How To Lower Potassium In Food?

There are some diseases in which it is necessary to avoid or limit the consumption of foods rich in potassium, such as diabetes, kidney failure, organ transplants or alterations in the adrenal glands. However, this mineral is found in many foods, mainly in fruits, grains and vegetables.

For this reason, it is important to know which foods have low levels of potassium, being able to include them in the diet with caution, and which ones have medium or high levels of this mineral. In addition to this, there are some techniques that can be applied to reduce the concentration of potassium in food, such as removing the peel, soaking the food and/or cooking it with plenty of water, for example.

The amount of potassium to be ingested per day should be established by a nutritionist, because it will depend on several factors, not only on the disease that the person has but also on how the potassium value is found in blood tests.

How to lower potassium in food?

Tips to reduce potassium in food

To reduce the amount of potassium in grains, fruits and vegetables, they should be peeled and cut into cubes before cooking, then placed in water and soaked for 2 hours, and when cooking, plenty of water should be used, without salt. In addition to this, the water should be changed and discarded when the vegetables or grains are half cooked, as this water will contain more than half of the potassium that was in the food.  

Other tips that should be followed are:

  • Avoid the use of light or diet salt, because it is composed 50% of sodium chloride and 50% of potassium chloride;
  • Limit the consumption of mate tea and black tea, because they have a high potassium content;
  • Avoid the consumption of whole foods;
  • Avoid consumption of alcoholic beverages, because high amounts could reduce the amount of potassium excreted in the urine;
  • Consume just 2 servings of fruits per day, preferably cooked and without peel;
  • Avoid cooking grains in a pressure cooker, steaming or microwave. 

    • It is also important to remember that patients who urinate normally, should ingest at least 1.5 L of water a day, to help the kidneys to eliminate excess potassium, in the case of patients whose urine is decreased fluid intake should be guided by the nephrologist or a nutritionist. 

    What are the foods rich in potassium

    For potassium control it is important to know which foods are high, medium and low in potassium, as shown in the table below:

    Beets (1/2 cup), tomato juice (1 cup), canned tomato sauce (1/2 cup), cooked potato with skin (1pc), mashed potato (1/2 cup), sweet potato or yam (100g)

    Cooked peas (1/4 cup), cooked celery (1/2 cup), zucchini (100g), cooked brussels sprouts (1/2 cup), cooked Swiss chard (45g), broccoli (100g)

    Dried plum (5pcs), avocado (1/2 pc), banana (1pc), melon (1 cup), kiwi (1pc), raisins (1/4 cup), papaya (1 cup), orange juice (1 glass), pumpkin (1/2 cup), prune juice (1/2 cup), carrot juice (1/2 cup), mango (1 medium pc)

    Almonds (20g), walnuts (30g), hazelnuts (34g), cashew (32g), guava (1pc), brazil nut (35g), peanut (36g), dried or fresh coconut (1/4 cup), blackberry (1/2 cup), pineapple juice (1/2 cup), watermelon (1 cup), peach (1pc), fresh cut tomato (1/2 cup), pear (1pc), grapes (100g), apple juice (150mL), cherries (75g), orange (1pc), grape juice (1/2 cup)

    Pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup), chickpeas (1 cup), white beans (100g), black beans (1/2 cup), kidney beans (1/2 cup), cooked lentils (1/2 cup)

    What amount of potassium should be ingested per day

    The amount of potassium the individual should ingest per day will depend on the disease itself and should be established by a clinical nutritionist, however, the ranges that are usually managed are:

  • Acute renal failure: ranges from 1170-1950 mg/d or depending on losses;
  • Chronic kidney disease: can range from 1560-2730 mg/day;
  • Hemodialysis: 2340- 3510 mg/d;
  • Peritoneal dialysis: 2730-3900 mg/d;
  • Other diseases: between 1000 to 2000 mg/day.

    • In a normal diet, about 150 g of meat and 1 glass of milk provide about 1063 mg of this mineral. See the amount of potassium in food.

    How to make a low potassium diet

    See an example menu for 3 days with an approximate potassium content of 2000 mg, this menu was calculated without applying the double cooking technique.It is important to remember the tips mentioned above to reduce the potassium content present in food. 

    The portions of the foods presented in the menu vary according to age, sex, physical activity and whether you have any associated disease or not, so the ideal is to go to a nutritionist for a complete evaluation and develop a nutritional plan tailored to your needs. 

    High levels of potassium in the blood can cause heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting and heart attack, and should be treated with dietary changes and, when necessary, with the use of medications recommended by the doctor. Learn what can happen if the potassium in the blood is altered. 

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