Table 3.
A guide to the potassium content of other food groups*
| Food | Portion size | Potassium (mg per portion) | Potassium (mg per 100 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk and dairy products | |||
| Human breastmilk, mature^ | 100 ml | 58 | 58 |
| Standard whey dominant infant formula (average) | 100 ml | 70 | 70 |
| Cow’s milk, whole | 100 ml | 157 | 157 |
| Custard, canned** | 100 g (3 Tbsp) | 129 | 129 |
| Fromage frais, fruit flavor | 60 g (1 small pot) | 86 | 143 |
| Ice cream, vanilla, soft scoop** | 60 g (1 scoop) | 98 | 163 |
| Yogurt, whole milk, fruit | 125 g (1 small pot) | 213 | 170 |
| Potatoes | |||
| Potatoes, new, boiled, with skin | 60 g (1 small egg-sized) | 226 | 377 |
| Potatoes, old, baked in jacket, flesh only, no skin | 100 g (1 small) | 360 | 360 |
| Potatoes, chips, cut fine, fast food** | 75 g (small portion) | 408 | 544 |
| Potatoes, old, mashed with butter | 45 g (1 Tbsp) | 151 | 337 |
| Potatoes, old, roast | 60 g (1 small egg-sized) | 358 | 597 |
| Cereal (grain) and cereal products | |||
| Bread: white, brown, whole meal | 40 g (1 thick slice) | 54, 86, 101 | 134, 216, 253 |
| Breakfast cereal, cornflakes, fortified | 20 g (3 Tbsp) | 18 | 88 |
| Breakfast cereal, muesli, Swiss style, unfortified | 30 g (2 Tbsp) | 87 | 290 |
| Breakfast cereal, porridge made with whole milk, fortified | 135 g (3 Tbsp) | 268 | 199 |
| Breakfast cereal, puffed wheat, honey coated, fortified | 20 g (3 Tbsp) | 38 | 188 |
| Breakfast cereal, wheat biscuits, fortified | 20 g (1 biscuit) | 79 | 397 |
| Cake: sponge with jam and butter cream, chocolate fudge, plain fruit** | 60 g (1 slice) | 79, 214, 231 | 132, 357, 385 |
| Cookie (biscuit), digestive, half coated with chocolate** | 17 g (1) | 44 | 258 |
| Cookie (biscuit), semi-sweet** | 14 g (2) | 24 | 168 |
| Cookie (biscuit), short, sweet** | 20 g (2) | 31 | 155 |
| Pasta, white, dried, boiled | 90 g (3 Tbsp) | 103 | 114 |
| Rice: white, brown, boiled | 80 g (2 Tbsp) | 10, 50 | 12, 62 |
| Nuts and seeds | |||
| Almonds | 13 g (6 whole) | 95 | 733 |
| Brazil nuts | 10 g (3 whole) | 66 | 660 |
| Cashews, hazel nuts | 10 g (10 whole) | 72 | 720 |
| Peanuts, unsalted | 13 g (10 whole) | 87 | 670 |
| Peanut butter, smooth | 12 g (thinly spread on 1 slice of bread) | 84 | 700 |
| Walnuts | 20 g (6 halves) | 90 | 450 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 20 g (1 Tbsp) | 164 | 820 |
| Sunflower seeds | 16 g (1 Tbsp) | 114 | 710 |
| Tahini paste | 19 g (1 tsp) | 110 | 580 |
| Meat, chicken, fish | |||
| Burger, beef, commercial, grilled, average** | 35 g (1 patty) | 133 | 380 |
| Chicken, lamb, beef, pork, roasted, meat only | 50 g (1 thick slice) | 165, 180, 185, 200 | 330, 360, 370, 400 |
| Chicken nuggets** | 70 g (4) | 195 | 278 |
| Cod, steamed/microwaved, flesh only | 60 g (one-half medium fillet) | 254 | 424 |
| Cod in batter, baked | 60 g (one-half small fillet) | 138 | 230 |
| Salmon, baked/grilled, flesh only | 50 g (one-half medium fillet) | 206 | 412 |
| Miscellaneous | |||
| Potato crisps** | 25 g (1 small bag) | 332 | 1328 |
| Tortilla chips, corn snacks** | 25 g (1 small bag) | 71, 82 | 285, 329 |
| Twiglets** | 25 g (1 small bag) | 115 | 460 |
| Chocolate: plain, milk** | 50 g (1 small bar) | 150, 226 | 300, 451 |
| Coffee, instant, powder** | 2 g (1 tsp) | 76 | 3780 |
| Drinking chocolate, cocoa, powder** | 6 g (1 tsp) | 30, 90 | 495, 1500 |
| Yeast extract | 1 g (thin scraping on I slice of bread) | 21 | 2100 |
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
*Refer to country specific composition tables where possible
**When there is a need to reduce potassium intake, foods of low nutritional quality should be targeted first
^Department of Health and Social Security. The composition of mature human milk. Report on Health and Social Subjects No 12, HMSO, London, 1977. More recent analyses of breastmilk may show a different potassium content. For processed foods, check manufacturers’ data