Choosing foods according to potassium content
Translation and source links checked: 21 September 2026
Use the categories for comparison, not as absolute bans. Potassium content varies with portion size, variety, brand and preparation.
Often easier choices — lower potassium in the original table
Quantity still matters: “low” does not mean unlimited.
Vegetables
Small servings of salads: cabbage salad, iceberg lettuce, endive and lamb’s lettuce. Fresh cucumber, one fresh tomato, radishes and courgettes. Pickled products after draining: gherkins, pickled peppers, mixed pickles, spring onions, garlic and onions.
Cereals and starches
Bread rolls, rye–wheat or mixed bread, white bread, toast, rusks, pasta, rice, semolina, couscous, polenta, bulgur, cracked grain and cornflakes.
Fruit
Apples, pears, blueberries, mandarins, clementines, watermelon and canned fruit after discarding the liquid.
Dairy, fats and protein
Fresh cheese, cheese, fermented milk or yoghurt, milk, quark and cream. Butter or margarine, mayonnaise and oils. The table lists meat or sausages in portions below 100 g, fresh fish below 100 g, and boiled, scrambled or fried eggs and omelettes.
Drinks and sweets
Mineral or tap water; fruit, herbal and green tea; coffee (the original table says up to three cups daily); barley coffee, lemonade and juice diluted with four parts water to one part juice. Shortcrust or yeast pastries, butter biscuits, fruit ice, jelly sweets, fruit sweets, honey, jam, jelly, popcorn, rice cakes and pudding made with water or cream.
Watch portions and preparation — intermediate potassium in the original table
The table places these foods in a moderate-portion or preparation-dependent category; follow your individual plan.
Vegetables
Aubergine, chicory, wax beans and green beans, carrots, celeriac, fresh peas, leeks, drained canned sweetcorn and peppers. Red, white and Chinese cabbage, and sauerkraut after soaking and squeezing. Asparagus, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, beetroot, savoy cabbage and courgettes. Potatoes soaked and then cooked in plenty of water; herbs used for flavour.
Cereals and fruit
Wholemeal bread, mixed bread, crispbread, oat flakes and wholemeal pasta. Pineapple, apples, grapefruit, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, mango, sour cherries, gooseberries and persimmons.
Dairy, protein and sweets
Milk, buttermilk, kefir, yoghurt, ice cream and milk-based pudding. Meat or sausages in 100–150 g portions and fresh fish in 100–150 g portions, as listed in the source table. White chocolate and salted pretzel sticks.
Drinks
Beer, excluding strong varieties such as bock beer, appears in this part of the original table. This is not advice to drink alcohol. All drinks count towards the daily fluid allowance set by the dialysis team.
Potentially needing restriction — high or very high potassium in the original table
These foods are not automatically prohibited. Discuss portion size and frequency with the dietitian if blood potassium is high.
Vegetables, pulses and potatoes
Cauliflower, broccoli, celery stalks, broad beans, fennel, kohlrabi, turnips, pumpkin, spinach, chard, dandelion leaves, sweetcorn, Brussels sprouts, kale and parsnips. Tomato paste and ketchup. Dried pulses, especially peas, beans and soybeans. Potatoes and potato products such as chips, croquettes, mashed potato and prepared potato dumplings; dried vegetable products.
Cereals, fruit and nuts
Muesli and wholegrain bread containing seeds or grains. Bananas, honeydew and Galia melon, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums of different varieties. All dried fruits, nuts and seeds.
Drinks and sweets
Fruit and vegetable juices, cocoa drinks and wine. Dark or milk chocolate, hazelnut–chocolate spread, pralines, potato crisps and peanut snacks.
Meat and fish
Meat or sausage portions above 150 g and fresh fish portions above 150 g, as listed in the original table. These are comparison examples, not prescribed protein limits.
Sources and evidence
Evidence context: KDOQI 2020 is the dialysis-relevant nutrition guideline cited here; its potassium statement is expert opinion. KDIGO 2024 discusses individualised management in CKD G3–G5 and is not a dialysis-specific intake prescription. The 2021 preparation review synthesises heterogeneous food-preparation studies, not a trial proving a fixed clinical benefit in every dialysis patient.