Most people aren’t concerned about potassium because healthy kidneys regulate potassium to keep blood levels normal. If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) you may need a low potassium diet as your kidneys stop working.
Not everyone has to restrict potassium though. It depends on your lab results, stage of CKD and your kidney’s ability to remove potassium. If you still have urine output you may continue to have normal potassium levels without following a low potassium diet. Normal potassium in the blood is 3.5-5.0 mEq/L for those not on dialysis (3.5-5.5 mEq/L for dialysis). A low potassium diet around is ~2000-3000 mg a day is usually prescribed if potassium levels are too high.
Some blood pressure medications cause you to retain more potassium. In some cases your doctor may change your blood pressure medicine to help lower potassium levels or prescribe a diuretic that helps remove extra water and potassium. If you are on dialysis, missed/shortened treatments or an access that is not working, can contribute to higher potassium.
Tips to help manage potassium:
- Have a plan. Work with a dietitian who specializes in kidney disease to help guide you when planning your meals.
- Include low potassium fruits and vegetables but stick with the portion recommended on your meal plan. Find your favorites on your diet guide and make them a part or your weekly menus.
- High potassium fruits and vegetables can fit in a kidney diet. Try having a smaller portion and balance out the day.
- Boil vegetables instead of microwaving or stir-frying. Potassium from boiled vegetables leaches into the water. Some high potassium vegetables like potatoes can be thinly sliced and boiled in a large amount of water to reduce potassium.
- Each ounce of meat contains around 100 mg potassium. If you eat meat, stick with the amount recommended on your meal plan and avoid excessive portions.
- Dried beans and peas can be a great plant-based protein source. A half cup of mature beans ranges from 250 to 600 mg potassium, depending on the type of beans. We now know we only absorb 50-60% from plant-sources. Portion control is still important.
- Limit milk and yogurt and foods made with milk. One cup has over 350 mg potassium—even more if extra protein or milk solids are added. However, Greek yogurt can be a great source of protein and can replace other protein sources at a meal, like breakfast.
- Snack on low sodium crackers or popcorn instead of chocolate and nuts. If you do eat chocolate candy, stick with the snack size as an occasional treat.
- Try new recipes and collect the ones you like. DaVita.com has over 600 kidney-friendly recipes that are low potassium, low sodium and low phosphorus.
If you need a guide with a list of high and low potassium foods, check out this DaVita.com article on potassium: Potassium and chronic kidney disease
Try one of these low potassium recipes this week:
Reference:
Picard K. Potassium Additives and Bioavailability: Are We Missing Something in Hyperkalemia Management? J Ren Nutr. 2019 Jul;29(4):350-353. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30579674/
