Processed cheese
Shelf-stable baked goods
Sports drinks
Flavored water, such as Crystal Light
Always read the labels on prepared foods you buy. Avoid foods that list potassium in the ingredients.
Salt Substitutes
Many salt substitutes are made with potassium chloride, so you should not use them, such as Lite Salt, No Salt, and Nu Salt. Some seasonings that you can use freely include:
Vegit
Pleasoning Mini Salt
Mrs. Dash – all types
Non-sodium spices and herbs, such as garlic, basil, oregano, pepper, etc
Who to Call
If you have questions, please contact your provider through MyChart or call your provider listed in your After Visit Summary or After Hospital Care Plan. For a list of UW Health Clinics, visit www.uwhealth.org/.