Potassium is so widely available in our diets and in such high amounts, there's little chance any healthy person could suffer a dietary deficiency. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources, but potassium can also be found in significant amounts in dairy products, fish, meats and some nuts and seeds. It can also be found in smaller amounts in grain foods such as cereals and breads. Sweets including cookies and cakes are generally poor sources of potassium.
Fruit
Bananas, strawberries, cantaloupes, papaya, melon, oranges and other citrus fruits are on the top the list of fruits rich in potassium. Some dried fruits, such as raisins, dates and prunes, are especially rich in potassium. Peaches, watermelon and most other fruits are also good sources. Orange juice, grapefruit juice and prune juice are some of the best high-potassium beverages.
Fresh fruits and fruit juices are better choices than canned or bottled. Processed fruits lose potassium, along with other nutrients.
Vegetables
A potato, baked and eaten with its skin, is one of the richest sources of potassium from a vegetable. Potato salad, boiled potatoes and mashed potatoes are great sources, too. Other vegetables that are high in potassium include beets and beet greens, spinach, canned tomato products such as tomato paste and tomato sauce, sweet potatoes, lettuce, cabbage mushrooms, rutabagas, parsnips, broccoli, winter squash and canned pumpkin. Many vegetable juices, such as carrot juice and tomato juice, are also concentrated sources of potassium.
Cook vegetables for short periods in a minimal amount of liquid to retain potassium. When boiled or braised with liquids, some potassium leaches out from the vegetables during cooking and is lost in the cooking liquid. Potassium is not destroyed, however, so there is no loss if the vegetables are cooked in a soup, stew or any dish where the liquid is consumed.
Legumes
Legumes such as white beans, black beans, lima beans, soybeans, pinto beans, kidney beans, black-eye peas, split peas and lentils are also high in potassium. Try them in soups, stews and burritos and other Mexican-style foods. Most legumes also stand alone as starchy side dishes in place of pasta, rice or potatoes.
Other
Dairy products--especially concentrated milk products such as yogurt, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk--are all good sources of potassium. Regular milk and low-fat milk contain potassium, and you can even add chocolate milk and milkshakes to the list of good sources.
Fish such as halibut, haddock, rockfish, tuna and cod, and shellfish such as clams and crabs are very good sources of potassium. Other foods that can be considered good sources include molasses, sunflower seeds, almonds and barley.
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