The Best Low-Potassium Meat and Fish Options for a Renal Diet

Potassium is an essential nutrient that your body needs. It enables muscle contractions and regulates your heartbeat, and it helps regulate fluid balance, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).

If you have chronic kidney disease or you take certain medications, your body doesn’t adequately remove extra potassium through urine, so you’re at risk of hyperkalemia. That’s a dangerous buildup of potassium in your body. For this reason, doctors advise some people to follow a low-potassium diet, according to UpToDate, a medical information service.

You may be wondering what types of foods you can and can’t eat on a low-potassium diet. In general, meat and fish aren’t considered high-potassium foods. For personalized guidance and expert care, talk with a registered dietitian.

Potassium and Your Health

Without enough potassium, your body can’t work properly. Potassium is a mineral and an electrolyte that helps maintain fluid balance, moves nutrients in and out of cells, and assists in the proper functioning of your heartbeat, muscles, and nerves.

According to the ODS, the adequate adult intake for potassium ranges from 2,400 to 3,600 milligrams (mg) a day, depending on your age and sex. Adequate intake means the amount needed to meet nutritional needs without leading to a deficiency. However, the amount to aim for based on a 2,000-calorie diet — the daily value, or DV — is 4,700 mg per day. Potassium can help lower blood pressure by lessening the effects of sodium, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). It flushes excess sodium out of the body through urine.

Potassium is essential for good health. But if you have chronic kidney disease or take certain medications, you may be advised to limit your intake. Your kidneys are responsible for maintaining potassium balance in your blood. If your blood potassium levels get too high (hyperkalemia), you may experience fatigue, muscle weakness, or constipation. Hyperkalemia can eventually lead to an irregular heartbeat or even cause your heart to stop, according to the AHA.

According to UC Davis Health, if you have kidney disease or you’ve been prescribed a renal diet by your doctor, then you need to limit your daily intake of potassium: typically 2,000 to 2,500 mg a day.

Low–Potassium Meats and Fish

Meat and fish are also sources of potassium, according to the American Kidney Fund. But the amount of potassium may vary depending on the type of meat or fish. When following a low–potassium diet menu, include more fresh meat and fish. Limit processed meats and fish, such as deli meats, fried or breaded fish and meats, and fish covered in heavy sauces.

According to the USDA, each 3-ounce (oz) portion of meat provides the following amount of potassium:

• Corned beef brisket: 123 mg
• Chicken wing, roasted without skin: 179 mg
• Grilled veal loin chops: 195 mg
• Chicken breast, roasted without skin: 218 mg
• Braised pork chops: 220 mg
• Broiled lamb shoulder: 267 mg
• Broiled tenderloin steak: 270 mg

According to the USDA, each 3-oz portion of fish provides the following amount of potassium:

• Smoked Chinook salmon: 149 mg
• Cooked flounder or sole: 167 mg
• Light tuna, canned in water: 201 mg
• Cooked Atlantic cod: 207 mg
• Cooked shrimp: 220 mg

Foods High in Potassium

When you’ve been prescribed a low–potassium diet menu, it’s important to understand what foods are high in potassium so you can omit or limit them. As a general rule of thumb, any food with more than 200 mg of potassium per serving is considered a high-potassium food, according to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).

Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of potassium in the diet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), foods high in potassium, with over 200 mg per each 100-gram (g) serving, include the following:

• Bananas
• Apricots
• Avocados
• Oranges
• Potatoes
• Spinach (and other leafy greens)
• Carrots
• Pumpkin
• Tomatoes
• Rutabagas

Legumes, yogurt, nuts, seeds, and salt substitutes are also high-potassium foods that you should limit if you’re on a low-potassium diet.

You may be able to leach out some of the potassium in certain high-potassium vegetables — like potatoes, carrots, rutabagas — by peeling, thinly slicing, and soaking them in warm water for at least two hours. Use a 10-to-1 ratio: For each cup of vegetables, use 10 cups of water to soak. Then, drain your soaked vegetables, rinse them under running warm water, and cook them in a large pot of boiling water. When cooking, use a 5-to-1 ratio: For every cup of vegetables, use 5 cups of water. Be sure to discard all of the cooking water.

Low–Potassium Diet Menu

A low–potassium diet menu requires some planning. It’s helpful to meet with a registered dietitian for guidance on how to stay within an acceptable range of potassium. In addition to limiting the high-potassium fruits and vegetables you eat, you may also need to limit how much red meat, poultry, and seafood you consume in a day — because both protein and potassium affect kidney function.

The Rogosin Institute in New York City generally recommends limiting protein each day to 0.8 to 1.0 g per kilogram (kg) of body weight. But you’ll need to discuss the exact target with a dietitian, according to the institute. In late-stage chronic kidney disease (stages 3 to 5), the NKF recommends limiting protein even further, to just 0.55 to 0.6 g of protein per kg of body weight each day; that said, people who also have diabetes are advised to eat 0.8 to 0.9 g of protein per kg of their ideal body weight per day.

However, if you’re on dialysis, you may need to eat more protein-rich foods while still limiting potassium. Dialysis is a medical treatment that clears your blood of fluid and waste if your kidneys can’t. To maintain muscle mass, higher protein intakes of 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day are recommended when receiving dialysis, according to a clinical practice guideline.