Low potassium fruits and vegetables for kidney patients

If you have been advised to follow a low potassium diet by your healthcare team, the following information offers some suggestions to help you reduce the amount of potassium you consume.

Only follow this advice if your healthcare team have told you that you need to lower your potassium.

The general advice we offer could be useful until you are able to see a renal dietitian, who can help you plan your diet so you are getting the right amount of potassium for your specific situation.

Why do you need to follow a low potassium diet?

Potassium is a mineral found in many foods and drinks. When it’s absorbed into the blood it helps to keep your muscles and heart working properly.

Your kidneys help to control the amount of potassium in your blood. Too much potassium can be dangerous as it can cause an irregular heartbeat.

How can I reduce my potassium levels?

Limiting the amount of potassium in your diet is one way to help reduce the amount of potassium in your blood. Potassium is found in foods and drinks, including potatoes, fruits, vegetables, milk and some snack foods. You may not need to limit all high potassium foods but you will probably need to reduce your portion sizes or how often you eat them.

A well-balanced diet contains a variety of foods from different food groups to make sure you get all the nutrients you need to keep as healthy as possible. It can be harder to get a good balance when you have been advised to limit the amount of some foods that you eat.

You may also find it difficult to follow this advice if you are already following a special diet for another reason. A dietitian can help you make alterations to your diet to improve your potassium level, whilst also help you to continue enjoying a balanced diet.

Advice to help you follow a low potassium diet

Making a few small changes to the cooking methods you use can really help reduce the amount of potassium in your diet.

• Boiling potatoes and vegetables will reduce their potassium content as some of the potassium leaks into the cooking water. Potatoes that have been par-boiled (partly cooked by boiling) can then be fried, roasted or added to casseroles if desired.
• Try not to use cooking water to make gravy, stocks or soups.
• Try not to steam or microwave vegetables.

Lower potassium food choices

Food group: Fruit

High potassium foods to limit: Bananas, avocado, oranges, currants , dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, dates, dried apricots).

Lower potassium choices:

• Fruits should be limited to a maximum of 2 portions per day.
• A portion is about 80g or a handful.
• Good choices would be 1 small apple or pear, 1 satsuma, 10 grapes or a small bowl of drained tinned fruit in syrup.

Food group: Vegetables

High potassium foods to limit:

• Beetroot, tomato puree, sundried tomatoes, dried and fresh mushrooms, spinach.
• Beans and pulses (kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, soya beans) are high in potassium but can be used instead of meat or if you are vegetarian.

Lower potassium choices:

• Boiled vegetables should be limited to a maximum of 3 small portions (80g) per day.
• A small bowl of salad (80g) could be included as one of these portions.
• Good choices would be carrots, broccoli, runner beans, peas, cabbage, aubergine, bean sprouts.

Food group: Starchy foods

High potassium foods to limit:

• Jacket or baked potatoes, oven, microwave or shop-bought chips, manufactured potato products such as hash browns, potato waffles, frozen roast potatoes or potato wedges.
• Fried cassava, yam or sweet potato.
• Taro, plantain and parsnip.
• Breakfast cereals containing lots of dried fruit, nuts or chocolate for example, muesli, granola, fruit and fibre Bran based breakfast cereals such as All Bran®, Bran Flakes®

Lower potassium choices:

• Boiled potatoes or potatoes which have been par-boiled before roasting or frying.
• Boiled cassava, yam or sweet potato.
• Limit potato or starchy vegetables to maximum 1 portion (150g) per day.
• Pasta, rice, noodles, couscous, and breads – these are all much lower in potassium than potato.
• Suitable breakfast cereals include rice or corn based cereals, wheat biscuits, Shredded Wheat®, Special K®

Food group: Snacks

High potassium foods to limit: Potato crisps, chocolate, fudge, nuts. Biscuits and cakes containing lots of dried fruit, nuts or chocolate.

Lower potassium choices:

• Corn, rice, wheat or maize based snacks, popcorn, boiled or jelly sweets, marshmallows, mints.
• Plain biscuits and cakes such as rich tea, digestives, shortbread, custard creams, sponge cake, madeira cake, angel cake.

Food group: Drinks

High potassium foods to limit: Coffee (limit to 1 cup a day), malted milk drinks for example Ovaltine® or Horlicks®, hot chocolate, fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, wine (limit to 1 small glass white wine), beer, cider.

Lower potassium choices: Tea, herbal tea, squash or cordial, water, fizzy drinks. Spirits are lower in potassium than other alcoholic drinks.

Food group: Milk and dairy products

High potassium foods to limit:

• Limit milk to ½ pint per day (300ml).
• Limit yoghurt to 3 small pots per week.
• Condensed milk, evaporated milk and milk powders.

Lower potassium choices:

• Cheese, crème fraiche or cream.
• Rice or oat milk.

Food group: Salt substitutes

High potassium foods to limit: Lo-Salt, So-Low, reduced sodium salt.

Lower potassium choices: Pepper, fresh or dried herbs, spices, chilli, garlic.

What else can I do to lower my potassium levels?

You may need to do more than just alter your diet to keep your potassium levels low.

Your healthcare team will check to see if there might be other reasons that your potassium is raised. Constipation, poor blood glucose (sugar) control and certain medications can all affect your potassium levels. Ask your doctor for more information about this.

Lowering your potassium levels: download or order Kidney Care UK's information leaflet

You can download our Lowering your potassium levels leaflet for free.

You can also order a printed copy of Kidney Care UK’s Lowering your potassium levels leaflet to be sent to you in the post.

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