How much potassium is in an egg? One large egg contains about 63 mg of potassium. 1 Eggs are considered a low-potassium food, but check with your doctor or dietitian to find out how often you should eat them.
Potassium in Eggs
If you're aiming to cut calories and reduce fat from your diet, you can still get potassium from a plain egg white. The white part of a large egg has about 55 milligrams of potassium, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the egg's entire potassium content.
Vomiting, diarrhea or both also can result in excessive potassium loss from the digestive tract. Occasionally, low potassium is caused by not getting enough potassium in your diet. In most cases, low potassium is found by a blood test that is done because of an illness, or because you are taking diuretics.
Adults should consume about 3,500mg of potassium per day, according to the UK's National Health Service. The average banana, weighing 125g, contains 450mg of potassium, meaning a healthy person can consume at least seven-and-half bananas before reaching the recommended level.
Despite its importance, very few people around the world get enough potassium. A healthy adult should aim to consume 3,500–4,700 mg daily from foods. To increase your intake, incorporate a few potassium-rich foods into your diet such as spinach, yams, avocados, bananas, and fish, such as salmon.
You can reach it by cooking a 4-ounce piece of chicken, turkey, fish or beef and serving it with a baked sweet potato and half a cup of steamed or roasted broccoli. Don't panic if you don't reach the full 4,700 mg every single day. The minimum amount of potassium your body needs to survive is only 100 mg per day.
Although bananas are a good source of potassium, many other nutritious foods, including sweet potatoes, legumes, and beets, offer more potassium per serving. Swiss chard, yams, and white beans even have twice as much potassium per cup as a medium banana.
Low-potassium fruits:
Apples (plus apple juice and applesauce) Blackberries. Blueberries. Cranberries.
Low-potassium veggie choices
Veggies that contain less than 200 mg per serving include: asparagus (6 spears) broccoli (half-cup) carrots (half-cup cooked)
You can reduce your risk of developing hypokalemia by eating a diet full of foods that contain potassium. Discuss your diet with your healthcare provider. Foods that contain potassium include many fruits and vegetables, lean meat and fish, dairy and legumes.
Caffeine and tobacco reduce the absorption of potassium. People at risk for insufficient potassium intake include alcoholics, drug addicts and crash dieters.
Usually, 60–80 mmol of supplements per day for a few days to weeks is sufficient for treating mild to moderate hypokalemia. That said, always follow the recommendations of your healthcare professional ( 1 , 19 ). In severe hypokalemia cases, intravenous (IV) treatment may be recommended.
There are limited or no options for at-home kits to test potassium levels. If you are prescribed a 24-hour urine test, you will need to collect your urine wherever you are during the day, including at home. However, this testing is still prescribed by your doctor rather than sold as a separate at-home test kit.
Avocados are rich in potassium. One avocado actually has three times as much potassium as one banana.
Potassium in Watermelon
While bananas might be the first fruit to come to mind, watermelon actually reigns supreme when it comes to potassium. In just 2 wedges, or about 1/8th of a melon, you'll get 640 mg of potassium, or about 14% DV.
Peanut butter also gives you some fiber, some vitamins and minerals (including 200 milligrams of potassium), and other nutrients. Unsalted peanut butter, with 5 milligrams of sodium, has a terrific potassium-to-sodium ratio. Salted peanut butter still has about twice as much potassium as sodium.