Dietary Potassium

Aka: Dietary Potassium, Foods with High Potassium Content, Potassium Content in Food

1. See Also
   1. Potassium Replacement
   2. Hypokalemia Approach
   3. Hypokalemia due to Renal Potassium Loss
   4. Hypokalemia due to Extrarenal Potassium Loss
   5. Hypokalemia due to Transcellular Potassium Shift
   6. Familial Periodic Paralysis
2. Precautions
   1. Potassium Content in Food is not an exact replacement
   2. Renal disease patients or those with other Hyperkalemia risk factors should avoid high Potassium foods
3. Background: Potassium
   1. Elemental Potassium (K+): 39 mg/meq
   2. Potassium Chloride (KCl): 75 mg/meq
4. Preparations: Salt Substitute contains extremely high Potassium
   1. Most salt substitutes (e.g. no-salt) are composed of Potassium chloride (75 mg/meq)
   2. Potassium Chloride Salt-Substitute Products
      1. Nu-Salt
         1. Potassium (mg): 530 mg per 1 g serving (1/6 tsp) or 795 mg per 1/4 tsp (for comparison)
         2. Potassium (meq): 530 mg / 39 mg per K+ meq = 13.6 meq per 1/6 tsp (20.3 meq per 1/4 tsp)
      2. NoSalt
         1. Potassium: 650 mg per 1.3 g serving (1/4 tsp)
         2. Potassium (meq): 650 mg / 39 mg per K+ meq = 16.7 meq per 1/4 tsp serving
      3. Morton's Salt Substitute
         1. Potassium: 610 mg per 1.2 g serving (1/4 tsp)
         2. Potassium (meq): 610 mg / 39 mg per K+ meq = 15.6 meq per 1/4 tsp serving
5. Precautions
   1. Salt substitutes vary widely on Potassium concentration
      1. Morton's Salt Substitute, Nu-Salt or NoSalt contain 16-20 meq K+ per 1/4 tsp (as calculated above)
      2. Mrs. Dash only contains 0.4 meq Potassium per 1/4 tsp
   2. Highly concentrated, Potassium chloride salt substitute can easily be over-dosed (Exercise caution)
      1. At 67 to 82 meq per teaspoon, NoSalt, Nu-Salt or Morton's Salt Substitute can easily exceed safe limits
6. Preparations: Potassium content (from USDA, with meq based on 39 mg/meq for elemental Potassium)
   1. Molasses
      1. Potassium: 308 mg or 7.9 meq per tbs
   2. Medjool Date
      1. Potassium: 167 mg or 4.3 meq per date
   3. Baked potato with skin
      1. Potassium: 166 mg or 4.3 meq per potato half
   4. Dried peaches
      1. Potassium: 129 mg or 3.3 meq per peach half
   5. Raw Fig
      1. Potassium: 116 mg or 3.0 meq per medium fig
   6. Avocado
      1. Potassium: 72 mg or 1.8 meq per tablespoon
   7. Orange Juice
      1. Potassium: 62 mg or 1.6 meq per fluid ounce juice
   8. Banana Slice
      1. Potassium: 60 mg or 1.5 meq per inch of banana (one banana: 7-8 inches)
   9. Dried apricot
      1. Potassium: 41 mg or 1.1 meq per dried apricot half
   10. Cooked Black Beans
       1. Potassium 38 mg or 1.0 meq per fluid ounce
   11. Cantaloupe
       1. Potassium: 37 mg or 0.9 meq per melon ball
7. Preparations: Foods with highest Potassium content (>25 meq/3.5 ounces)
   1. Figs
   2. Molasses
   3. Seaweed
8. Preparations: Foods with very high Potassium (>12.5 meq/3.5 ounces)
   1. Dates, prunes, dried apricot, dried peaches
   2. Tree Nuts including avocados
   3. Bran ceral, wheat germ
   4. Lima Beans
   5. Baked potatoes
   6. Avocado
9. Preparations: Foods with High Potassium Content (>6 meq/3.5 ounces)
   1. Vegetables
      1. Spinach, Tomatoes, Potatotes, Carrots, Beets
      2. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Winter squash
   2. Fruits
      1. Banana (1 meq per inch of banana)
      2. Kiwi fruit, oranges, mangos
      3. Cantaloupe
10. Resources
    1. USDA National Nutrient Database
       1. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov
11. References
    1. Gennari (1998) N Engl J Med 339:451-8 [PubMed]