High Potassium Foods

There are a number of juices and juice-like drinks that will satisfy the low potassium foods criterion of having less than 100 mg potassium in a serving. The juices and drinks can be diluted to give even less potassium and sodium if so needed. High potassium foods are to be avoided for those requiring a low potassium diet, such as those with kidney disease or Addison's disease. The drinks in this table include juice drinks that can substitute for the natural juices that are high in potassium.

Juice Versus Drink

Some juices that are from high potassium fruits can be low in potassium, such as papaya nectar and guava nectar. However, some juices made from low potassium fruits make juices that are high in potassium, such as apple juice. The flavored drink versions of the juices, however, are frequently low in potassium and sodium. When the drink is not pure juice, but is mixed with other ingredients it is usually called a “drink” or “cocktail.”

Several high potassium natural juices are included in the table, so the low potassium drink alternatives with a similar taste can be compared, and to point out the frequently large difference in potassium content in the natural juice compared to the juice drink. You may also notice huge differences in potassium and sodium content in drinks with similar sounding names. For example, the potassium in “fruit punch” varies from 3 to 155, depending on the exact drink it is. We have a previous post with a table of high potassium fruit juices.

The table includes several V8 Splash juices. If you have read the high potassium foods table for drinks you will have seen several V8 juices there. These are the Fusion brand of V8 drinks. Be careful if you are using the V8 juices that you get the correct ones or you may wind up with either too much or too little, depending on your goal. Campbell's does make juices that can satisfy either criteria. Notice the juices labeled strawberry banana smoothie or peach mango smoothie would be expected to have a high potassium content since the fruits listed are high in potassium. Processing has lowered their potassium content.

The Table

The serving weight is in grams, and the potassium and sodium amounts are in milligrams. The potassium and sodium values given are for 100 grams of food.

As usual, K is potassium, and Na is sodium.

Except for the potassium to sodium ratio and the amount of potassium per serving (which we calculated), the source of data is: USDA National Nutrient Database Standard Reference – Release 22.