What is a low potassium diet?
You may have been told by your medical team that you need to follow a low potassium diet.
But, what is a low potassium diet? Let's start with the basics!
This short video aims to provide basic information about potassium. It covers:
- What happens to potassium when your kidneys aren't working well.
- How to reduce your intake of potassium (including reducing potassium additives and understanding low potassium cooking methods).
- Lower potassium food and drink options.
What is potassium?
Potassium is a special type of mineral called an electrolyte. Our kidneys help to control the levels of electrolytes in our bodies, which must be kept balanced to keep us healthy.
Potassium does lots of jobs in the body including:
- Keeping our hearts beating.
- Helping our nerves send messages.
- Controlling our bodies' water and acid levels.
Potassium helps make the heart work
What happens when the kidneys are not working very well?
The kidneys will usually get rid of any extra potassium that we don't need. However, when the kidneys aren't working well, too much potassium may build up.
High potassium levels can affect the heart, in which case you may need to limit potassium-containing foods and drinks.
Too much potassium can affect the heart
How do I get the right amount of potassium?
Following a low potassium diet can sometimes be challenging. Food manufacturers often use potassium containing additives in processed foods. This means processed foods often contain more potassium than fresh foods. Therefore, trying to make meals using fresh ingredients where possible is best!
These pictures below show how you can make changes to your diet by swapping high potassium foods and drinks for those with a lower potassium content. Please follow the advice your dietitian provides about which food and drinks you should limit.
Potassium swaps⇄
❌Chocolate biscuits
↓
✅Plain, jam filled or wafer biscuits
❌Chocolate cake, Fruit cake
↓
✅Plain cake with cream, jam tarts, doughnuts, plain scones
❌Chocolate or dried fruit cereal
↓
✅Plain, honey, or sugar coated cereal
❌Chocolate, marzipan, liquorice, toffee, fudge
↓
✅Boiled sweets, jellies, mints, marshmallows
❌Instant coffee and coffee essence
↓
✅Tea (black, green or herbal)
❌Potato crisps & snacks containing potato
↓
✅Corn or rice snacks, sweetened popcorn
❌Tomato ketchup
↓
✅Mayonnaise
❌Cow's milk
↓
✅Plant-based milk drinks such as soy, rice*, oat drinks, low protein milk substitutes
❌Chocolate spread, peanut butter
↓
✅Marmalade, jam, honey
❌Potatoes (all types)
↓
✅Pasta, Rice, Couscous, Noodles
❌Fruit juices, Hi juice squash
↓
✅Lemonade, Cordial, Squash
What else can I do to reduce my potassium intake?
The way we cook our food can sometimes affect the potassium content of that food or meal. Here are some low potassium cooking tips:
✅ Boil all vegetables rather than using a steamer, microwave or pressure cooker.
✅ Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces before boiling.
❌ Do not use the vegetable water to make soups or gravy as it will be rich in potassium.
❌ Avoid salt substitutes as they contain potassium.
It is important to speak to your healthcare professional about your diet and which foods and drinks are suitable for you.
