Potassium is a mineral that is essential for all of the body's functions.
It helps your nerves, muscles and heart to function properly, as well as helping move nutrients and waste around your cells.
A wide variety of common fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meat products contain potassium.
Most healthy people get enough potassium from their regular diet.
If you are at risk of a potassium deficiency, for example, if you take diuretic medicines, speak to your doctor about having your potassium levels checked.
What is potassium?
Potassium is a mineral that is essential for all of the body's functions. It helps your nerves, muscles and heart function properly, as well as helping move nutrients and waste around your cells.
Potassium is found in a wide variety of plants, meats and drinks.
Potassium is also an ingredient used in some salt substitutes that people take to replace sodium in their diet. If you have kidney disease or take certain medicines, your potassium levels may be too high, so it is important to talk to your doctor before using a salt substitute.
How much potassium do I need?
The amount of potassium you need depends on your age, stage of life and whether you have any medical conditions.
Having too little or too much potassium in the body can affect your health. This rarely happens only due to your diet. Most healthy people get enough potassium (and not too much) through their diet alone.
Some people are at risk of developing potassium levels that are too high. The most common causes of high potassium levels are kidney disease or taking medicines that decrease the amount of potassium the body removes via the kidneys. People with these risk factors may need to limit their dietary potassium intake.
If you're not sure, or if you think you may be at risk of abnormal potassium levels, talk to your doctor about getting a blood test.
tree fruits — such as avocados, apples, oranges and bananas
leafy greens — such as spinach, kale and silverbeet
vine fruits — such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant and pumpkin
root vegetables — such as carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes
legumes — such as beans and peas
milk, yoghurt, meat and chicken, as well as fish — such as halibut, tuna, cod, snapper
Should I take a potassium supplement?
If you take certain types of diuretic medicines, you may not get enough potassium from your diet. If you take diuretics, ask your doctor if you need your potassium levels checked.
Having too much potassium in your body can be dangerous, so only take a potassium supplement under medical advice.
Resources and support
Kidney Australia has information about maintaining a healthy diet, if you have chronic kidney disease.
An easy way to boost your potassium intake is by eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Other foods like pulses, fish, nuts, seeds and milk are also high in potassium and low in salt, so can help benefit your heart.”
An easy way to boost your potassium intake is by eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Other foods like pulses, fish, nuts, seeds and milk are also high in potassium and low in salt, so can help benefit your heart.”
What drink is high in potassium? Orange juice, prune juice, tomato juice, carrot juice, milk, tea, and coffee are all examples of drinks that are high in potassium.
You may be at risk of developing low potassium levels if you: become dehydrated, for example, with prolonged vomiting, diarrhoea or excessive sweating. take certain medicines, such as diuretics, that increase the amount of potassium you lose via your urine. have chronic kidney disease.
Aside from diuretics and laxatives, some other medicines, such as steroids and some antacids, may either block your ability to absorb potassium or cause you to lose more when you pee and poop.
One large egg contains about 63 mg of potassium. 11 Eggs are considered a low-potassium food but check with your doctor or dietitian to find out how often you should eat them. What meats and fish are best for a low-potassium diet?
Dehydration may lead to hyperkalemia. However, it's not clear that drinking more water will help lower your potassium levels. Speak with a healthcare professional about how much water you should drink every day.
In particular, the Express headline suggests that a banana a day would be enough to meet your potassium requirements, whereas, in fact, a banana contains about 11 per cent of the 3,500mg recommended by UK dietary guidelines.
Legumes, nuts, and peanut butter are rich sources of potassium. Meat, fish, poultry, and eggs are moderate to high sources of potassium. These foods are also good sources of high-quality protein, which you need for normal body functions.
cup of black coffee has 116 mg of potassium3. This is considered a low potassium food. However, many people drink more than one cup of coffee each day. Three to four cups of coffee a day is considered high in potassium and could raise your potassium levels.
People who regularly eat avocado (about a half of one daily, which contains more potassium than a whole banana) are more likely to have smaller waists and weigh less, say researchers who analyzed over 17,000 American diets.
How much potassium is in an egg? One large egg contains about 63 mg of potassium. 11 Eggs are considered a low-potassium food but check with your doctor or dietitian to find out how often you should eat them.
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