“I need to lower my potassium intake. Your suggestions please?” C.C.   Thanks for your question! Many people have to watch their potassium intake due to multiple medical issues. Potassium is both an electrolyte and a mineral. It has many functions in the body including nerve and muscle function and it is also involved in keeping the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance intact. Potassium is usually an important part of a healthy diet, however, there are some individuals who need to limit the amount of potassium in their diet. Potassium levels can be become elevated when the kidneys aren’t able to excrete enough potassium. High potassium can also be caused by certain medications and cancer treatments as well as Addison’s disease.   So if you’re one of the people who need to watch their potassium intake, it is imperative to know which foods are high in potassium. However, depending on what your diagnosis, this will dictate how diligent you need to be about high potassium foods. Please consult your physician to see what your situation will need.   One great resource, The National Kidney Foundation, has published the following lists of high and low potassium foods. (http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=103). A lot of times, when we think about potassium, people think of bananas and potatoes, however, there are also many other foods (especially fruits and vegetables) that are also high in potassium. Generally they consider anything “high” in potassium to have more than 200mg/serving…with the serving size being ½ cup unless other indicated.   High-Potassium Foods Fruits Vegetables Other Foods Apricot , raw (2 medium) dried (5 halves) Acorn Squash Artichoke Bran/Bran products Avocado (¼ whole) Bamboo Shoots Chocolate (1.5-2 ounces) Banana (½ whole) Baked Beans Granola Cantaloupe Butternut Squash Milk, all types (1 cup) Dates (5 whole) Refried Beans Molasses (1 Tablespoon) Dried fruits Beets, fresh then boiled Nutritional Supplements:   Use only under the   direction of your doctor   or dietitian.   Figs, dried Black Beans Grapefruit Juice Broccoli, cooked Honeydew Brussels Sprouts Nuts and Seeds (1 ounce) Kiwi (1 medium) Chinese Cabbage Peanut Butter (2 tbs.) Mango(1 medium) Carrots, raw Salt Substitutes/Lite Salt Nectarine(1 medium) Dried Beans and Peas Salt Free Broth Orange(1 medium) Greens, except Kale Snuff/Chewing Tobacco Orange Juice Hubbard Squash Yogurt Papaya (½ whole) Kohlrabi   Pomegranate (1 whole) Lentils   Pomegranate Juice Legumes   Prunes Mushrooms, canned   Prune Juice Parsnips   Raisins Potatoes, white and sweet     Pumpkin     Rutabagas     Spinach, cooked     Tomatoes/Tomato products     Vegetable Juices     On the other hand, the list of low potassium foods are as follows…stick to portion sizes (1/2 unless otherwise indicated) because eating more than one serving of a low potassium food can make it a high potassium food!!   Low-Potassium Foods Fruits Vegetables Other Foods Apple (1 medium) Alfalfa sprouts Rice Apple Juice Asparagus (6 spears) Noodles Applesauce Beans, green or wax Pasta Apricots, canned in juice Cabbage, green and red Carrots, cooked Bread and bread products: (Not Whole Grains) Blackberries Cauliflower Cake: angel, yellow Blueberries Celery (1 stalk) Coffee: limit to 8 ounces Cherries Corn, fresh (½ ear) frozen (½ cup) Pies without chocolate or high potassium fruit Cranberries Cucumber Cookies without nuts or chocolate Fruit Cocktail Eggplant Tea: limit to 16 ounces Grapes Cucumber   Grape Juice Eggplant   Grapefruit (½ whole) Kale   Mandarin Oranges Lettuce   Peaches, fresh (1 small) canned (½ cup) Mixed Vegetablesa   Pears, fresh (1 small) canned (½ cup) Mushrooms, fresh   Pineapple Okra   Pineapple Juice Onionss   Plums (1 whole) Parsley   Raspberries Peas, green Peppers   Strawberries Radish   Tangerine (1 whole) Rhubarb   Watermelon(limit to 1 cup) Water Chestnuts, canned     Watercress     Yellow Squash     Zucchini Squash     Hopefully these lists will help you decide what foods you can incorporate into your diet. Now please remember, depending on your potassium level and the reason behind your need to limit potassium intake, you may be able to be more liberal with your diet. I hope that this will be helpful for you…but please consult your physician if you feel like you need to know exactly how strict you need to be with your potassium foods!   Good luck! -Lori   References: http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=95 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002413.htm http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch155/ch155i.html