How to Have a Low Potassium Diet

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Henry Ralph Johns
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1 PATIENT INFORMATION Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust How to Have a Low Potassium Diet Name: Date: Contact Number: What is potassium? Potassium is a mineral that occurs naturally in many foods. The amount present in your blood is controlled by your kidneys. If the kidneys are not working properly, potassium levels can build up in the blood. A high level of potassium in your blood can be dangerous because it interferes with the working of muscles, including your heart. Certain medications and constipation can also result in high potassium levels. It is important to try to keep your blood potassium level within or close to the recommended range ( mmol/l). How can I keep my blood potassium level within a safe limit? You can help by being careful about what you eat and drink. Some foods need to be completely avoided and others can be taken in restricted amounts. What if I also suffer from diabetes? In addition to the above, good control of diabetes through diet and/or meditation can slow the progression of kidney disease and is important to prevent other complications. Some of the low potassium dietary advice may appear to conflict with information you have previously received for diabetes. It is important to achieve a balance which will keep your potassium and blood sugar levels safe. Reference Number: PS (Version date: September 2017) Page 1 of 6

2 What can I have to Eat and Drink? Potatoes Potatoes are high in potassium but you may have one portion per day (150g (6oz) - about 3 eggsized pieces) if they are boiled in plenty of water. Avoid any products made from potato which has not been boiled (see below). Remember to have... Instead of... Boiled or mashed potato Home made chips using boiled potatoes Fried potoatoes using boiled potatoes Corn (maize), rice or wheat crisps, e.g. Monster Munch (Roast Beef flavour), Mini Cheddars (Original), Walkers Sunbites, Nik Naks, Ryvita Minis, Quavers, poppadoms, plain popcorn, tortilla chips, breadsticks Instant mash, jacket potatoes Oven chips or chips from the chip shop Potato waffles/ croquettes Potato crisps Bread, rice, pasta, noodles and cous cous make a low potassium alternative to potatoes. On nonpotato days you can have 2 extra vegetable, salad or fruit servings. Vegetables, salads and fruits These foods are a very important part of a healthy diet, however, they are rich sources of potassium and should therefore be included in the correct amounts. Vegetables: boiling in plenty of water helps to reduce the potassium content. Remember to throw away the water and not use it to make gravy. Fruit: some tinned fruits are lower in potassium than their fresh equivalents. Remember to drain and throw away the juice or syrup as potassium from the fruit will have leached out into it. All dried fruit is very high in potassium, ½ a tablespoon would be 1 serving. Avoid fruit in syrup if you have diabetes. The following tables outline the potassium servings of many common vegetables and fruits. A serving of a LOW potassium vegetable/fruit is larger than a HIGH potassium one. If there are other vegetables/fruits not mentioned in the lists, please ask your dietitian to recommend amounts. Vegetables LOW in potassium Beansprouts (raw/stir-fry) Cabbage (boiled) Carrots (boiled) Cauliflower (boiled) Marrow (boiled) Mixed vegetables Peas (canned) Green peppers (raw/stir-fry) Pickled onions Pumpkin (boiled) Runner beans (boiled) Swede (boiled) is 125g/5oz As many as desired 4 tablespoons 4 tablespoons 2.5 tablespoons 4 tablespoons 1 small pepper 8 small/5 large 2.5 tablespoons Aim for... servings per day. Salad: one serving is 2 medium lettuce leaves, 3 slices cucumber and ½ a medium tomato. If you choose to have a larger salad this may use 2 or 3 servings from your allowance. Reference Number: PS (Version date: September 2017) Page 2 of 6

3 MODERATE potassium Cucumber (raw) Leeks (boiled) Onion (raw) Frozen Peas (boiled) Red Peppers (raw/stir-fry) Spring Greens (boiled) Chick peas (canned) HIGH in potassium Asparagus (boiled) Aubergine (fried) Beetroot (pickled) Broccoli (boiled) Carrot (raw) Celery (boiled) Green beans (boiled) Courgette (boiled) Red lentils (boiled) Lettuce (raw) Mange tout (stir-fried or boiled) Sweetcorn (canned) Turnip (boiled) VERY HIGH in potassium Baked beans (canned) Broad beans (boiled) Kidney beans (canned) Brussels sprouts (boiled) Celery (raw) Cabbage (raw) Mushrooms (fried) Onions (fried) Parsnips (boiled) Tomato (raw) Tinned tomato Spinach (boiled) Butter beans (canned) is 100g/4oz 2 piece (5cm) 1 small onion Half a pepper is 75g/3oz 3 spears ¼ of a whole aubergine 7 small slices /spears 1 medium carrot 2 sticks 1½ tablespoons 6 medium leaves 1½ tablespoons ¾ of a turnip is 50g/2oz 5 whole 1½ sticks 4 medium button 1 small onion 1 small Fruit LOW in potassium is 125g/5oz Apples (raw or canned) 1 medium apple Cherries (canned) Clementines 2 medium Fruit cocktail (canned) Grapefruit (canned) Lychees (raw) 8 Mandarins (canned) Paw paw/papaya (canned) Pears (canned) Pineapple (canned) 3 rings Plums (canned) Raspberries (canned) Rhubarb (canned) Satsumas 2 small Strawberries (canned) Watermelon 1 small slice MODERATE potassium is 100g/4oz Apples (stewed) Apricots (canned) ¼ can Blackberries (fresh and stewed) 1 cupful Gooseberries (stewed) Lychees (canned) ¼ can Melon - Galia 1 small slice Oranges 1 small orange Peaches (canned and raw) 1 peach/ Pears 1 small Pineapple 1 large slice Raspberries 1 cupful Strawberries 7 Tangerines 2 small HIGH potassium Cherries (raw) Gooseberries Grapes Mango Melon - Canteloupe Melon - Honeydew Passion fruit Paw paw (papaya) Plums (stewed) Rhubarb (stewed) is 75g/3oz 1 cupful 1 cupful 1 handful ½ mango ½ slice ½ slice 3 whole ½ slice Reference Number: PS (Version date: September 2017) Page 3 of 6

4 VERY HIGH in potassium Avocado Banana Blackcurrants Damsons Dates (fresh) 2 Kiwi fruit 1 Prunes (canned) 2 Apricots 1 Milk is 50g/2oz ¼ ½ small banana Small cupful Small cupful Milk is high in potassium. You should have no more than 300ml (1/2 pint) a day for all purposes including drinks, on cereal and for puddings. This includes skimmed, semi-skimmed and full cream varieties. If you need more, a milk substitute can be made using coffee whitener eg. Coffee Compliment. Rice milk and unsweetened soya milk can be used INSTEAD of cows milk, up to 600ml (1 pint) a day. Yoghurts and milk puddings must be counted in your milk allowance. 1 yoghurt counts as 150ml (¼ pint) milk. Custards and milk puddings should be made from the 300ml (½ pint) allowance. Completely avoid: Condensed and evaporated milk. Milk powders, e.g. Marvel, Five pints and Coffeemate. Cereal foods Have Wholemeal bread, white bread, crispbread, breadsticks, cracker bread, muffins, garlic bread, pitta bread (wholemeal/ high fibre versions are better if you have diabetes) Any cereal without dried fruit, chocolate and nuts e.g. porridge, Readybrek, puffed wheat, Shredded Wheat, Weetabix, Branflakes * Victoria sponge, Madiera cake, doughnuts, plain pastries, plain scones, crumpets * Digestives, rich tea, shortbread, ginger crunch, nice biscuits, custard creams Instead of Fruit bread, potato cakes All Bran or any cereal containing dried fruit, nuts or chocolate e.g. muesli, fruit and fibre, coco pops Malt loaf, banana bread, chocolate cake, coffee cake, fruit cake, date and walnut loaf, coconut cake, Eccles cake, teacakes, fruit scones, mince pies Chocolate biscuits, garibaldi, nutty biscuits, cereal bars containing nuts and fruit Tinned milk puddings and custard. * Limit these if you have diabetes Meat, fish, eggs and cheese These protein foods may all be included. Portions should not exceed g (3-4oz) cooked weight meat and fish, 2 eggs or 50g (2oz) hard cheese (100g/4oz cottage cheese) at main meals. Halve these amounts for your second meal of the day. Reference Number: PS (Version date: September 2017) Page 4 of 6

5 Drinks Have... Fruit squash, fizzy soft drinks, tonic water, soda water, ginger ale, cranberry juice (Opt for sugar free if you have diabetes) Only 1 weak cup of coffee or malted milk drink (Ovaltine, Bournvita, Horlicks) per day, tea, fruit tea, herbal tea Whisky, gin, brandy, vodka, rum, white wine Instead of... Pure fruit juice, ribena, tomato juice, Britvic 55, coconut water Coffee, cocoa, hot chocolate Beer, lager, stout, sherry, cider, red wine Suggested meal plan Daily 300ml (½ pint) of milk. Breakfast Cereal or porridge (made with water) Milk from allowance Bread/toast with butter/spread Main meal Moderate helping (75-100g, 3-4oz) meat, fish, eggs or cheese Other foods and sauces which are high in potassium Rice, pasta, bread or potato (3 egg sized, boiled first) Have. Apple sauce, cranberry sauce, horseradish, mustard, mint sauce, mango chutney, mayonnaise * Honey, jam, marmalade, golden syrup Check with dietitian Gravy made with freshly boiled water Boiled sweets, mints, chewing gum, marshmallows, jellied sweets, butterscotch (Opt for sugar free if you have diabetes) * Sponge pudding, pavlova, trifle, pancakes, tinned fruit (drained first), yogurt or milk pudding (from your milk allowance) Instead of. Tomato sauces, tomato puree, brown sauce, mushroom sauces Marmite, peanut butter, black treacle Instant soups Gravy made with vegetable water Chocolate, toffee, fudge, liquorice, marzipan, sugared almonds, nuts Chocolate sponge, chocolate mousse, bread and butter pudding, spotted dick, banana split, banoffee pie, Christmas pudding of vegetables Fruit or pudding (remember - no chocolate, coffee, dried fruit or nuts) Light meal Small helping meat, fish, eggs or cheese Bread, rice or pasta Salad garnish Fruit, plain cake, etc. Between meals Plain biscuits, crackers, cake, buns, crumpets, etc. Drinks as listed previosly * Limit these If you have diabetes Reference Number: PS (Version date: September 2017) Page 5 of 6

6 Summary All vegetables and potatoes must be boiled in a good quantity of water to reduce the potassium content. This should always be done before roasting or frying potatoes to make chips. Discard vegetable water and do not use it to make gravy or sauces. Do not use a pressure cooker, microwave or steamer method of cooking vegetables or potatoes as the potassium is not removed (once cooked they can be reheated in a microwave). Rice, pasta, couscous and noodles are much lower in potassium than potatoes so they are a good alternative for meal choices - opt for wholemeal varieties, particular if you have diabetes. Drain the juice from tinned fruit and discard as potassium leaches out into the juice. Keep to allowances of milk, potatoes, fruit and vegetables and avoid very high potassium foods, e.g. chocolate, nuts. Do not use salt substitutes, e.g. LoSalt, as they contain potassium. Written information cannot replace personalised recommendations. For further advice please seek a dietetic referral from your consultant or GP. Notes The Trust cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information given if the leaflet is not used by RD&E staff undertaking procedures at the RD&E hospitals. Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Designed by Graphics (Print & Design), RD&E Reference Number: PS (Version date: September 2017) Page 6 of 6

Portion Sizes for children aged 1-4 years

Portion Sizes for children aged 1-4 years Our portion size ranges can be used as a guide for giving your young child a well-balanced diet with a combination of foods and drinks from the five food groups.