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POTASSIUM–

Kaiser Permanente Kidney Clinic Englewood, Colorado

202-788-1255

A guide to food and fluid choices for a low

potassium diet.

Low Potassium Diet

INDEX

General information…………...2

Seasonings for your Food…...2

Tips to Control Potassium…...3

Protein Choices………..………….3

Fruit Choices……….………...…...4

Vegetables Choices……………...5

Tips for Leaching Potassium

from Vegetables…………………...5

Diary & Cheese…………………….6

Starch, Breads & Cereals……...7

Fluid Choices……………………….8

Sample meal plan………………...8

Resources.…………………………...9

Potassium Normal blood levels for potassium are 3.5- 5.0 My current level= __________ Date: ________

• Potassium is an essential mineral and often called an Electro-

lyte. It Keeps your heart beating and helps your muscles and

nerves work properly. Potassium allows your kidneys to filter

blood properly.

• With Chronic Kidney Disease, a low potassium diet may not be

necessary. It depends on your stage of kidney disease, what

medications you are taking and your current blood potassium

levels.

• A potassium restricted diet is typically about 2000 milligrams

per day. Your physician or dietitian will advise you as to the spe-

cific level of restriction you need based on your individual

health.

DO NOT Use Salt Substitutes It is recommended that you DO NOT use Salt substitutes because

they contain potassium chloride.

Common Salt Substitutes with potassium-

• Nu Salt ®

• Morton’s Lite Salt ®

• No Salt ®

You may use salt free seasonings

Common seasonings that you may use-

• Fresh or dried herbs and spices

• Kirkland® Organic salt free seasoning

• Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute®

• DASH® seasonings and marinades

• Powdered onion or powdered garlic

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Tips for Controlling

Potassium

• Check portion sizes closely. For ex-ample, a serving of dried raisins is 2 tablespoons vs. fresh grapes, which is 1/2 cup.

• Drain and discard liquids in canned fruits and vegetables.

• Read the nutrition facts panel for amount of potassium per servings if available.

• Look out for label claims. “Low salt” or “low sodium” foods often have added potassium.

• Check ingredients for these sources of potassium, often found in meats and proteins. For example:

Potassium chloride , potassium sorbate , tetra-potassium phosphate

Using Legumes

Most legumes contain ~200-300mg

of potassium in 1/2 cup.

Canned, rinsed and drained is best.

Garbanzo beans are the lowest.

Using Nuts

Nuts are a high potassium food. Do

not eat more than 1/4 cup per

day.

Protein Choices

These values represent a 3-ounce cooked portion

providing less than 300mg of potassium

**Beef, pot roast

Beef, sirloin steak

**Chicken breast, skinless

**Chicken thigh meat, skinless

Hamburger patty, 90% lean

Lamb Chop

Pork Roast

Turkey breast meat, skinless

**Turkey thigh meat, skinless

**Cod, Atlantic

Salmon, Atlantic, farmed

Sea Bass

Tilapia

**Tuna, white, canned, water

packed & drained

**King Crab

Lobster

**Oysters, Eastern, farmed

**Shrimp

** Denotes ~200mg or less

potassium

Cooking meats and proteins in fluid and

draining the fluid can further reduce the

amount of potassium in a food.

Low Potassium Diet 3

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Medium Content 150mg-

300mg per serving size

Cherries– 12

Grapefruit– 1/2

Kumquats– 5

Mango or Papaya – 1/2 cup**

Nectarine– 1 med

Orange Juice– 1/2 cup

Orange– 1 med

Pomegranate– 1/2 cup arils

** Denotes under 200mg choice

Fruit Low (5-150mg per serving size) **under 70mg

Low Potassium Diet

All canned fruit is drained and rinsed

Apple—1 small

Applesauce, unsweetened— 1/2 cup

Apricots, canned– 1/3 cup

Black, Boysen berries— 1/2 cup

Blueberries– 1 cup

Canned Pear, Peaches, Fruit Cocktail– 1/2 cup

Cranberries, dried or sauce**- 1/2 cup

Lychee fruit– 9

Canned Mandarin Oranges– 1/2 cup

Grapes– 16

Mandarin Orange (Cuties)- 2 small

Pineapple canned or fresh—1/2 cup

Plum– 1

Raspberries or Strawberries—1/2 cup

Tangerine—1 medium

Watermelon, diced—1 cup

Juices– Apple, Grape, Guava Nectar**

Lemon or Lime, Pineapple—1/2 cup

Cranberry Juice Cocktail **

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Very High Potassium fruits and

vegetables:

Use with caution. These are great-

er than 350-400mg potassium per

serving:

Banana– 1 small

Cantaloupe, Casaba, Honeydew

Melon– 1 cup

Dried Fruit –1/4 cup

Plantain, ckd– 1/2 cup

Raw Guavas

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Tips for Leaching Potassium

Very high potassium vegetables

Use with caution.

These are greater than 400mg

per 1/2 cup cooked:

Vegetables

All canned vegetables are

drained and rinsed

1/2 cup portion

Alfalfa sprouts**

Asparagus

Bamboo shoots canned**

Bean sprouts**

Broccoli or Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower**

Celery

Corn or Chayote

Cucumber**

Eggplant ckd**

Garbanzo Beans canned

Green or wax beans**

Greens: Collard, Kale, Mustard or

Turnip

Jalapeno Pepper or Jicama **

Kale

Leeks **

Lettuce, all types

Mushrooms, raw or canned only

Nopales

Okra or Onion

Peas: green, sugar snap or snow

peas

Peppers: green, red or yellow

Radish

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Spinach raw only

Spaghetti squash

Any fresh tomato or Juice or

Tomatillo

Turnip

Yellow , Zucchini squash

Water chestnuts canned

** denotes less than 100mg per

1/2 cup, all else are ~125-280mg

per 1/2 cup.

Low Potassium Diet

Artichoke

Avocado

Cooked Dried

Beans

Beet Greens

Parsnips

Potatoes

Ckd Spinach

Winter Squash

(Acorn, Butter-

nut, Pumpkin)

Swiss Chard

Yam

This process can pull some of the

potassium from vegetables.

(For Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots,

Beets, Winter Squash, and Rutabagas)

1. Peel and Slice vegetable 1/8 inch

thick or make small cubes.

2. Place the vegetable in cold water so

they won’t darken.

3. Rinse in warm water for a few sec-

onds.

4. Soak for a minimum of two hours in

warm water. Use ten times the amount

of water to the amount of vegetables. If

soaking longer, change the water every

four hours.

5. Rinse under warm water again for a

few seconds.

6. Cook vegetable with five times the

amount of water to the amount of veg-

etable.

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Low Potassium Diet

ENIM IRIURE ACCUMSAN EPULAE.

MOLIOR VICIS FEUGIAT.

Technology at work for you Dairy and Cheese

These products contain more potassium

Watch portion sizes carefully

These servings have ~200mg potassium in the

serving indicated.

Be cautious with eating or drinking in excess

Low-fat 1% or 2% milk– 1/2 cup

Whole milk Plan yogurt– 1/2 cup

Buttermilk, low fat cultured– 1/2 cup

Soy Silk® soy milk– 1/2 cup

Almond Breeze Original® - 1 cup

Canned Coconut Milk– 1/3 cup

Very low sources:

Rice Milk, Classic Rice Dream®- 1 cup

These servings have less than 50mg potassium in the serving indi-

cated

Mozzarella cheese, part skim – 1 ounce

Low sodium Swiss Cheese- 1 ounce

Cream Cheese- 2 T.

Feta Cheese- 1 ounce

Neufchatel cheese- 1 ounce

Parmesan cheese- 1 ounce

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Low Potassium Diet

ENIM IRIURE ACCUMSAN EPULAE.

MOLIOR VICIS FEUGIAT.

QUADRUM QUIDEM NISL EA.

Starches, Breads and Cereals These items contain ~100mg or less potassium per

serving size indicated.

Bagel, plain 1 medium

Bread- Rye, white or whole wheat 1 slice

Cereal-Corn Flakes, Cream of Wheat 1 cup

Cookies- Vanilla Wafers 6 wafers

Crackers- Graham 3 squares

Crackers- Most 5 crackers

English Muffin- Plain 1 muffin

French Toast 1 slice

Muffin-Blueberry 2 ounces

Muffin- corn or plain 1 medium

Pasta- cooked 2 ounces

Pita Bread- white or whole wheat 1 large

Popcorn- light 3 cups

Pretzels 1 ounce

Quinoa Ckd 1/3 cup

Rice- Brown or White cooked 1/2 cup

Stuffing- cornbread 1/2 cup

Tortilla chips 1 ounce

Tortilla, corn or flour 1 medium

Corn or Rice Chex®, Corn Flakes, Corn Pops, 1 cup

Special K®, Cream of Rice or Grits 1 cup

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Low Potassium Diet

• You will likely be encour-aged to drink plenty of fluid depending on your stage of kidney disease. Be aware that not all fluids are free of potassium. Your best flu-id choice most of the time is water.

• Avoid excessive use of coffee, sports drinks and some beverages. Limit coffee to 8oz per day and limit tea to 16oz per day.

• Use True Citrus® Hydration Helpers to flavor your wa-ter. Be aware that not all flavor enhancers are free of potassium.

Read ingredient labels carefully. Avoid potassium

additives.

Low Potassium Fluid Choices

These choices are very low in potassium. Less than 20mg potassium per serving and less than 1mg phosphorus/ 12oz unless specified below)

Water

Diet Mug ® Root Beer

Crush ® Soda Regular Orange, Grape, Cherry & Diet Orange

Mellow Yellow ® Diet & Regular

Schweppes ® Diet and Regular Ginger Ale Tonic Water & Club Soda

Nestea ® Raspberry Regular

A&W ® Diet or Regular Cream Soda or Root Beer

8oz diet or regular Cranberry Juice

Tropicana ® Premium Watermelon

H2O! ® Sparkling Water beverage

Bubly ® Sparkling Water (all varieties)

Water is always your best fluid choice

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Notes-

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Low Potassium Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast

1 cup Corn Chex cereal 1 cup Classic Rice Dream

½ cup Blueberries

2oz. Blueberry muffin

1 tsp. salt free butter

8oz cup of Coffee

Lunch

2 slice whole grain bread

3oz water-packed tuna, drained

1 T. Mayonnaise

Sliced Bell pepper

Mini Pretzels- low sodium or unsalted

½ cup drained canned peaches

Dinner

3 oz baked Cod w/ lemon and dill weed

1 cup steamed rice

Boiled Asparagus

Green Salad, sliced cucumber & celery

Olive oil and vinegar dressing

Snack ideas-

6 vanilla wafers with 1/2 cup applesauce Celery Sticks with 2 T. Cream cheese

3 cups light popcorn sprinkled with 2 T. Parmesan cheese

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Renal Diet Plan and Cookbook: The Optimal Nutrition

Guide to Manage Kidney Disease– 2017

Susan Zogheib MHS RD LDN

Renal Diet Cookbook for the Newly Diagnosed: The

Complete Guide to Managing Kidney Disease and

Avoiding Dialysis—2017

Susan Zogheib MHS RD LDN

30-Minute Renal Diet Cookbook: Easy, Flavorful Recipes

for Every Stage of Kidney Disease– 2019

Aisling Whelan MS RDN CDN

National Kidney Foundation- www.kidney.org

Questions about kidney Disease? 855-NKF-CARES

(9am-5pm EST)

Resources-

Kidney Clinic—Kaiser Permanente Colorado 2955 S. Broadway Englewood, CO 80113

303-788-1288 ph 303-788-1260 fax Low Potassium Diet

Created April 2020 Centers for Healthy Living Kaiser Permanente Colorado

Low Potassium Diet

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