Low Potassium Guide

 

Potassium is a mineral found in the blood.  Your levels of potassium are currently too high, which can affect the muscles and the heart.  Potassium is found in all foods, so one of the ways to help reduce your levels is to cut down on those foods which are high in potassium. 

 

 

Foods to Avoid

 

Foods Allowed

Drinks

Coffee

Pure Fruit Juices e.g. orange, apple, tomato

Malted drinks e.g. Horlicks / Ovaltine

Hot chocolate

 

Water

Tea

Squashes

Fizzy drinks

Milk (up to 1/2 pint per day)

Camp Coffee

 

Fruit

Bananas

Apricots

Rhubarb

Dried Fruit

5  portions of fruit & vegetable max

Apples, pears, peaches, nectarine, small orange, mandarins,

Handful of grapes, cherries, raspberries, strawberries

Melon - 1 slice

Vegetables

Spinach

Mushrooms

Parsnips Tinned tomatoes

Jacket potato

Chips

Boiled or mashed potatoes

Boiled vegetables e.g. Carrots, broccoli, courgette, swede, turnip.

Cucumber, lettuce, peppers

 

1 fresh tomato per day

Others

Vegetable based soups e.g. tomato, mushroom

Low salt substitutes e.g. LoSalt, Ruthmol, Solo, Saxa Balance

 

Chicken, beef or oxtail soups

 

Snacks

Potato crisps

Chocolate

Fruit Cake

Nuts

 

Maize/wheat/corn based crisps (1 pack per day) e.g. Skips, tortilla, Wheat Crunchies, Wotsits.

Plain biscuits e.g. shortbread, digestives, rich tea, hobnobs

Plain cake e.g. plain sponge, plain scones.

 

 

This list is a short-term guide to reducing your potassium levels. If you are given this list by a specialist nurse/doctor, then please ask to be referred to a dietitian.

The dietitian can give you further advice on the need to continue this diet long term and details of other foods that are high in potassium. The dietitian will also help you to individualise this to your usual diet, and can answer any questions you may have about potassium.