High-potassium diet

By SickKids staff

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Learn about the best foods to eat and how to prepare them to maintain a high potassium diet.

Key points

Potassium is a mineral the body needs to function well. The best food sources of potassium include legumes such as beans and peas, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and seafood.
Cooking methods such as steaming, boiling and baking keep as much potassium in the food as possible.

Introduction

Potassium is a mineral the body needs to function well. The body gets potassium through foods.

The best food sources of potassium include legumes such as beans and peas, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and seafood.

Here is a list of potassium-rich foods listed by food group. The foods with the highest amount are listed first.

Treatment

Vegetables and fruits

Vegetables

Tomato paste, beet greens, potato baked with the skin on, spaghetti sauce, avocado, sweet potato baked with the skin on, spinach, squash, broccoli, sweet and yellow corn, stewed tomatoes, low-sodium tomato juice, parsnip, rutabaga, pumpkin, brussel sprouts, beets, tomato soup, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, turnip, cabbage, kale, sweet and red pepper.

Fruits

Banana, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, orange juice, orange, tangerine, mandarin orange, pineapple, watermelon, rhubarb, grape juice.

Grains

Whole-grain cereal such as All-Bran, bran flakes, Weetabix, granola, Shreddies, oatmeal, and Cheerios; bran muffin; whole-wheat flour pancakes; white, brown, and long-grain rice; whole-grain breads such as whole wheat and dark rye; whole-wheat pasta.

Milk products

Milk including skim, 2%, whole, buttermilk, chocolate, and malted milk; yogurt including plain, low-fat, and fruit yogurt; cheese including Cheddar, Swiss, and cottage cheese; pudding; ice cream.

Meat and alternatives

Beans including white, soy, baked, navy, kidney, black, and lima beans; lentils; split peas; chickpeas; roasted almonds; peanut butter; cooked tofu; eggs.

Fish including salmon, halibut, tuna, cod, haddock, trout; chicken; pork; liver; beef; lamb; ham.

More information about the treatment

Cooking methods

The way foods are cooked can affect how much potassium is still in the food when it is eaten. These cooking methods help keep as much potassium in the food as possible:

Steaming: Steaming helps to keep nutrients within vegetables.
Boiling: Vegetables are more nutritious if they are cooked with their skins on. Use just enough boiling water to cook evenly and completely without burning.
Baking: Potato, sweet potato, squash and pumpkin are best when baked in the oven with their skins on.
Fish and meat are best cooked using dry heat methods such as oven-baking, broiling, or roasting.

Snack suggestions

peanut butter on whole-wheat bread with a glass of milk
grilled cheese on whole-wheat bread
baked potato with bruschetta topping
macaroni and cheese
cheese with whole-wheat crackers
vegetables with hummus
bean soup, lentil soup, split pea soup, tomato soup
whole-grain cereal with milk and banana slices
yogurt with fruit
bran muffin with fruit
ice cream with fruit

Last updated: December 8th 2009