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Dietary Potassium

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

  • 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
  • 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
  1. Elemental Potassium (K+): 39 mg/meq
  2. Potassium Chloride (KCl): 75 mg/meq
  • 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
  • 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
  • Preparations
  • Potassium content (from USDA, with meq based on 39 mg/meq for elemental Potassium)
  1. Acorn Squash (cooked)
    1. Potassium: 448 mg or 11.5 meq per 1/2 cub acorn squash cubes
  2. Almonds
    1. Potassium 200 mg or 5 meq per 1 ounce of almonds
  3. Apricot (dried)
    1. Potassium: 41 mg or 1.1 meq per dried apricot half
  4. Avocado
    1. Potassium: 72 mg or 1.8 meq per tablespoon
  5. Baked potato with skin
    1. Potassium: 926 mg or 24 meq per 1 medium potato
  6. Banana
    1. Potassium 422 mg or 11 meq for one medium banana
    2. Potassium: 60 mg or 1.5 meq per inch of banana
  7. Cooked Black Beans
    1. Potassium 38 mg or 1.0 meq per fluid ounce
  8. Cantaloupe
    1. Potassium: 37 mg or 0.9 meq per melon ball
  9. Dried peaches
    1. Potassium: 129 mg or 3.3 meq per peach half
  10. Medjool Date
    1. Potassium: 167 mg or 4.3 meq per date
  11. Milk (1% Low Fat)
    1. Potassium 351 or 9 meq per 1 cup 1% milk
  12. Molasses
    1. Potassium: 308 mg or 7.9 meq per tbs
  13. Orange Juice
    1. Potassium 372 mg or 9.5 meq per 6 fluid ounces orange juice
    2. Potassium: 62 mg or 1.6 meq per fluid ounce juice
  14. Orange
    1. Potassium: 237 mg or 6 meq per one medium orange
  15. Prune Juice
    1. Potassium 528 mg or 13.5 meq per 6 fluid ounces prune juice
  16. Prunes
    1. Potassium 637 mg or 16 meq for one half cup of prunes
  17. Raisins
    1. Potassium 598 mg or 15.3 meq per 1/2 cup raisins
  18. Raw Fig
    1. Potassium: 116 mg or 3.0 meq per medium fig
  19. Spinach (cooked)
    1. Potassium 420 mg or 10.7 meq per 1/2 cup cooked spinach
  20. Tomato Juice
    1. Potassium 417 mg or 10.7 meq per 6 fluid onces tomato juice
  21. Tomato
    1. Potassium 292 mg or 7.5 meq per 1 medium tomato
  • Preparations
  • Foods with highest Potassium content (>25 meq/3.5 ounces)
  1. Figs
  2. Molasses
  3. Seaweed
  • 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
  • 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
  • Resources
  1. USDA National Nutrient Database
    1. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov
  • References
  1. Gennari (1998) N Engl J Med 339:451-8 [PubMed]