Potassium Free Foods

Potassium deficiency can cause dangerous symptoms, including low blood pressure and a fluctuating heartbeat -- but having too much potassium in your system is dangerous too. Older people are at greater risk of hyperkalemia, or having too much potassium in the blood, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Other things that might contribute to high potassium levels and cause your doctor to put you on a low potassium diet, include poor kidney function and interactions with some prescription medications.

Oils

Potassium is present in almost every food, including fruit, vegetables, meat, legumes and seafood. Oils are one of the few categories that are routinely potassium-free; according to the USDA Nutrient Database, there's no potassium in 1 tbsp. of canola, peanut, sesame, sunflower, safflower, corn, olive and soybean oils.

Sweets

It should come as no surprise that, since the process of refining sugar strips away the nutrients and minerals it originally contained, processed sugar has no potassium. Interestingly, blackstrap molasses -- a byproduct of the sugar refining process -- is a good source of potassium.

Many sweets made with sugar are either potassium-free or nearly so. The USDA lists hard candies, powdered sugar, gumdrops, and gelatin desserts made with water as containing 1mg or less of potassium per serving.

Baking Ingredients

Whole grains are a source of potassium, but some of the other ingredients that go into baked goods aren't. Sugar and oils aside, potassium-free ingredients include baking soda, lard, hydrogenated soybean shortening and salt. Still more ingredients are nearly potassium-free, according to the USDA: double-acting baking powder, margarine, vegetable-oil margarine and butter all have 3mg or less of potassium.

Beverages

Although carbonated beverages aren't completely potassium-free, they come close; according to the USDA, carbonated ginger ale, pepper-type and root beer sodas contain 4 mg of potassium per 12-fl oz. serving, and all distilled alcoholic beverages, 90 proof and below, contain 1 mg of potassium in a 1.5 fl oz. shot.