Eating Well on a Low Potassium Diet-

Getting Started
Potassium is a mineral found in most foods and some beverages.
Potassium helps your muscles work properly and your heart to beat
normally. Your kidneys help to keep your blood potassium at a healthy
level. When your kidneys are not working, potassium can build up in
your blood. Certain medications can also increase your potassium level.
High potassium levels in your blood can make your heart beat
abnormally or even cause the heart to stop working.

A low potassium diet can help keep your potassium level within a safe
range. Your doctor and registered dietitian can help determine how
much potassium you should have in your diet. This amount can differ
depending on how well your kidney works. In the mean time, this
factsheet can help you to choose foods lower in potassium.

● Choose fruits and vegetables from the low potassium group most
often and from the medium group less often. Each day you can
choose:
❍ 2 low and 1 medium serving of fruits
❍ 2 low and 1 medium serving of vegetables
● Limit Milk and Alternates like milk, yogurt, soy beverage and
pudding to a total amount of 125 mL (½ cup) per day. These foods
are very high in potassium.
● Limit hard and soft cheeses such as cheddar, Gouda and Swiss,
brie and camembert to 30 g (1 oz) per day.
● Choose white flour grain products and baked goods instead of
whole grain products. Whole grain products are higher in
potassium. Try:
❍ White bread, buns, bagels, wraps
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 ❍ White rice, pasta
❍ Soda crackers
❍ Plain cookies, white cakes and muffins
● Avoid bran and whole grain cereals such as oat bran, oatmeal and
bran cereals. Instead, choose breakfast cereals that are low in
fibre such as rice crisps, puffed rice, corn flakes, cream of wheat or
corn meal. These foods are low in potassium.
● Do not eat more than two servings of beef, pork, chicken, turkey,
fish or other meats each day. One serving is equal to 75 grams or
2 ½ ounces.
● Avoid nuts and seeds and their butters such as peanuts, cashews,
pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, sunflower, hemp and
pumpkin seeds.
● Avoid legumes (dried beans, peas, lentils) and tofu until you have
seen a dietitian. These foods are high in potassium.
● Add healthy fats like olive, canola, corn, vegetable, walnut or
sesame oils to your foods for extra calories. These foods do not
have any potassium and can be used to cook with and to add
flavour to foods.
● If you are thirsty drink water, regular or decaf coffee or tea,
fruit drinks and non cola soft drinks. Avoid specialty coffees like
lattes, cola beverages and grain or malt based drinks. If you need
to limit your fluid, speak to your doctor.
● Avoid the following foods until you have seen a dietitian because
they are high in potassium:
❍ Potato, sweet potato and cassava chips.
❍ All chocolate and chocolate products.
❍ Coconut in any form.
❍ Condiments like ketchup, steak sauce, mustard and relish.
Flavor with fresh herbs instead.
● Do not use Salt substitutes made with potassium chloride such
as: Nu Salt®, No Salt®, Half Salt®.

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 ● Avoid “Low-sodium” products that have potassium chloride in their
ingredient list.
● Season foods with herbs like oregano, rosemary and dill, and
spices like curry, pepper and basil.
● Use white sugar, corn syrup, honey, jam or jelly as a sweetener.
Do not use molasses, brown sugar or maple syrup.

If you are having trouble planning your meals or if you are losing
weight while following a low potassium diet, speak to your doctor or a
dietitian. A dietitian can help you with meal planning and choosing the
right foods.

Special Considerations
● If you have diabetes find out the diet that is right for you. Ask
your family doctor for a referral to your local Diabetes Education
Centre to meet with a dietitian.
● Do not eat star fruit which may also be called carambala, bilimbi,
belimbing, Chinese starfruit or star apple if you have kidney
problems.
● Avoid grapefruit until you see a doctor or dietitian. Grapefruit may
affect how some of your medications work.

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Potassium Content of Selected foods
Vegetables

Low: (0-100 mg Potassium)

Choose 2 servings/day 125 mL (½ cup) =1 serving

Alfalfa sprouts, raw Green/yellow beans, cooked

Cabbage, raw Leeks, raw or cooked

Canned bamboo shoots, Lettuce, iceberg, raw (1 cup)

drained

Cauliflower, cooked Snow peas, raw (10 pods)

Collard, raw (1 cup) Spaghetti squash (cooked)

Cucumber, raw Spinach, raw (1 cup)

Eggplant, raw or cooked Water chestnut, canned

Medium (101-200 mg Potassium)

Choose 1 serving/day 125 mL (½ cup) =1 serving

Beets, canned, drained Romaine lettuce, raw (1 cup)

Broccoli, raw Sweet corn, cream style

Cabbage, cooked Sweet pepper, raw

Celery (1 medium stalk) Swiss chard, raw (1 cup)

Chinese broccoli, cooked Tomato paste, canned (1 Tbsp)

Fava beans, green, fresh Turnip, cooked

Onions, raw or cooked Turnip or mustard greens, cooked

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Radish, raw Watercress

Rhubarb, cooked and raw Zucchini, raw

High (at least 201 mg of potassium per serving)

AVOID 125 mL (½ cup) = 1 serving

Artichoke, cooked (1 med) Oriental radish/daikon, cooked

Asparagus (6 spears) Parsnip, cooked

Balsam-pear (bitter gourd, Portabella mushroom, cooked

melon), cooked

Beet greens, raw or cooked Potato, double boiled (½ medium)

Bok choy, cooked Pumpkin, cooked

Broccoli, cooked Rapini, cooked

Brussels sprouts (4 sprouts) Red cabbage, cooked

Collards, cooked Snow peas, cooked

Celery, cooked Spinach, cooked

Green peas, cooked Sweet corn, canned, drained

Carrots raw or cooked Sweet potato or yam double

(1 medium) boiled (½ medium)

Kale, raw (1 cup) Swiss chard, cooked

Kohlrabi, cooked Tomato

Mustard greens raw (1 cup) Tomato sauce

Mushrooms, cooked Unsalted potato chips (10 chips)

Okra/gumbo, cooked Water chestnuts

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Zucchini, cooked Winter squashes, cooked

Juice:

Carrot Vegetable

Tomato

Fruit

Low (0-100 mg Potassium)

Choose 2 serving/day 125 mL (½ cup) = 1 servng

Apple sauce, unsweetened Dried Cranberries

Blueberries Raspberry

Cranberries Watermelon

Drained canned pears

Juices:

Apricot Lime

Cranberry Papaya

Lemon Peach nectar

Medium (101-200 mg of Potassium)

Choose 1 serving/day 125mL (½ cup) = 1 serving

Apple (1 medium) Peach (1 medium)

Blackberries Pear (1 medium)

Dates, dried (2 fruit) Pineapple

Drained canned fruit. Do not drink Plum (1 medium fruit)

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the fluid.

Grapefruit (½ medium)* Pomegranate (½ fruit)

Grapes, red or green (20 fruit) Raspberries, frozen

Jujube (5 medium) Rhubarb

Kumquat (5 fruits) Strawberry

Longan (20 fruit) Strawberry frozen

Lychee (10 fruit) Tangerine/mandarin (1

medium)

Mango (½ fruit)

Passion fruit (2 fruit)

Juices:

Apple Pineapple

Grape juice, canned or bottled

High (at least 201 mg of Potassium per serving)

AVOID 125 mL (½ cup) =1 serving

Apricot (3 fruits) Kiwi (1 large)

Banana (1 medium) Nectarine (1 fruit)

Cantaloupe Orange (1 medium)

Cherry, sweet (20 fruits) Papaya (½ fruit)

Dried apricots (5 halves) Persimmon (1 fruit)

Durian, raw or frozen Prunes, dehydrated (¼ cup)

Fig (2 fruits) Raisins (¼ cup)

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Guava Sapodilla

Honeydew/musk melon Sapote (½ medium)

Jackfruit Sour sop

Juices:

Grapefruit Prune

Orange Passion fruit

Grain Products

Choose most often. Low fibre choices contain less potassium

than higher fibre choices.

125 mL (½ cup) = 1 serving

Bread: 60% whole wheat, light rye, white (1 slice)

Cereal: Plain low fibre cereal made from corn, rice, oats or wheat
such as rice crisps, oat loops, corn flakes, Cream of Wheat®

Cereals: sweetened low fibre cereal made from corn, rice, wheat

Couscous, cooked Bagel, white (½ medium)

English muffin (½) Bulgur, cooked

Frozen waffle (1 medium) Soda cracker (10)

Pasta, white, plain Taco shell, baked (2 medium)

Pita bread, white, (½ medium)

AVOID 125 mL (½ cup) = 1 serving

Bread: whole grain, 100% whole wheat, dark rye, graham, (1 slice)

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Cereals:100 % bran, bran flakes, whole grain, granola, muesli

Millet, cooked Barley, cooked

Pasta, brown, plain Buckwheat, cooked

Quinoa, cooked Rice, brown, cooked

Milk and Alternatives

Limit to total All varieties of milk, soy beverage, goat’s

amount of 125 milk, almond milk, ricotta cheese, yogourt,
mL (½ cup) frozen yogourt
per day.

Limit hard cheese

Hard cheeses: Swiss, gouda, cheddar
to 50 g (1 oz) per
Soft cheese: brie, camembert
day or
125 mL (½ cup)
cottage cheese

Meats and Alternatives

Choose most often Poultry: chicken, turkey

Meat: beef, veal, pork, lamb
2 serving per day Fish: salmon, haddock
75 g (2 ½ oz)=1 serving

High (201 mg or more of Legumes (beans, peas and

potassium) lentils) such as:
kidney, black, Romano and
AVOID
●

soy beans
125 mL (½ cup) = 1 serving
● chick, split, black-eyed peas
● red, green and brown lentils
● soy products like tofu

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Medium-High (101 mg or Nuts and seeds and their
more of potassium)
butters:
AVOID ● almonds, hazelnuts, brazil,
60 mL (¼ cup) = 1 serving cashew, peanuts
pumpkin, sesame,
sunflower

Other Additional Items

Choose most often: these foods are low in potassium

Butter (1 Tbsp) Sour Cream (1 tbsp)

Coffee (1 cup) Non cola soda pop (1 cup)

Corn syrup (1 Tbsp) Salad dressing (1 tbsp)

Fruit drinks, punches Sugar; white, (1 tbsp)

Honey (1 Tbsp) Table cream (1 tbsp)

Jam or jelly (1 tbsp) Tea (1 cup)

Margarine, soft (1 tbsp) Vegetable oil (1 tbsp)

Mayonnaise (1 tbsp)

Herb/Spices: Salt, pepper, white vinegar, herbs, spices, cornstarch,

hard candies, gelatin

AVOID:

Brown sugar Mustard

Cereal grain beverages Relish

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 Ketchup Specialty coffees

Maple syrup products Steak sauce

Molasses

Salt Substitutes such as:

Nu Salt®, No Salt®, Half Salt® Low Salt®
Source: “Canadian Nutrient File” www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-
nutri-data/nutrient_value-valeurs_nutritives_e.html [Accessed
December 2010]

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