Top 20 High-Potassium Foods

Written By: Sofia Layarda, MPH

Title: Master of Public Health

Alumni: University of California, Berkeley

Last Updated on:

We are so obsessed with reducing salt that we sometimes forget to look at the other half of the equation: getting enough potassium. Potassium, as Go UnDiet author Gloria Tsang describes it, is “another mineral that can counteract the damaging effect of sodium.” Potassium has been shown to lower blood pressure. Fortunately, there is a wide range of potassium-rich foods, making it easy to get potassium from the foods you eat and not from a supplement.

The recommended level of intake for potassium for a healthy adult is 4,700 mg per day. Here is a list of top high-potassium foods to help you achieve that goal, and surprisingly banana is not the top contender.

Top 20 High-Potassium Foods

Food Potassium Content
Potato, Russet, 1 medium 952 mg
Tomato sauce, 1 cup, canned 811 mg
White beans, canned, 1/2 cup 595 mg
Sweet potato, 1 medium 542 mg
Avocado, 1/2 fruit 507 mg
Milk, goat’s, 1 cup 498 mg
Soybeans, green (“edamame”), 1/2 cup 485 mg
Beets, 1 cup raw 442 mg
Apricot, 1 cup sliced 427 mg
Tomato, 1 cup sliced or chopped 427 mg
Banana, 1 medium 422 mg
Milk, cow’s, chocolate, reduced fat, 1 cup 422 mg
Carrot, 1 cup sliced 390 mg
Corn, 1 cup whole kernels 389 mg
Navy beans, canned, 1/2 cup 378 mg
Pinto beans, cooked, 1/2 cup 373 mg
Lentils, cooked, 1/2 cup 366 mg
Milk, cow’s, 1%, 1 cup 366 mg
Mushroom, crimini, 1 cup sliced 323 mg
Red kidney beans, canned, 1/2 cup 304 mg

​Not included in the table above, but a high potassium-item nonetheless, is molasses, which contains 293 mg potassium per 1 tablespoon.

Cooking Note: To retain potassium content, it is best to bake, roast, or lightly steam instead of boiling, because potassium leaches out into the water during cooking.

​The Bottom Line

It’s clear from the list above that many high-potassium foods are plant-based foods. ​The bonus about eating these plant-based foods is that most of them contain other nutrients that are known to have health-promoting benefits. Many of the fruits and vegetables listed above contain phytonutrients that are powerful antioxidants, while nuts and seafood are known to contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Health

antioxidant, heart smart, phytonutrients, potassium

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