Potassium-Restricted Diet: Care Instructions (2024)

Your Care Instructions

Potassium is a mineral. It helps keep the right mix of fluids in your body. It also helps your nerves and muscles work as they should.

Most people get the potassium they need from the foods they eat. But if you have certain health problems, such as kidney disease, you may need to be careful about how much potassium you get. This is because too much potassium can be harmful.

You can control how much potassium you get if you eat foods that don't have much of it and you don't eat foods that have lots of it.

Ask your healthcare provider by how much you will need to reduce the potassium in your diet, for how long, and how your potassium level will be watched.

Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse advice line (811 in most provinces and territories) if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.

How can you care for yourself at home?

  • Limit foods that are high in potassium. Potassium is in many foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and milk products. High-potassium foods include:
    • Fruits such as bananas, oranges, and cantaloupe.
    • Avocado.
    • Tomatoes, and tomato products like sauce and paste.
    • Broccoli.
    • Milk and milk products like yogurt and cheese.
    • Spinach, or cooked greens.
    • Potatoes and sweet potatoes.
    • Legumes.
    • Nuts and seeds.
    • Whole grains.
    • Processed foods that have reduced salt. Many of these foods replace salt with potassium, always check the ingredient list.
  • Eat foods that don't have as much potassium. These low-potassium foods include:
    • Fruits such as apples and applesauce, pineapple, grapes, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, honeydew melon, blueberries, and raspberries.
    • Cucumbers, asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, peas, squash, and zucchini.
    • White or brown rice.
    • Pasta and noodles.
    • Tortillas.
  • Do not use a salt substitute or "lite" salt unless you talk to your doctor first. These often are very high in potassium.
  • Be sure to tell your doctor about any medicines or natural health products you are taking. Some medicines can increase the potassium in your body.

Where can you learn more?

Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd

Enter M262 in the search box to learn more about "Potassium-Restricted Diet: Care Instructions".

Adaptation Date: 2/24/2022

Adapted By: Alberta Health Services

Adaptation Reviewed By: Alberta Health Services

Potassium-Restricted Diet: Care Instructions (2024)

FAQs

Potassium-Restricted Diet: Care Instructions? ›

– Avoid desserts with chocolate, cream cheese, ice cream or nuts – they are high in potassium and phosphorus. Choose lower-potassium vegetables such as snow peas, string beans, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and bok choy. Be cautious – Mexican food may be high in potassium. Beware of salsa.

What foods should I avoid with potassium restrictions? ›

– Avoid desserts with chocolate, cream cheese, ice cream or nuts – they are high in potassium and phosphorus. Choose lower-potassium vegetables such as snow peas, string beans, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and bok choy. Be cautious – Mexican food may be high in potassium. Beware of salsa.

What does potassium restricted diet mean? ›

A-low potassium diet is defined as a dietary intake of between 2000 to 3000 mg/day. A registered dietitian or nutritionist can help to create a low-potassium meal plan. Your height and weight dictate the range of servings you need.

What are the dietary guidelines for potassium? ›

The DV for potassium is 4,700 mg for adults and children age 4 years and older [17]. FDA requires the new food labels to list potassium content. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient, but foods providing lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet.

What is the minimum potassium level in a potassium restricted diet? ›

It's recommended that healthy men and women over the age of 19 consume at least 3,400 mg and 2,600 mg of potassium per day, respectively. However, people with kidney disease who are on potassium-restricted diets usually need to keep their potassium intake below 2,000 mg per day.

Is 1 banana a day enough potassium? ›

In particular, the Express headline suggests that a banana a day would be enough to meet your potassium requirements, whereas, in fact, a banana contains about 11 per cent of the 3,500mg recommended by UK dietary guidelines.

Are eggs bad for potassium? ›

Meat, fish, poultry, and eggs are moderate to high sources of potassium. These foods are also good sources of high-quality protein, which you need for normal body functions. Follow the guidelines for protein needed in your diet. Some fruits and vegetables can also add a lot of potassium to your diet.

What drink is high in potassium? ›

What drink is high in potassium? Orange juice, prune juice, tomato juice, carrot juice, milk, tea, and coffee are all examples of drinks that are high in potassium.

What is the number one food high in potassium? ›

Some of the best sources of potassium are dark leafy greens such as spinach, which when cooked has more than 800 mg of potassium per cup; bok choy, which contains around 600 mg per cup when boiled, and Swiss chard, which has almost 1,000 mg per cooked cup.

What are the 10 signs of low potassium? ›

More severe cases of low potassium may cause signs and symptoms such as:
  • Muscle twitches.
  • Muscle cramps.
  • Severe muscle weakness, leading to paralysis.
  • Low blood pressure (hypotension).
  • Lightheadedness or faintness.
  • Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
  • Excessive urination (polyuria).
  • Excessive thirst (polydipsia).

What brings potassium down quickly? ›

Taking water pills or potassium binders, as directed by your healthcare provider. Some people may also need medicine to help remove extra potassium from the body and keep it from coming back. This may include: Water pills (diuretics) help rid your body of extra potassium.

Can drinking a lot of water lower potassium? ›

Potassium depletion due to overhydration might account for the hypokalaemia and reduction in exchangeable potassium observed in some patients with the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone.

What can I drink to bring my potassium down? ›

Oat/rice milk, cream, crème fraiche, cheese is low in potassium. Drinks Coffee, malted drinks e.g. Ovaltine/Horlicks, drinking chocolate, cocoa, fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, wine, beer, cider and stout. Tea, herbal tea, squash/cordial, flavoured water, fizzy drinks, spirits.

What foods cause too much potassium? ›

Eating too much food that is high in potassium can also cause hyperkalemia, especially in people with advanced kidney disease. Foods such as cantaloupe, honeydew melon, orange juice, and bananas are high in potassium. Drugs that prevent the kidneys from losing enough potassium.

What blocks potassium absorption? ›

Aside from diuretics and laxatives, some other medicines, such as steroids and some antacids, may either block your ability to absorb potassium or cause you to lose more when you pee and poop.

What is the best food to eat to raise your potassium? ›

If you need to boost the amount in your diet, you can choose healthy foods including: Bananas, oranges, cantaloupes, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit (some dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and dates, are also high in potassium) Cooked spinach. Cooked broccoli.

What are the worst foods for kidney function? ›

1. Salt
  • Canned soups.
  • Processed meats like lunch meats, hot dogs, sausages.
  • Frozen pizza.
  • Frozen dinners.
  • Snack foods like chips, crackers, pretzels.
  • Condiments like ketchup, BBQ sauce, soy sauce.
  • Salad dressing.
  • Pickled foods like pickles, olives, beets.

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