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Dietary Potassium
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Dietary Potassium
, Foods with High Potassium Content, Potassium Content in Food
See Also
Potassium Replacement
Hypokalemia
Approach
Hypokalemia due to Renal Potassium Loss
Hypokalemia due to Extrarenal Potassium Loss
Hypokalemia due to Transcellular Potassium Shift
Familial Periodic Paralysis
Precautions
Potassium Content in Food is not an exact replacement
Renal disease patients or those with other
Hyperkalemia
risk factors should avoid high
Potassium
foods
Background
Potassium
Elemental
Potassium
(K+): 39 mg/meq
Potassium
Chloride (KCl): 75 mg/meq
Preparations
Salt Substitute contains extremely high
Potassium
Most salt substitutes (e.g. no-salt) are composed of
Potassium
chloride (75 mg/meq)
Potassium
Chloride Salt-Substitute Products
Nu-Salt
Potassium
(mg): 530 mg per 1 g serving (1/6 tsp) or 795 mg per 1/4 tsp (for comparison)
Potassium
(meq): 530 mg / 39 mg per K+ meq = 13.6 meq per 1/6 tsp (20.3 meq per 1/4 tsp)
NoSalt
Potassium
: 650 mg per 1.3 g serving (1/4 tsp)
Potassium
(meq): 650 mg / 39 mg per K+ meq = 16.7 meq per 1/4 tsp serving
Morton's Salt Substitute
Potassium
: 610 mg per 1.2 g serving (1/4 tsp)
Potassium
(meq): 610 mg / 39 mg per K+ meq = 15.6 meq per 1/4 tsp serving
Precautions
Salt substitutes vary widely on
Potassium
concentration
Morton's Salt Substitute, Nu-Salt or NoSalt contain 16-20 meq K+ per 1/4 tsp (as calculated above)
Mrs. Dash only contains 0.4 meq
Potassium
per 1/4 tsp
Highly concentrated,
Potassium
chloride salt substitute can easily be over-dosed (
Exercise
caution)
At 67 to 82 meq per teaspoon, NoSalt, Nu-Salt or Morton's Salt Substitute can easily exceed safe limits
Preparations
Potassium
content (from USDA, with meq based on 39 mg/meq for elemental
Potassium
)
Acorn Squash (cooked)
Potassium
: 448 mg or 11.5 meq per 1/2 cub acorn squash cubes
Almonds
Potassium
200 mg or 5 meq per 1 ounce of almonds
Apri
cot (dried)
Potassium
: 41 mg or 1.1 meq per dried apricot half
Avocado
Potassium
: 72 mg or 1.8 meq per tablespoon
Baked potato with skin
Potassium
: 926 mg or 24 meq per 1 medium potato
Banana
Potassium
422 mg or 11 meq for one medium banana
Potassium
: 60 mg or 1.5 meq per inch of banana
Cooked Black Beans
Potassium
38 mg or 1.0 meq per fluid ounce
Cantaloupe
Potassium
: 37 mg or 0.9 meq per melon ball
Dried peaches
Potassium
: 129 mg or 3.3 meq per peach half
Medjool Date
Potassium
: 167 mg or 4.3 meq per date
Milk (1% Low Fat)
Potassium
351 or 9 meq per 1 cup 1% milk
Molasses
Potassium
: 308 mg or 7.9 meq per tbs
Orange Juice
Potassium
372 mg or 9.5 meq per 6 fluid ounces orange juice
Potassium
: 62 mg or 1.6 meq per fluid ounce juice
Orange
Potassium
: 237 mg or 6 meq per one medium orange
Prune Juice
Potassium
528 mg or 13.5 meq per 6 fluid ounces prune juice
Prunes
Potassium
637 mg or 16 meq for one half cup of prunes
Raisins
Potassium
598 mg or 15.3 meq per 1/2 cup raisins
Raw Fig
Potassium
: 116 mg or 3.0 meq per medium fig
Spinach (cooked)
Potassium
420 mg or 10.7 meq per 1/2 cup cooked spinach
Tomato Juice
Potassium
417 mg or 10.7 meq per 6 fluid onces tomato juice
Tomato
Potassium
292 mg or 7.5 meq per 1 medium tomato
Preparations
Foods with highest
Potassium
content (>25 meq/3.5 ounces)
Figs
Molasses
Seaweed
Preparations
Foods with very high
Potassium
(>12.5 meq/3.5 ounces)
Dates, prunes, dried apricot, dried peaches
Tree Nuts including avocados
Bran ceral, wheat germ
Lima Beans
Baked potatoes
Avocado
Preparations
Foods with High Potassium Content (>6 meq/3.5 ounces)
Vegetables
Spinach, Tomatoes, Potatotes, Carrots, Beets
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Winter squash
Fruits
Banana (1 meq per inch of banana)
Kiwi fruit, oranges, mangos
Cantaloupe
Resources
USDA National Nutrient Database
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov
References
Gennari (1998) N Engl J Med 339:451-8 [PubMed]
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