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    Get Ideas for Shopping Low Potassium Foods

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    Your body needs a healthy level of potassium to maintain a regular heartbeat and keep your muscles and nerves working well. Having kidney disease can make it harder to maintain a healthy potassium level range, which is 3.5-5.0 mEg/L if you’re living with CKD or 3.5-5.5 mEq/L if you have ESRD. It’s important to work with your dietitian to understand and manage your potassium intake. If your dietitian recommends a low potassium diet, incorporating low potassium foods in each food group will help you stay your healthiest. If your lab results indicate a low potassium level, your dietitian may recommend more high potassium foods.

    Talk to your dietitian

    Review your potassium lab results and discuss whether you should follow a low potassium diet.

    Foods for a low potassium diet

    Here’s a list of low potassium foods to help you plan healthy meals and write up your grocery list. Potassium needs vary by person, so talk to your dietitian about your potassium level and appropriate foods to choose.
    Fruit_Icon

    FRUITS LOW IN POTASSIUM

    Serving size: 1 small piece or ½ cup

    Apples
    Blueberries
    Cherries

    Dried fruits: apples, blueberries, cherries, coconut, cranberries
    Grapes
    Lychee
    Pear
    Persimmon
    Pineapple
    Plum
    Raspberries
    Strawberries
    Tangerines
    Watermelon
    Lemon
    Lime
    List of flexible-potassium foods

    BREADS, CEREALS & GRAINS LOW IN POTASSIUM

    Serving size: 1 slice, 1 piece or ½ cup


    Bagel (half)
    Bread loaf
    Cereal
    Corn tortilla
    Couscous

    English muffin (half)
    Old-fashioned or steel-cut oatmeal
    Pasta

    Pita (half)
    Quinoa
    Rice
    Rice cakes
    Slow-cook Cream of Wheat
    Slow-cook grits
    List of flexible-potassium foods

    VEGETABLES LOW IN POTASSIUM

    Serving size: ½ cup fresh or cooked or 1 cup of raw leafy

    Asparagus
    Bean sprouts
    Broccoli
    Cabbage
    Carrots
    Cauliflower
    Celery
    Cherry tomatoes
    Corn (½ cup corn or small ear)
    Cucumber
    Eggplant
    Green or wax beans
    Greens: collard, mustard, turnip
    Jicama
    Kale
    Leeks
    Lettuce
    Mushrooms
    (raw)
    Okra
    Onion
    Peas: green, sugar snap, snow
    Peppers: green, red, yellow, jalapeño
    Radish
    Spinach
    (raw)
    Squash: spaghetti, yellow
    Turnips
    Water chestnuts
    (canned)
    Fluids_icon

    FLUIDS LOW IN POTASSIUM

    Serving size: 4 ounces

    100% fruit juices: apple, cranberry, grape, pineapple
    Fresh-brewed coffee
    Fresh-brewed tea: black, herbal
    Fresh-squeezed lemonade
    Nectars: apricot, guava, mango, papaya, peach, pear
    Sodas: club, lemon-lime
    Water: sparkling, tap
    Protein_Icon

    PROTEINS LOW IN POTASSIUM

    Serving size for ESRD: ½ cup or 3-5 ounces, cooked
    Serving size for CKD: ¼ cup or 1-2 ounces, cooked

    Beans
    Beef
    Chicken
    Edamame
    Eggs (whole or egg whites)
    Fish
    Lamb
    Lentils
    Pork
    Tofu
    Turkey
    Veal
    Wild game
    DessertsSnacks_icon

    DESSERTS & SNACKS LOW IN POTASSIUM

    Serving size: 1 piece, 1/8 pie or 1/2 cup


    All-natural fruit leather
    Animal crackers
    Applesauce
    Frozen fruit bars
    Fruit cocktail
    Homemade desserts: fruit pie or cobbler
    Italian ice
    Nuts, seeds and natural nut butters (2 tablespoons)
    Rice Krispies Treats®
    Sherbet

    Unsalted snacks: crackers, pita chips, popcorn, pretzels, tortilla chips

    Symptoms of low potassium

    Having either high or low potassium levels can cause:

    • Tingling and numbness in your fingers and toes
    • Muscle weakness, cramping, fatigue
    • Nausea and/or vomiting
    • Irregular heartbeat or palpitations

    Talk to your care team if you experience any of these symptoms.
    Explore kidney friendly recipes

    Cook your own kidney-friendly meals

    When you cook for yourself, you can take charge of your own phosphorus, sodium, and more. For more help crafting your own kidney-friendly diet, check out our recipes!

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