High Potassium Foods

Thanksgiving is loaded with high potassium foods, making it a problem for those on a low potassium diet. You can eat some of the low potassium foods mentioned in prior posts, but most are not traditional Thanksgiving foods. All poultry is a high potassium food, as are spices, which are so common this time of year. Low sodium breads, baked goods, pasta and rice are good choices, but not the usual Thanksgiving fare.

Food Choices

The best choice is to eat the least spicy foods available, and take small portions. Poultry is high in potassium, but low in sodium unless the meat is injected with salt solution or basted or marinated in a high sodium liquid. Eating a small piece can keep potassium load down.

Cranberries are low in potassium and sodium, having just 85 mg of potassium and 2 mg of sodium in 3.5 oz of berries. Of course, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes are high in potassium and should be avoided. Yellow snap beans, if frozen without salt, are low in both minerals. By boiling without salt and then draining the liquid, just 126 mg of potassium and 9 mg of sodium will be in 3.5 oz of beans.

Breads, rolls and muffins are usually high in sodium because of the baking soda used in baking. If the low sodium type is used, they should be alright. Most pie crusts are high in sodium for the same reason. The Nabisco ready to use crust in the table is an exception.

In the table we featured pies. Most are high in sodium because of the crust having been made with baking soda. However, the coconut cream and chocolate cream pies are fairly low in both sodium and potassium. If a slightly smaller piece than indicated is eaten, you can limit potassium and sodium to less than 100 mg in a piece, especially if you avoid the crust.

Thanksgiving is a time with many foods that can create havoc with a potassium restricted diet. Just watch your potassium and sodium, and enjoy the holiday.

The Table

The serving weight is in grams, and the potassium and sodium weights 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, amount of potassium per serving, and sodium per serving (all of which we calculated), the source of data is: USDA National Nutrient Database Standard Reference – Release 22.