Calculate your recommended daily potassium intake based on age, sex, and life stage.
Vegetables: Potato with skin (926mg/medium), sweet potato (542mg/medium), spinach cooked (840mg/cup), silverbeet (960mg/cup), tomato paste (664mg/¼ cup), pumpkin (564mg/cup).
Fruit: Banana (422mg/medium), avocado (485mg/half), dried apricots (755mg/½ cup), rockmelon (427mg/cup), kiwifruit (215mg each), orange (237mg).
Legumes: White beans (1,004mg/cup cooked), lentils (731mg/cup), kidney beans (717mg/cup), chickpeas (474mg/cup).
Protein: Salmon (534mg/fillet), chicken breast (332mg/100g), beef (350mg/100g).
Dairy: Plain yoghurt (573mg/cup), milk (366mg/cup).
Other: Coconut water (600mg/cup), tomato juice (556mg/cup), coffee (116mg/cup).
Potassium is essential for muscle function (including your heart), nerve signalling, fluid balance, and blood pressure regulation. Adequate potassium intake can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, protect against osteoporosis, and may reduce the risk of kidney stones.
Potassium counteracts the blood-pressure-raising effects of sodium. A diet high in potassium and low in sodium is one of the most effective dietary strategies for managing blood pressure.
Most Australians don't consume enough potassium. The average intake is well below the Adequate Intake level, largely because of low fruit and vegetable consumption.
People with kidney disease — if your kidneys can't remove excess potassium effectively, high intake can lead to dangerously high blood levels (hyperkalaemia). If you have CKD, follow your nephrologist's or dietitian's advice on potassium intake — it may be significantly lower than the general AI.
People on certain medications — ACE inhibitors (ramipril, perindopril), ARBs (irbesartan, candesartan), potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone), and some others can increase potassium levels. Do not take potassium supplements unless prescribed.
No upper limit from food — there is no set upper limit for potassium from food in healthy people with normal kidney function. Excess is excreted in urine. However, potassium supplements should only be taken under medical supervision.
Talk to your GP if you experience symptoms of low potassium (muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, constipation, heart palpitations), take diuretics or blood pressure medications, have kidney disease, or are considering potassium supplements. A simple blood test can check your potassium level.