Patient and Family Education
Potassium in Foods
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• Nutrition
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Potassium is a mineral found in fruits, vegetables and other foods. It keeps the
body’s muscles and nerves working well. Too much or too little potassium can
weaken muscles and the heart. It is important for children with kidney disease
to keep potassium levels well-balanced.
Your child’s potassium needs will depend on the stage of their kidney
disease, if they take certain medicines and if they are on dialysis.
How can I know how much potassium my child eats?
Watching your child’s fruit and vegetable intake is the easiest way to control
their potassium level. Keep this list on hand for shopping, cooking and eating
out. There are no foods your child cannot eat. It is how often they have them
and how much they eat that is important.
Guidelines for potassium
Use these guidelines for how much daily potassium your child should have:
• 1 high-potassium serving
• 2 medium-potassium servings
• 2 to 3 low-potassium servings
Combined with other foods your child eats, this should add up to about 2,000
to 3,000 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day.
Soak fruits and vegetables
Soaking fruits and vegetables in water can lower their potassium content. This
works best with fruits and vegetables on the high-potassium list
To soak produce:
•
•
•
•
•
Peel and slice produce into 1/8 inch slices, then rinse well.
Place in a bowl of warm water. Use 4 times more water than produce.
Soak fruit or vegetables for at least an hour. Then drain and rinse.
If boiling after soaking, use 4 times more water than food.
Dried beans should be cooked and chopped before soaking.
Foods with hidden potassium
• Many salt substitutes and “lite” salt products are made with potassium.
Talk with your dietitian before using these products.
• Many low-sodium foods have potassium added. Check ingredients for the
words “potassium chloride”.
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Potassium Content of Foods
Food
group
Low-potassium
(5-150mg)
____ servings per day
Medium-potassium
(150-250 mg)
_____servings per day
High-potassium
(250-500 mg)
_____servings per day
Fruits
• Applesauce ½ cup
• Apple 1 medium
• Apricots 3
• Berries ½ cup
(blackberries, blueberries,
raspberries, strawberries)
• Asian pear 1 medium
• Atemoya/cherimoya ½ cup
• Bignay ½ cup
• Avocado ¼
• Calabash, raw ½ cup
• Babaco ½ cup
• Cherries 8-10
• Balsam pear 1 medium
• Coconut, shredded ½ cup
• Banana 1 medium
• Fruit cocktail ½ cup
• Breadfruit ½ cup
• Grapes 10-15
• Dates 5
• Jujube/Chinese dates 5
• Figs 3
• Lychees, fresh ½ cup
• Durian ½ cup
• Mandarin orange 1 medium
• Guava 1 medium
• Mango ½ medium
• Hawthorns ½ cup
• Melon: cantaloupe, honeydew
½ medium
• Horned melons ½ cup
• Peaches, canned ½ cup
• Kiwi 1
• Grapefruit ½ cup
• Kumquats 4
• Longans ½ cup
• Lychees, canned ½ cup
• Mangosteen ½ cup
• Passion fruit 1 medium
• Pears, canned ½ cup
• Pineapple ½ cup
• Plums, canned ½ cup
• Rambutan ¼ cup
• Rhubarb ½ cup
• Tangerine 1
• Pear 1 medium
• Plums, fresh 2
Warning: Star fruit or
• Pomegranate ½
Carambola should never be
• Watermelon 1 cup
eaten by people with
kidney failure. It contains a • Prunes 5
poison which can cause
death if eaten.
• Jackfruit ½ cup
• Matrimony vines ½ cup
• Nectarine 1 medium
• Orange 1 medium
• Papaya ½ cup
• Peach 1 medium
• Pepinos/rock melon ½ cup
• Persimmon, raw or dried
1 medium
• Plantains, sabo bananas
½ cup
• Raisins, dried fruits ½ cup
• Sapote ½ cup
• Soursop ½ cup
• Tamarillo, tamarind ½ cup
• Watermelon seeds ½ cup
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Potassium Content of Foods
Food
group
Low-potassium
Medium-potassium
High-potassium
Vegetables
• Asparagus 4 spears
• Amaranth leaves ½ cup
• Artichoke 1
• Bamboo shoots, canned
½ cup
• Bitter gourd ½ cup
• Bamboo shoots, fresh ½ cup
• Bitter melon ½ cup
• Bok choy ½ cup
• Cassava ½ cup
• Brinjal ½ cup
• Gai choy/Chinese greens
½ cup
• Bean sprouts ½ cup
• Beans ½ cup: green or wax
beans
• Coriander ¼ cup
• Cabbage ½ cup
• Cauliflower ½ cup
• Corn ½ cup
• Cucumber ½ cup
• Dried mushrooms ¼ cup
• Ferns ½ cup
• Ginger ¼ cup
• Gobo/burdock rook ¼ cup
• Juda’s ear/Woodear ½ cup
• Kabu ½ cup
• Kelp, raw ½ cup
• Lettuce 1 cup
• Mint leaves ¼ cup
• Mung bean sprouts ½ cup
• Nabuka ½ cup
• Okra 3 pods
• Onions ½ cup
• Pea greens ½ cup
• Broccoli ½ cup
• Brussel sprouts ½ cup
• Beets ½ cup
• Carrots ½ cup
• Celery ½ cup
• Celery root ½ cup
• Chinese broccoli ½ cup
• Daikon/ lo bok ½ cup
• Daylily ¼ cup
• Eggplant ½ cup
• Laver seaweed ½ cup
• Lilly flowers, dried 1 ounce
• Mallow ½ cup
• Mixed vegetables ½ cup
• Mung beans ½ cup
• Mushrooms ½ cup
• Okra 6 pods
• Peppers 1
• Soaked potatoes ½ cup
• Greens ½ cup: beet, collard,
mustard, spinach, turnip,
Swiss chard
• Han choy ½ cup
• Kabocha ½ cup
• Kangkong ½ cup
• Long beans ½ cup
• Lotus root, seeds ½ cup
• Mung beans, vine ¼ cup
• Parsnips ½ cup
• Potatoes ½ cup or 1 small
• Pumpkin ½ cup
• Red beans ½ cup
• Sato imo, naga imo ½ cup
• Seagrass ½ cup
• Taro leaves, root ½ cup
• Tomato 1 medium
• Tomato paste 1/8 cup
• Tomato sauce or salsa ¼ cup
• Winter squash ½ cup
• Yams, sweet potatoes ½ cup
• Pepper, hot chili 1 or
¼ chopped
• Peas ½ cup
• Radishes 5
• Rutabaga ½ cup
• Turnips ½ cup
• Water chestnuts 4,
canned ½ cup
• Wax gourd/winter melon ½
• Zucchini ½ cup
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Potassium Content of Foods
Food
group
Protein
foods and
meats
Low-potassium
Medium-potassium
High-potassium
• Sea hare ½ cup
• Mung beans, black ½ cup
• Soybean curd, tofu ½ cup
• Red bean paste ½ cup
• Beans ½ cup: lima, kidney,
navy, pinto, red and black
• Soybean curd cake 3 small
• Soybeans, sprouted ½ cup
• Peanut butter 2 TBS
• Chicken, ground beef or
turkey 3 ounces
Beverages
• Lentils, split peas, chickpeas,
black eye peas ½ cup
• Nuts ½ cup
• Fish- salmon, tuna, white fish
3 oz.
• Apple juice ½ cup
• Apricot nectar ½ cup
• Coconut milk or water ½ cup
• Cranberry juice 1 cup
• Grape juice, canned ½ cup
• Instant breakfast type drinks
• Crystal Light, Hi-C, Kool
Aid, Tang 1 cup
• Grapefruit juice ½ cup
• Latte, mocha 1 cup
• Grace juice, from frozen,
1 cup
• Pineapple juice ½ cup
• Mango juice, fruit lassi 1 cup
• Soy milk ½ cup
• Milk 1 cup
• Orange juice ½ cup
• Iced tea 1 cup
• Pomegranate juice ½ cup
• Lemonade/limeade 1 cup
• Prune juice ½ cup
• Peach/pear nectar 1 cup
• Slim fast
• Snapple
• Tomato juice ½ cup
• Sprite
• V-8 juice ½ cup
• Root beer
• Orange soda and non-dark
colas
Other
• Ketchup 2 TBS
• Chocolate 1 oz.
• French fries
• Potato chips 10 chips
Adapted with permission from “Potassium in Your Diet” from the Northwest Kidney Centers,
www.nwkidney.org
Seattle Children’s offers interpreter services for Deaf, hard of hearing or non-English speaking patients, family members and
legal representatives free of charge. Seattle Children’s will make this information available in alternate formats upon request.
Call the Family Resource Center at 206-987-2201.
This handout has been reviewed by clinical staff at Seattle Children’s. However, your child’s needs are unique. Before you act
or rely upon this information, please talk with your child’s healthcare provider.
© 2015 Seattle Children’s, Seattle, Washington. All rights reserved.
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