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Foods with Potassium

Potassium is a mineral in most foods. It helps the nervous system, the heart, and keeps muscles moving. Potassium also helps balance the water in the body.

Sometimes the potassium in your child’s diet needs to be watched. Your care team may ask you to increase or decrease the potassium your child eats by encouraging or limiting certain foods. The foods highest in potassium are fruits, nuts, milk, and vegetables. Larger serving sizes will increase the amount of potassium in the food. Read food labels and watch serving sizes to help control the amount of potassium in your child’s diet. Find more information on food sources of potassium.

Nutrition food labels

Read food labels and look for how many milligrams (mg) of potassium are in each serving.

Higher potassium foods (more than 200 mg per serving)

The following foods have more than 200 milligrams potassium in a serving. They have a high amount of potassium.

Grains Whole-grain bread, wheat bran, granola, or granola bars

Fruit 

1/2 cup

 Apricots, avocado (1/4 whole), bananas (1 medium), cantaloupe, coconut, dried fruit, honeydew, kiwi (1), nectarines, orange, papaya, pears (fresh), plantains, plums, pomegranate, tamarind

Vegetable

1/2 cup

 Artichoke (1/2 medium), beets, Brussels sprouts, mushroom, potatoes (white and sweet), parsnips, pumpkin, rutabaga, squash (acorn, butternut, hubbard), tomato, tomato sauce, tomato juice, vegetable juice cocktail, yam

Protein

1/2 cup

 Legumes/Pulses (black, kidney, lima, pinto, navy, mung or white beans, black-eyed peas, split peas, lentils, chickpea, garbanzo), meat with potassium additives

Dairy 

1/2 cup

 Buttermilk, milk, pudding, yogurt

Beverages

16 ounces

 Coffee, instant breakfast mix, 100% fruit juice (1 cup), sports drinks (Gatorade type), soy milk, tea 
Snacks and Sweets Chocolate (1.5 to 2 ounces), fig cookies, molasses (1 tablespoon)
Nuts and Seeds Nuts, peanut butter, pumpkin seed, sunflower seeds
Condiments Imitation bacon bits, salt substitutes, or lite salt made with potassium

Lower potassium foods (less than 200 mg per serving)

The following foods have less than 200 milligrams potassium in a serving. They have a low level of potassium.

Grains

1 cup

 Bread (white, French or sourdough - 1 slice), oatmeal, rice

Fruit

1/2 cup

 Apples (1), applesauce, blackberries, blueberries, cherries (10), cranberries, fruit cocktail (drained), grapes, grapefruit (1/2), mandarin oranges, peaches (1/2 fresh or 1/2 cup canned), pears (1/2 cup canned), pineapple, raspberries, tangerine (1 whole), watermelon

Vegetable

1/2 cup

 Alfalfa sprouts, asparagus (4 spears), bamboo shoots (canned), cabbage (cooked), carrots, cauliflower, celery (1 stalk), corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic (4 cloves), green or wax beans, green peas, green peppers, kale, iceberg lettuce, lemongrass (2 tablespoons), okra, onion (1/4 cup), parsley, radish, spaghetti squash (1 cup), squash (yellow), scallions, turnips, turnip greens, water chestnuts (canned, drained), watercress, zucchini

Protein

2 ounces

 Beef, chicken, eggs (1), fish, nuts (1/4 cup), pork, tofu, turkey
Dairy Almond, cashew, coconut, or rice milk (1/2 cup), butter, cream cheese or sour cream (1 tablespoon), Greek yogurt (1 cup), vegan cheese (1 ounce)
Beverages Apple or grape juice (4 ounces), coffee (less than 8 ounces per day), creamer (non-dairy), fruit punch, powdered drink mixes (Kool-Aid type), tea (less than 16 ounces per day)
Snacks and Sweets Angel or yellow cake, cookies without nuts or chocolate

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Reviewed: September 2022