Pay attention to phosphates and potassium in your diet if you suffer from certain medical conditions. An excess or deficiency of potassium can create serious medical problems if you have heart failure because your kidneys can no longer regulate potassium well. Maintain, but don't exceed dietary requirements of potassium. The recommended daily allowance of potassium is 2000mg per day.
On the other hand, if you have diabetes or kidney disease, you must limit your consumption of potassium and phosphate, which is a chemical variation of the element of phosphorus. The recommended daily allowance of phosphates and phosphorus is 700mg per day. If you have any of these medical conditions, you should consult with a dietitian to review and monitor your diet.
Potassium Vegetables
Vegetables that contain either moderate or high levels of potassium include acorn and butternut squash, artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, corn, eggplant, greens such as spinach or kale, mushrooms, peppers, baked potato, pumpkin, radishes, spinach or other greens, tomato, yams and zucchini. Processed, mixed and prepared vegetables also contain high levels of potassium, including vegetables such as sauerkraut, pickles, vegetable juice cocktail and stews and vegetable soups. You can reduce potassium levels in stews and soups by boiling diced vegetables until they're done, and then draining off the water. Diced potatoes can be leached for four hours in cool water to remove much of the potassium.
Potassium Fruit
Fruit that contains either moderate or high amounts of potassium include apricots, avocado, bananas and plantains, cherries, cantaloupe, coconut, dried fruits, honeydew, kiwi, nectarine, olives, oranges and other citrus fruits, papaya, peaches, pear, plums, pineapple, prunes, strawberries and watermelon. Juice made from these fruit also contains high levels of potassium, as do dried fruit such as figs, prunes and raisins.
Potassium Breads and Grains
Breads and grains that contain moderate amounts of potassium include bran bread, corn tortilla, crackers, muffins, oat and granola cereal, rolls, wheat cereal and whole wheat and pumpernickel bread.
Potassium and Protein
Various protein sources contain potassium. Dairy foods that have moderate or high levels of potassium include milk, yogurt and eggs. Beef, fish, poultry, pork and veal have moderate levels of potassium.
Potassium Legumes, Nuts & Seeds
Legumes, nuts and certain seeds contain high levels of potassium. All dried beans and peas have high potassium, including split peas, chick peas, pinto, kidney, pink, red, lima, baked and all other beans. Pumpkin seeds, all soy products, imitation bacon bits and all nuts likewise contain high levels of potassium.
Phosphate Foods
Dairy products such as eggs, milk, yogurt, custard, ice cream and processed cheese have high phosphate content. Meats such as beef, pork, lamb and veal; poultry such as chicken and turkey; and fish and seafood have high phosphate levels. All legumes including dried beans, baked beans, lentils and chickpeas have high phosphates, as do all nuts, nut pastes, seeds and chocolate. Bran and whole-grain products such as porridge, whole-grain bread, brown rice and soy linseed have high phosphates.
Phosphate in Processed Foods
Increasingly, food manufacturers use phosphorus additives to elongate shelf life and enhance the flavor of many foods, reports Science Daily. Sodas and soft drinks have high levels of phosphorus, as do deli meats, hot dogs, sausage, frozen pizza, ketchup, mayonnaise and packaged bakery. Products with citric acid or sugar don't necessarily contain high levels of phosphates, but these substances compound the effects of phosphates, according to Web-Outpatients.com, intensifying the relative impact of low levels of phosphates. Foods with high levels of sugar or citric acid along with phosphates include soda, candies and syrups. Review product labels to identify phosphorus or phosphate compounds. Look for ingredients that include phosphate within the word, such as ammonium phosphate dibasic or monocalcium orthophosphate. Foods with emulsifiers, lecithin, baking powder, self-rising flour and mineral salts also may have high phosphates.
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