High Potassium Foods

These fruits all have potassium to sodium ratios of better than 3 to 1. They all provide the benefits of high potassium foods – reduced blood pressure with its reduced chance of stroke and heart disease, less chance of osteoporosis, and less chance of kidney stones. Although they all have good ratios, some do not have as large a quantity of potassium as others, so it is more difficult to get the 4.7 grams of potassium recommended by the Institute of Medicine from just fruit.

Avocados, bananas, breadfruit, currants, custard-apple, durian, guava, purple passion fruit, persimmons, plantains, and sapote are excellent sources of potassium. Tamarinds are superstars. Other very good sources are abiyuch, carissa, cherimoya, elderberries, figs, grapes, jackfruit, jujube, kiwi, loquats, melons (both cantaloupe and honeydew), oranges, papayas, pummelo, roselle, soursop, and sugar-apples.

Some of the amounts of potassium seem low. This is because some of the foods have more water in the fruit. A cup of cut-up fruit varies from approximately 150 grams to 250 grams (that is, you can multiply the number in the table by 1.5 to 2.5 to get how much sodium or potassium a cup of the fruit would supply), depending on the fruit. So do not get too hung-up on the exact amounts of potassium. Any of the fruits in the table will be a good source of potassium.

Fruits, of course, are usually great raw, so they make quick, convenient snacks. Some can be pureed to make a dip or topping. Many can be used in smoothies, and all sorts of desserts.

The numbers are for 100 grams of food (about 3 1/2 ounces), with the measurement being milligrams for potassium (K) and sodium (Na).

Source, except for the ratio (which we calculated) – USDA National Nutrient Database Standard Reference – Release 22.