Potassium in Your CKD Diet

Last Updated: May 05, 2023

Medically reviewed by NKF Patient Education Team

Potassium is vital for many body functions, and people with kidney disease must monitor their levels. Learn how to manage potassium intake to stay healthy.

About Potassium

Potassium is an important mineral found in your body that is responsible for many functions. People living with kidney disease are at risk for having potassium levels outside of the goal range (either too high or too low). To keep your potassium levels in the goal range, you may need to watch how much potassium you are eating throughout the day. For more information about potassium, please visit the NKF Potassium AtoZ page.

If you have high potassium (hyperkalemia), your healthcare provider may advise you to limit certain foods that are higher in potassium. If you have low potassium (hypokalemia), you may be advised the opposite – increase the amount of potassium you eat in your diet.

Give Today, Transform Tomorrow

Your Giving Tuesday Gift:
  • Provides families with a place to turn for guidance and answers.
  • Expands access to lifesaving kidney transplants for all.
  • Supports breakthrough research and clinical trials.
  • Helps more loved ones learn about their risk and get diagnosed sooner.

High-Potassium Foods and Low-Potassium Choices

Almost all foods have some potassium. A food that is considered “high-potassium” generally has 200 mg or more potassium per serving. While any food that meets this criteria is considered "high potassium", some will have more potassium than others. This means the size of the serving that you eat is very important. A large amount of a low-potassium food can easily turn it into a high-potassium food.

The table below includes some of the most common foods that are high in potassium (on the left) and some choices that are lower in potassium (on the right). Your dietitian can also help you identify how much potassium is in your favorite foods. Together, you can put together a healthy eating plan that helps you get the right amount of potassium in your diet.

Foods that are HIGHER in potassium

(More than 200 mg of potassium per serving)

Foods that are LOWER in potassium

(Less than 200 mg of potassium per serving)

FRUITS 1 serving = ½ cup (unless otherwise stated) 

Apricots (raw = 2 medium-sized; dried = 5 halves)

Avocado (1/4 of a whole)

Banana (1/2 of a whole)

Cantaloupe

Dates (5 whole)

Dried figs

Dried fruits

Grapefruit juice

Honeydew melon

Kiwi (1 medium-sized)

Mango (1 medium-sized)

Nectarine (1 medium-sized)

Orange (1 medium-sized)

Orange juice

Papaya (1/2 of a whole)

Pomegranate (1 whole)

Pomegranate juice

Prunes and prune juice

Raisins

Apple (1 medium-sized)

Applesauce and apple juice

Apricots (canned in juice)

Blackberries

Blueberries

Cherries

Cranberries

Fruit cocktail

Grapes and grape juice

Grapefruit (1/2 of a whole)

Mandarin oranges

Peaches (raw = 1 small-sized; canned = ½ cup)

Pears (raw = 1 small-sized; canned = ½ cup)

Pineapple and pineapple juice

Plum (1 whole)

Raspberries

Strawberries

Tangerine (1 whole)

Watermelon (limit to 1 cup)

VEGETABLES 1 serving = ½ cup (unless otherwise stated)

Acorn squash

Artichoke

Bamboo shoots

Beans (baked, black, dried, or refried)

Butternut squash

Beets

Broccoli (cooked)

Brussels sprouts

Carrots, raw

Chinese cabbage

Greens (except kale)

Hubbard squash

Kohlrabi

Lentils

Legumes

White mushrooms (cooked)

Okra

Parsnips

Peas, dried

Potatoes (white and sweet)

Pumpkin

Rutabagas

Seaweed

Spinach (cooked)

Tomatoes and tomato products

Vegetable juices

Alfalfa sprouts

Asparagus (raw = 6 spears)

Beans (green or wax)

Broccoli (raw)

Cabbage (green or red)

Cauliflower

Celery (1 stalk)

Corn (fresh = ½ ear; frozen = ½ cup)

Cucumber

Eggplant

Kale

Lettuce

Mixed vegetables

White mushrooms (raw)

Onions

Parsley

Peas (green)

Peppers

Radish

Rhubarb

Water chestnuts (canned)

Watercress

Yellow squash

Zucchini squash

OTHER FOODS 1 serving = ½ cup (unless otherwise stated)

Beef (3 ounces)

Bran and bran products

Chicken (3 ounces)

Chocolate (1.5-2 ounces)

Granola

Milk (all types = 1 cup)

Molasses (1 tablespoon)

Nuts and seeds (1 ounce)

Peanut butter (2 tablespoons)

Salmon (3 ounces)

Salt substitutes / lite salt

Salt-free broth

Yogurt

Snuff/chewing tobacco

Wheat germ

Bread and bread products (not whole grains)

Cake (yellow or angel)

Coffee (limit to 8 ounces)

Pie (without chocolate or high-potassium fruit)

Cookies (without nuts or chocolate)

Noodles

Pasta

Rice

Tea (limit to 16 ounces)

The size of the serving that you eat is very important. A large amount of a low-potassium food can easily turn it into a high-potassium food.

Listen to our Podcast

How potassium affects kidney patients

Additional Considerations

Tips to lower the amount of potassium in your food

If you want to include high-potassium vegetables in your diet, leach them first. Leaching helps lower the amount of potassium in a vegetable by pulling some (but not all) of the potassium out of the vegetable.

To leach vegetables:

  1. Peel and place the vegetable in cold water so they won’t darken
  2. Slice vegetable 1/8 inch thick
  3. Rinse in warm water for a few seconds
  4. Soak for a minimum of 2 hours in warm unsalted water using ten times the amount of water to the amount of vegetable. For example, 1 cup of vegetable requires 10 cups of water. If soaking longer, change the water every four hours.
  5. Rinse under warm water again for a few seconds.
  6. Cook vegetable with five times the amount of unsalted water to the amount of vegetable. For example, 1 cup of vegetable requires 5 cups of water.

If your favorite vegetables are high in potassium, ask your dietitian whether leaching can help you eat some while keeping your potassium level within the goal range. Since leaching does not remove all the potassium, you still must limit the amount of leached high-potassium vegetables you eat.

Another easy way to lower the amount of extra potassium you get from food is to avoid drinking or using the liquid from canned fruits, canned vegetables, or the juices from cooked meat.

Kidney Health

Looking for more info about kidney health?

Join our kidney community for valuable tips and resources to support your kidney wellness journey.

Resources

NKF Council on Renal Nutrition CKD Kidney Dietitian Directory
https://www.kidney.org/ckdrd

NKF Your Guide to Potassium
Download the Potassium guide

How helpful was this content?

This content is provided for informational use only and is not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for the medical advice of a healthcare professional.
© 2024 National Kidney Foundation, Inc.