Kidney Disease: High- and Low-Potassium Foods

People who have problems with their kidneys need to watch how much potassium they include in their diet. That is because the kidneys regulate potassium. If they aren’t working correctly, the potassium may not be flushed out of the body properly.

To minimize potassium buildup, a person with chronic kidney disease should stick to a low-potassium diet of between 1,500 and 2,000 milligrams (mg) per day. Limiting phosphorus, sodium, and fluids may also be important for people with kidney dysfunction.

Torey Jones Armul, MS, RDN, CSSD, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, offers a couple of rules of thumb:

Avoid high-potassium foods like potatoes, bananas, whole grains, milk, and tomato products.

Watch portions on all foods.

Be careful with coffee. The National Kidney Foundation recommends that people who should limit their potassium should limit their coffee in take to 1 cup per day
There are still plenty of nutritious, delicious, low-potassium options for people with kidney disease, Armul says. These include berries, squash, corn, rice, poultry, fish and non-dairy substitutes.

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