High-Potassium Foods To Avoid For Kidney Disease

Your kidneys filter blood and remove wastes and extra water to make urine. 

While most people are born with two, the body can function with only one.

Kidneys are very sensitive to nutrients and electrolytes in food and help balance minerals and salts in your blood. 

However, if you’ve been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), you may need to decrease your intake of high-potassium foods. 

Damaged kidneys can’t filter out potassium as efficiently, and as a result, blood potassium levels can rise (hyperkalemia), which can have dangerous and critical side effects on heart function. 

To help you feel more confident in your dining choices, we’ve created lists of high-potassium foods to avoid for kidney health. Keep reading to learn more. 

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High-Potassium Foods to Avoid for Kidney Health

Your healthcare provider will tell you if you need to limit your potassium intake to improve your health with kidney disease.

If you’ve been told to cut back, here are some high-potassium (over 200mg of potassium per serving) foods to avoid. 

Vegetables

Fruits

Beans

Dairy

Animal proteins

Low-Potassium Foods to Eat Instead

Instead of high-potassium foods, try these options instead (they have less than 200mg of potassium per serving).  

For more nutritional guidance, try our free seven-day kidney disease meal plan.

It includes smoothies, sandwiches, wraps, and snacks that align with a renal diet.

We’ve also added a free download option to make it easier to reference this eating plan on the go.  

Who Should Avoid High Potassium Foods?

Chronic kidney disease can make it harder for your body to balance potassium levels, and your healthcare provider may suggest avoiding high-potassium foods to help you stay within target ranges. 

Other health conditions can increase your risk of hyperkalemia, and if you have one of these conditions, your care team will tell you if it’s necessary to cut back on your potassium intake: 

• Diabetes.
• Heart failure. 
• Some medications, including drugs that lower blood pressure.  

How Does Potassium Affect the Kidneys?

Your kidneys remove excess potassium from your blood.

However, with kidney diseases or dysfunction, they can’t clear electrolytes as efficiently, and serum potassium levels can rise.

This can lead to potentially dangerous complications, including changes in heart rhythm, cardiac arrest, and weakness.

What’s Considered a Normal Potassium Level?

The defined blood target range for potassium is 3.5 to 5.2 mmol/L. Your physician will address blood potassium results above this level to ensure you avoid the potential side effects of hyperkalemia.  After contacting you, they may suggest you start making dietary modifications (and cut out high-potassium foods) or prescribe water pills to help you pee out excess potassium. 

Kidney disease management is highly individualized, and your care team will provide very specific guidelines on managing your health, including how much potassium (in grams) to eat daily. 

How to Manage Potassium Intake for Kidney Health

One of the most important ways to manage your potassium levels is to be mindful of your dietary intake of potassium-rich foods. 

You may find it easier to keep your potassium levels within a target range by cooking at home more often, working closely with a dietitian, making a plan for dining out and being gracious to yourself. 

Cook From Scratch More

Learning to cook more meals from scratch gives you full control over your ingredients. This way, you can substitute high-potassium foods for lower-potassium alternatives.  

Add Flavor To Your Meals with Fresh Herbs

When choosing seasonings for a dish, pick fresh herbs or dried spices more often. Some low-sodium substitutes can have high amounts of potassium, like LoSalt, and should be avoided. 

Work With a Dietitian 

Working with a dietitian specializing in kidney health makes learning which foods have high potassium easier.

They can teach you what foods to limit and which to enjoy more often. At the end of your sessions, you should feel more confident in managing your kidney health. 

Make a Plan for Dining Out

You can manage your potassium intake while dining out by choosing lower-potassium foods throughout the day. 

When deciding what to eat, try to pick (or customize) a dish that uses lower-potassium ingredients.

This can be tricky, so try your best or ask your dietitian for guidance. 

Be Gracious to Yourself

Changing your diet to support your kidney health can be an effective strategy, but it can take time to figure out an eating pattern that works for you.

Be gracious to yourself as you navigate these changes, and reach out to your dietitian if you’re missing your favorite foods—they can probably share a recipe that will satisfy your craving! 

Tips for Choosing Low-Potassium Foods at the Store

Learning which foods align with kidney health guidelines can feel like learning a new language.

Fortunately, as you develop your skills and knowledge—and work closely with a specialized dietitian, you’ll become fluent and capable of efficiently buying foods that align with your health goals. 

Here are two easy tips to help you find low-potassium foods at the store. 

Look At the Nutrition Facts Label

The nutrition facts label includes detailed information about energy values and key nutrients, including the potassium content.

Try to pick products with <200mg of potassium per serving.  

Make a List

Make a list of your favorite low-potassium foods on your phone or a notepad that you can reference every time you shop. 

Also note that if you buy packaged products, you should check the label occasionally, as the ingredients (and potassium content) can change. 

Takeaway

Kidney disease can make it harder for your body to maintain stable levels of potassium—an electrolyte that helps your heart function normally.

If potassium levels rise to dangerous levels, you may experience critical side effects that should be addressed immediately, including arrhythmias, weakness, and cardiac arrest. 

Making dietary modifications to decrease potassium intake can help you keep your levels within a target range.

Your physician and dietitian can help you find the right balance of foods to meet your nutritional requirements without eating too much potassium. 

How a Dietitian Can Help

The foods and drinks you eat can influence your kidney health, and working closely with a dietitian specializing in renal health can be a game-changer for your health. 

You may not know what to expect if you’ve never met with a dietitian. Here are some questions to ask: 

• I feel constipated—what can I do to go to the bathroom?
• Is there a special diet I should follow to help my kidneys and diabetes?
• What should I buy for groceries?

At Nourish, our dietitians offer individualized counseling services that are completed online.

‍Find a dietitian who accepts insurance now.