Controlling your Potassium Level

What is potassium?

Potassium is a mineral that is used by the body to help muscles function properly and your heart to beat regularly. Potassium can be found in almost all foods. Eating the right foods, in the right amounts, will help control the potassium level in your body.

What if my potassium level is too high or too low?

If there is too much or too little potassium in the blood, the heart can beat irregularly, or even stop beating.

What about my diet?

Your dietitian will help you plan the food choices that will best fit your potassium needs. There are two (2) levels of potassium in foods: low and high.

*Please note: Not all foods are included in this list. Please ask your dietitian for the potassium content of foods that are not listed to know the right amount of the food to eat before continuing to include it in your diet.

* If the food label has potassium content listed, do rely on the food label for the amount of potassium. Pay attention to the serving size for the amount of potassium listed.

* Please check with your dietitian or doctor before using any salt substitutes or low-sodium or reduced-sodium foods. They can be high in potassium from added potassium salts. Some common examples are reduced-sodium canned soups and lunchmeats.

*Lastly: The focus of this handout is potassium in the diet only. You may have additional diet restrictions; Please follow other diet restrictions you may have. Ask your dietitian if you need help incorporating the proper foods into your diet.

What is a safe level of potassium in my blood?

• Low: less than 3.4
• Normal: 3.5 to 5.0
• Caution: 5.1 to 6.0
• Danger: greater than 6.0

A normal amount of potassium in a typical diet of a healthy American is about 3500 to 4500 milligrams per day. A potassium restricted diet is typically about 2000 milligrams per day. Your physician or dietitian will advise you as to the specific level of potassium you need based on your individual health.

Your recommended potassium level is ____________ mg per day

For more information on the potassium content of food items, visit the government website www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl . Additional websites can be found at www.renalweb.com and www.kidney.com .

High potassium (more than 200mg)

Food	Serving	Potassium (mg)
Apricots	2 raw or 5 dry	200
Artichoke	1 medium	345
Avocados, raw	¼ each	245
Banana	1 medium	425
Beans, lima or bake, canned	½ cup	280
Beans, white, canned	½ cup	595
Beef roast	3 oz	320
Beef, ground	3 oz	270
Beets, raw or cooked	½ cup	260
Bran muffin	2 oz	300
Broccoli	½ cup	230
Brussels sprouts	½ cup	250
Cantaloupe	½ cup	215
Cereal, 100% bran	½ cup	200-400
Cheeseburger, single, fast food	1 each	225-400
Chicken	3 oz	220
Clams, canned	3 oz	535
Coconut milk (unsweetened)	1 cup	630
Crab	3 oz	225
Dates	5 dates	270
Dried beans and peas	½ cup	300-475
Figs, dried	2 each	260
Fish: halibut, tun, cod, snapper	3 oz	480
Fish: salmon, haddock, swordfish, perch	3 oz	300
Fish, tuna, canned	3 oz	200
French fries, fast food	3 oz/small	470
Granola with fruit, nuts	½ cup	200
Grapefruit juice	½ cup	200
Honeydew melon	½ cup	200
Kale, raw	1 cup	300
Kiwi	1 medium	240
Lentils	½ cup	365
Mango	1 each	325
Milk, Chocolate	1 cup	420
Milk, fat-free, low fat, whole, buttermilk	1 cup	350-380
Molasses	1 Tbsp	295
Mushrooms	½ cup	280
Nectarine	1 each	275
Nuts: almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, Brazil, cashew, mixed	1 oz	200
Nuts, pistachios	1 oz	295
Orange	1 each	240
Orange juice	½ cup	235
Peanut butter, chunky	2 Tbsp	240
Peanut butter, smooth	2 Tbsp	210
Pear	1 medium	200
Pomegranate	1 whole	400
Pomegranate juice	½ cup	215
Pork	3 oz	350
Potato chips, salted	1 oz	465
Potato, baked with skin	1 medium	925
Potatoes, boiled	½ cup	255
Potatoes, mashed	½ cup	330
Prune juice	½ cup	370
Prunes	5 each	305
Pudding, chocolate	½ cup	230
Pumpkin, canned	½ cup	250
Raisins, seedless	½ cup	270
Seeds, sunflower or pumpkin	½ cup	240
Soy milk	1 oz	300
Spinach	1 cup	420
Spinach , canned	½ cup	370
Sweet potato, baked with skin	½ cup	450
Swiss chard	1 medium	480
Tomato or vegetable juice	½ cup	275
Tomato sauce or puree	½ cup	400-550
Tomato, raw	½ cup	290
Tomatoes, canned	1 medium	200-300
Turkey	3 oz	250
Wheat germ	1 oz	250
Winter Squash	½ cup	250
Yogurt, plain or fruited	6 oz	260-435
Zucchini	½ cup	220

Moderate potassium (50-200mg)

Food	Serving	Potassium (mg)
Almond milk	1 cup	190
Apple	1 each	150
Apple juice	½ cup	150
Applesauce	½ cup	90
Apricot nectar	½ cup	140
Asparagus, small spears	½ cup or 6 pears	155
Bagel, cinnamon raisin	1 each	130
Bagel, 4: egg or plain	1 each	70
Beans, green	½ cup	90
Beer, regular	12 oz	100
Beets, canned	½ cup	125
Blackberries	½ cup	115
Blueberries	½ cup	60
Bread, whole wheat	1 slice	70
Broccoli, raw	½ cup	145
Cabbage	½ cup	150
Carrots, cooked or raw	½ cup	180
Cauliflower, raw	½ cup	150
Celery, raw	½ cup	155
Cereal, bran flakes	½ cup	120-150
Cheese, cottage	½ cup	110
Cherries	10 each	150
Chocolate	1 ½ oz bar	165
Coffee, brewed	6 oz	90
Corn	½ cup or 1 ear	195
Cucumbers	½ cup	80
Egg, large	1 each	60
Eggplant	½ cup	60
Endive, raw	½ cup	80
English muffin	1 each	65
Fish, orange roughy	3 oz	150
Frankfurt beef/pork	1 each	75
Fruit cocktail	½ cup	115
Grape juice	½ cup	170
Grapefruit	½ fruit	175
Grapes	½ cup	155
Greens: kale, turnip, collard	½ cup	110-150
Ice cream or frozen yogurt, chocolate	½ cup	175
Ice cream or frozen yogurt, vanilla	½ cup	120-150
Lemons, limes	1 each	80
Lettuce, all types	1 cup	100
Mixed vegetables	½ cup	150
Mushrooms, raw	½ cup	110
Nuts: walnuts, pecans, macadamia	1 oz	125
Oatmeal	½ cup	80
Okra	½ cup	110
Onions, raw	½ cup	120
Peach	1 each	185
Peaches, canned	½ cup	120
Pears, canned	½ cup	120
Pears, green, frozen	½ cup	90
Peppers, green	½ cup	130
Peppers, red	½ cup	160
Pineapple juice	½ cup	165
Pineapple, fresh or canned	½ cup	100
Plums	1 each	105
Pudding, vanilla	½ cup	150
Raspberries	½ cup	90
Rhubarb	½ cup	115
Rice, wild	½ cup	80
Rice milk	1 cup	65
Shrimp	3 oz	155
Spinach, raw	1 cup	170
Strawberries	½ cup	125
Summer squash	½ cup	175-200
Swiss chard, raw	1 cup	135
Tangerines	1 each	140
Tea, brewed	6 oz	65
Turnips	½ cup	140
Watermelon	½ cup	85
Wine, red, table	5 oz	180
Wine, white, table	5 oz	100

Lower potassium (less than 50mg)

Food	Serving	Potassium (mg)
Bread, white	1 slice	30
Carbonated beverages	12 oz	<5
Cheese	1 oz	20-30
Cranberries	½ cup	45
Cranberry juice cocktail	½ cup	20
Fats and oils	1 Tbsp	<5
Hummus	1 Tbsp	32
Nectar: papaya, mango, or pear	½ cup	35
Rice, white or brown	½ cup	50
Spaghetti/macaroni, cooked	½ cup	30
Tortilla, flour or corn	1 each	50
Waffle, 4"	1 each	50
Water chestnuts	½ cup	40

Special recipe to reduce potassium for vegetables

• Peel and cut the vegetable into small slices, strips, or cubes (the smaller, the better)
• Soak in a large amount of water for at least 2 hours
• Drain, rinse and drain again
• Cook vegetable in a large amount of water
• Drain after cooking
• Prepare for eating