Most of the foods like vegetables, fruits and grains contain potassium in some amounts, which is an electrolyte mineral capable of supporting healthy functions of your muscles, nerves and heart. However, in case of specific medical conditions, including chronic kidney disease and other kidney problems, doctors usually recommend to have low-potassium diet to reduce the levels of potassium in the blood.
Positively, CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patients may easily choose specific food items from each of the food groups like vegetables, fruits and grains and thereby, put a limit on the exact potassium intake on a daily basis, as mentioned here.
Vegetables That are Low in Potassium
Other than protein, you may enjoy the following vegetables, which have low amount of potassium if you have only ½ cup of it: Cabbage, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Corn, Celery, Cucumber, Peas or green beans, Eggplant and Summer squash.
Other than this, you may add some butter or olive oil and herbs to the cooked veggies for seasoning or may flavor them by using cooked onions, all of which contain potassium in low amounts.
On the other side, raw vegetables and fruits come with relatively higher amount of potassium as compared to the cooked ones. For instance, dark leafy greens, dried beans, sweet and white potatoes, tomatoes and sprouts come with high amount of potassium. Hence, you should make sure to eat each of these veggies in small portions as possible. You may even leach the potassium out from potatoes by simply peeling them and later on, soaking for about 2-3 hours before you cook them.
Fruits That are Low in Potassium
Individuals looking for fruits containing low amount of potassium may have the following options: Canned pears, Apples, Berries, like raspberries, blueberries and cranberries, Grapefruit and Grapes, Plums, Peaches, Melons and Watermelons.
Fruits always make refreshing snacks or deserts. Because of this, you should make a habit to have a half of a large fruit, half cup of sliced or cubed fruit or a cup containing berries. On the other side, kiwi, papaya, bananas, oranges and dried fruits come with high potassium, because of which you should choose such fruits rarely.
Grains That are Low in Potassium
Low potassium diet may also include a combination of grains and refined grains, such as pasta and white rice, as they have low mineral than various whole grain items. Especially, if you have to put limit on the amount of potassium you should consume daily to deal with your kidney problems, you should try a serve of the following cooked grains combined with protein and veggies.
- ½ cup of pasta and one-third cup of rice
- One corn tortilla or flour
- One slice of a bread
Along with this, you should opt to combine pasta or rice with a splash of healthy olive oil and simultaneously, include oregano or basil herbs. Lastly, you may go for the best bet by choosing to cook fresh and whole foods at your home to get a low potassium diet.
Low Potassium Protein Diet
In case of protein, you should choose for individual food items, which deliver less than 200 milligrams of potassium in a single serving. For instance, animal proteins, such as fish, beef and poultry and legumes come with high amount of potassium. Hence, you should take only small servings of these items to get the necessary protein for your body and at the same time, maintain the level of potassium consumption in your body. Along with this, you may go for following low-potassium protein diet-
