Table 2.
A guide to the potassium content of vegetables and pulses*
| Food | Portion size | Potassium (mg per portion) | Potassium (mg per 100 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables and pulses (legumes) (edible portion) | |||
| High potassium (> 117 mg (3 mmol) per portion) | |||
| Asparagus, steamed | 75 g (3 spears) | 213 | 283 |
| Baked beans, canned in tomato sauce | 80 g (2 Tbsp) | 218 | 272 |
| Beetroot, boiled | 35 g (1 small) | 106 | 302 |
| Broad beans, boiled | 60 g (1 Tbsp) | 248 | 413 |
| Brussels sprouts, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 161 | 404 |
| Mushrooms, fried in oil | 40 g (4 medium) | 217 | 542 |
| Parsnip, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 128 | 319 |
| Plantain, boiled | 50 g (¼ medium) | 200 | 400 |
| Sweet potato, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 150 | 375 |
| Tomato, raw | 65 g (1 small) | 145 | 223 |
| Tomato, canned | 100 g (¼ can) | 212 | 212 |
| Yam, boiled | 60 g (1 small egg-sized) | 162 | 271 |
| Moderate potassium (39–117 mg (1–3 mmol) per portion) | |||
| Aubergine (eggplant), fried in oil, including skin | 65 g (¼ medium) | 111 | 170 |
| Broccoli, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 85 | 212 |
| Butternut squash, baked | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 97 | 242 |
| Cabbage, green, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 75 | 187 |
| Carrot, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 66 | 166 |
| Cauliflower, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 86 | 215 |
| Chickpeas, dried, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 112 | 281 |
| Courgette (zucchini), boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 95 | 238 |
| Cucumber, raw | 40 g (6 slices) | 62 | 156 |
| Hummus | 30 g (1 Tbsp) | 57 | 190 |
| Leek, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 68 | 169 |
| Lentils, red, split, dried, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 88 | 220 |
| Okra, boiled | 30 g (6 medium) | 64 | 213 |
| Onion, fried in oil | 30 g (1 Tbsp) | 57 | 189 |
| Peas, boiled | 30 g (1 Tbsp) | 69 | 230 |
| Peppers, red, yellow, raw, sliced | 30 g (3 rings) | 61 | 203 |
| Spinach, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 64 | 230 |
| Swede, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 70 | 175 |
| Sweetcorn, kernels canned in water, drained | 30 g (1 Tbsp) | 47 | 158 |
| Turnip, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 80 | 200 |
| Lower potassium (< 39 mg (1 mmol) per portion) | |||
| Bean sprouts, raw | 20 g (1 Tbsp) | 15 | 74 |
| Peppers, green, raw, sliced | 30 g (3 rings) | 36 | 120 |
| Pumpkin, boiled | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 34 | 84 |
| Tofu, steamed | 40 g (1 Tbsp) | 25 | 63 |
The routine omission of vegetable and legumes from the diet based simply on their K content should be discouraged, considering the bioavailability of K in unprocessed plant foods is no more than 60% and they offer other nutritional benefits (vitamins, minerals, fiber). It may be beneficial to choose foods with a low K-fiber ratio to enable a higher fiber intake to be maintained while lowering dietary K [11] (Supplementary Table 12)
*Refer to country specific composition tables where possible.
Data sourced and adapted from McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), Public Health England, 2019 [12]
Tbsp rounded tablespoon, tsp rounded teaspoon