High levels of potassium in your body, otherwise known as hyperkalemia, can cause the heart's electrical impulses to act irregularly. If left untreated, the muscles in the heart may stop beating, leading to a heart attack. According to MedlinePlus, some of the signs of high potassium levels include an extremely slow pulse, stomach irritation and palpitations of the heart. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should consult your medical care provider. To help prevent high potassium levels, there are a number of foods that can be added to your diet.
Fruits
Fruits that provide the lowest levels of potassium per serving include grapes, fresh blueberries, mandarin oranges and sweetened applesauce, according to UpToDate. Each of these fruits have a potassium level between 60 and 100 mg per 1/2 cup serving. Fruits that fall into the 100 to 200 mg of potassium range include 1/2 cup of canned peaches, a small fresh peach, 1/2 cup of canned pineapple, a small apple, 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, one cup of watermelon and 1/2 cup of apple juice. Before eating canned fruits, you should drain the juice as it includes additional potassium. Be careful to avoid fruits that are high in potassium such as honeydew melon, papaya, cantaloupe, bananas and prune juice.
Vegetables
Vegetables provide you with a food that has extremely low fat levels, high vitamin levels, fiber, minerals and water. A large number of vegetables are also low in potassium. These vegetables include radishes, lettuce, bean sprouts, green beans, water chestnuts, cucumbers, turnips, raw cabbage, rutabagas, cauliflower and corn. It is important to note that these vegetables are low in sodium when eaten in servings that are 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked.
Meat and Seafood
Many varieties of seafood, fish and meat products contain less than 100 mg of potassium per serving, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These choices include one vienna sausage, one hot dog made of a pork, chicken or beef mixture, one chicken liver, one pork sausage patty, 3 oz. of pickled Atlantic Herring, two slices of hard salami, two slices of dry salami or two pork sausage links.
Member Comments