Potassium is a mineral found in varying amounts in almost all foods, including fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products. The body uses potassium for a variety of important functions such as maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, sending nerve impulse to muscles, and aiding in metabolic processes.
When a person’s kidneys are functioning normally they filter out excess potassium, helping to maintain the proper amount in the body. Without properly functioning kidneys, patients need to control their potassium intake.
Avoiding foods with high levels of potassium, while maintaining a healthy diet, can be quite difficult because many fruits and vegetables are high in potassium.
Oranges, broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots are all high in potassium. Apples, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, lettuce, and onions are all relatively low in potassium.
Canned vegetables and the juices they are usually canned are particularly high in potassium. For patients with kidney problems who want to eat certain high potassium vegetables, there is one method for removing some of the potassium, called leaching.
This process varies depending on the vegetable, but generally it involves repeatedly rinsing and boiling the vegetable in a large amount of water.
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The Kidney Diet Guidelines
