Best Food Swaps for a Low-Potassium Diet

If you start the day with cereal, think simple. Instead of choices chock-full of granola, raisins, or chocolate, go with shredded wheat, oat squares, or rice puffs. It’s easier to track how much potassium is in each ingredient.

You don’t have to miss out on cereal, but you should skip the cow’s milk. Dairy is always going to be a high-potassium choice. Opt for oat, soy, or rice milk as a lower-potassium alternative.

Whether you put fruit in your cereal or eat it whole, go for low-potassium picks like apples, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, peaches, pears, pineapple, and raspberries. Avoid bananas, melons, oranges, and kiwi.

Making a salad? Avoid nuts and seeds as toppers. Instead, try dry ramen noodles or croutons for an extra crunch on your greens. 

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach are good greens for many people, but not if you’re watching potassium. Instead, get your healthy greens in the form of celery, asparagus, green beans, and lettuce.

When you eat veggies, boil (or blanch) them instead of steaming or microwaving. This allows some of the potassium to leach into the water and out of the food. 

Tomatoes raise your potassium levels. For pasta dishes, skip the marinara and give pesto a go.

When you bypass tomatoes, that eliminates salsa, too. Even salsa verde. It’s made with green tomatoes. Instead, try salsa made from peppers without any tomatoes in the mix. 

You’ll want something to dunk into that pepper-based salsa. Good thing corn chips are fair game. No matter what the dip is, get your salty, crunchy snack fix with corn chips instead of high-potassium potato chips.

It may be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s true: Chocolate is potassium-rich. When it’s time for dessert, go for a vanilla- or lemon-flavored treat instead.