Potassium is an essential mineral that makes blood pressure and heartbeat steady. It is also needed for healthy muscles in the body. When you eat a baked potato or a banana, it’s a sure-proof way of getting the potassium that you need. But when you have a kidney or heart condition, your doctor may advise you to follow a diet of low potassium meats and foods. Just as much as you need potassium for the body to function properly, having too much of it may cause heart problems and even cardiac arrest- stopping the heart’s beating completely. On the other hand, if there is too little of this mineral found in the blood, it may also cause irregular beating and the muscles could be weakened, too.
According to doctors and health professionals, those who have kidney problems would need to watch out for their diets and the consumption of potassium. The kidney regulates the potassium content found in the blood and if the organ is not working as it should, the potassium may not be secreted out of the body on the way that it’s supposed to. In this read, we will discuss more potassium and its role in the body, low potassium meats, foods, and diet, as well as recipe ideas that you can follow if you are trying to lower down your potassium.
Potassium: The Highs and The Lows
Potassium is a mineral that could be easily obtained through our everyday diet. Its main role is to allow normal muscle development and regular heartbeat. Our kidneys then keep the recommended potassium amount in the body and if it’s not healthy, that’s when things go haywire. You could develop Hyperkalemia which is the storage of too much potassium in the body and the blood. The buildup is because of the kidney’s malfunction and therefore, could not remove the extra potassium content obtained from food and medicines being taken.
Health problems could surface and they may pose harm to the body like the following:
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- Trauma, tissue injuries, and burns
- Hemolysis of the red blood cells breakdown
- Rhabdomyolysis or the muscle tissue breakdown
- Lupus
- Hormonal disorders
- Kidney failure
On the other hand, if potassium levels are too low, it could result in Hypokalemia. This is when the levels of potassium become too low that the digestive tract has lost so much of this. This is a condition that is rare because you could get potassium from almost every food that you could have in your daily diet. The most usual causes could be the following:
- Diarrhea
- Excessive use of a laxative
- Vomiting
- Drugs that cause too much excretion of minerals and vitamins
- Low magnesium levels
With all the reasons and conditions above, it’s telling us that there should be a natural balance of potassium levels in the body to make sure that the organs could function properly. It’s recommended that you visit your doctor for a regular check-up to routinely make sure that potassium levels are at their safe levels.
- Level 3.50- 5.00 (Safe Zone)
- Level 5.10- 6.00 (Caution Zone)
- Level 6.10 and higher (Danger Zone)
Potassium is an essential nutrient that’s why the body should regulate its contents in the blood as too much or too little of it could have adverse side effects and health problems.
Low Potassium Meats and Foods
To make sure that potassium levels are what they should be, the kidneys should be kept healthy. But if it’s dysfunctional and defective, you must follow a low potassium meats and food diet as the body would have a hard time secreting the extra potassium and it would result in potassium buildup.
Depending on your sex or age, the adequate and recommended potassium intake is in the range of 2,400 to 3,600 milligrams in a day. But since you are aiming to lower it down, the safe range is at 4,700 milligrams in a day. This is a safe level where you will not be deprived of potassium but will also help in your goal of lowering it down.
Recommended low potassium meats, fishes, foods, and vegetables are the following:
Meats
- 270 milligrams of braised pork chops
- 82 milligrams lam rib or shoulder (roasted or cooked)
- 145 milligrams of corned beef brisket
- 173 milligrams of tenderloin and veal chops (roasted or cooked)
- 99 milligrams of chuck, loin, or rib
- 210 milligrams of bottom round roast (cooked)
- 258 milligrams of chicken breasts with skin
Fish and Seafood
- 259 milligrams of cooked shrimp
- 175 milligrams of smoked Chinook salmon
- 2444 milligrams of Atlantic cod
- 179 milligrams of canned light tuna
- 197 milligrams of sole or flounder
Recipe Ideas
1. Tuna Casserole
- 5 ounce of drained can of tuna
- Cooked macaroni
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese
- 10.75 ounce of condensed cream of chicken soup
- French fried onions
In a baking dish, combine tuna, soup, macaroni, and then mix well. Top it with cheese before putting it in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with onions once done and serve!
2. Lovely Linguine
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Linguine pasta
- Chopped garlic
- Butter
- Roasted peppers, chopped and drained
- Thyme leaves
In a boiled pot of water, add olive oil, and linguine for at least 10 minutes. Set it aside and on a separate pan, melt the butter, add the garlic, roasted peppers, and thyme then cook until mixed through. Pour it in the cooked pasta and serve!
3. Cheese Party and Baked Ham Sandwiches
- Butter
- Dijon mustard
- Poppy seeds
- Worcestershire sauce
- Sandwich rolls
- Minced onion
- Swiss cheese
- Thinly sliced deli ham
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius and mix Worcestershire sauce, dried onion, Dijon mustard, and poppy seeds. Separate the rolls from their top and bottom and put the bottom in a baking dish. Place the ham and the Swiss cheese in layers and pour mustard on the rolls. Place the sandwiches in the oven until the cheese has melted and that would be about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Although it’s important to follow low potassium meats, food, and diet for those with health conditions, you should not also overdo lowering it down too much. It’s best to consult your doctor for professional advice to make sure that everything is at healthy levels.