Foods low in potassium include most refined fats and oils, grains like cornmeal, white rice, and pasta, cheeses like soft goat cheese, and blueberries, eggs, leeks, Napa cabbage, and chia seeds. Boiling vegetables in water and discarding the water can help reduce their potassium and electrolyte content.
Water pills (diuretics) help rid your body of extra potassium. They work by making your kidney create more urine. Potassium is normally removed through urine. Potassium binders often come in the form of a powder.
Some of the lowest potassium meats are clams, oysters, and tuna. Chicken and turkey aren't considered low potassium meats, but they are lower than other types of meats. Deli meats are not only high in potassium but can also be high in sodium and contain phosphorus additives.
Low potassium vegetables include cilantro, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, arugula, kale, Napa cabbage, leeks, spaghetti squash, sweet onions, eggplant, and more. For more low potassium vegetable ideas, see the complete ranking of over 200 vegetables low in potassium.
For Chinese food
Choose lower-potassium vegetables such as snow peas, string beans, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and bok choy.
Low-potassium veggie choices
Veggies that contain less than 200 mg per serving include: asparagus (6 spears) broccoli (half-cup) carrots (half-cup cooked)
Traditionally, white bread was recommended for people with kidney disease because it has less potassium and phosphorus.
One chicken thigh or drumstick has 130 to 165 milligrams of potassium. One-half chicken breast has 220 milligrams and 3 ounces of turkey range from 244 to 256 milligrams. These choices are a little high for a low potassium diet, but could be part of a meal if other food choices have very low potassium.
Popular fish like salmon, mackerel, halibut, tuna and snapper all have more than 400 milligrams of potassium in a 3-ounce filet.
Low-potassium foods (less than 50 mg per serving):
1 ounce of cheese (20 to 30)
Low-Potassium Protein Foods
A 1-ounce serving of broiled salmon supplies 106 milligrams of potassium, while 2 ounces of lean beef gives you 150 milligrams. Other protein options that fall into the lower-potassium range include: 1/4 cup of lentils. 1/2 cup of soy or cow's milk.
Broccoli is a medium potassium food, low in sodium and phosphorus, and suitable for all the following kidney conditions and treatments: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Transplant.
Boil Your Vegetables
Contact with water leaches potassium out of vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets and winter squash. On a low-potassium diet, boil these and other vegetables instead of steaming, microwaving, roasting or sauteing.
White bread is lower in phosphate than brown bread. Often wholemeal bread is acceptable for people on a renal diet. Shop bought soda bread may not be suitable if it contains high phosphate containing ingredients such as baking powder, wheatgerm, or phosphate additives.
Most meats add some potassium to your meals. Chicken breast has the most per 3-ounce serving with 332 milligrams, but beef and turkey breast contain 315 and 212 milligrams, respectively.
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.
If you're not a seafood lover, red meat (including lean beef), chicken, and turkey also provide good amounts of potassium.
While whole-grain foods and nuts have lots of nutrients and fiber, they are also high-potassium foods. In order to lower your potassium intake, skip whole-wheat bread and pasta, whole-grain rice and bran cereal. Instead, choose lower-fiber white versions of these foods for your diet.