Nutrition 101: Potassium | Food List

Along with sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium, potassium is an electrolyte. Normal body function depends on tight regulation of potassium concentrations both inside and outside of cells

Recom​mended Intakes

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for potassium are shown below:

What Does Potassium Do?

Potassium is an electrolyte, meaning that it helps to conduct electrical charges in the body. As a result, potassium is crucial to heart function and plays a key role in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction, making it important for normal digestive and muscular function². It also helps regulate fluids and mineral balance in and out of body cells and helps maintain normal blood pressure. Potassium may also reduce the risk of recurrent kidney stones and possibly bone loss as we age³.

Many enzymes require the presence of potassium for their activity. The activation of sodium, potassium-ATPase requires the presence of sodium and potassium. The presence of potassium is also required for the activity of pyruvate kinase, an important enzyme in carbohydrate metabolism⁴.

Hyperkalemia is when there is too much potassium in the blood. People with decreased kidney function are at greater risk for hyperkalemia⁵ because their kidneys are less efficient at eliminating potassium. Certain medications can also affect potassium levels.

Hypokalemia is when there is too little potassium in the blood. Diarrhea, vomiting, excessive sweating, malnutrition, malabsorption diseases (such as Crohn’s disease) can also cause potassium deficiency. Most people get all of the potassium they need from a healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruits.

Top Potassium-Rich Food Sources

Vegetables and fruit are some of the best sources of potassium. Whole grains, dairy products, lentils, meat and fish also have potassium.

Nutrition Facts Label and the % Daily Value

In the United States: The Daily Value (DV) for potassium is 4,700 mg⁶ for ages 2 and older. The number you see on the Nutrition Facts label is a percentage calculated by dividing the amount of potassium in one serving of the food by the daily value. For example, a 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, which contains 364 mg, has ​8% of the daily value (DV) for potassium. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient.

In Canada: The Daily Value for potassium is also 3,400 mg⁷. Listing the DV for potassium on the label is optional.

1. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. National Academies Press, 2005, https://doi.org/10.17226/10925.
2. Sica, D A et al. “Importance of potassium in cardiovascular disease.” Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) vol. 4,3 (2002): 198-206.
   https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1524-6175.2002.01728.x
3. Ferraro, Pietro Manuel et al. “Dietary Protein and Potassium, Diet-Dependent Net Acid Load, and Risk of Incident Kidney Stones.” Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN vol. 11,10 (2016): 1834-1844. https://doi.org/10.2215/CJN.01520216
4. Wawrzkiewicz-Jałowiecka, Agata et al. “Potassium Channels, Glucose Metabolism and Glycosylation in Cancer Cells.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 24,9 7942. 27 Apr. 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097942
5. Sarnowski, Alexander et al. “Hyperkalemia in Chronic Kidney Disease: Links, Risks and Management.” International journal of nephrology and renovascular disease vol. 15 215-228. 2 Aug. 2022, https://doi.org/10.2147/IJNRD.S326464
6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” FDA, 6 Feb. 2024, https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels
7. Health Canada. “Table of Daily Values.” Government of Canada, 19 Jan. 2022, https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/technical-documents-labelling-requirements/table-daily-values.html.