Potassium is an electrolyte, a mineral that balances electrical and chemical functions in every cell in your body. All foods provide potassium, according to MedlinePlus, an online resource of the National Institutes of Health; meats and fish are particularly good sources. Vegetables take potassium from the soil; those grown in the ground --- like potatoes, and especially the skin --- are good sources. Fruits, when dried, concentrate their potassium. Milk, yogurt and nuts are also high in this nutrient. Both high and low potassium levels can cause medical problems. Consult your doctor before dramatically altering your diet to change your potassium intake.
Vegetables
The champion potassium producer among vegetables is a large baked potato, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation; it packs about 850 milligrams of potassium with the skin on, and 610 mg without skin. One medium artichoke, 1/2-cup servings of oil-roasted, unsalted peanuts, Swiss chard, soy beans and winter squash, and one 5-inch head of Boston lettuce all deliver between 400 and 500 mg of potassium. If your doctor advises you to include low-potassium foods in your diet, a 1/2-cup of raw alfalfa sprouts contains less than 15 mg, while 1 cup of air-popped popcorn contains only 20 mg. Green beans, cucumber and collards provides under 100 mg per 1/2-cup. If you need to reduce potassium intake further, boil vegetables and discard the water. Potassium is water-soluble.
Fruits
A 1/2-cup of dried apricots can give you nearly 900 mg of potassium, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation reports, while and 1/4-cup of fresh honeydew melon comes in at 875 mg. A 1/2-cup of dried peaches or half of a medium Florida avocado deliver between 700 and 800 mg. On the low-potassium side of the nutrition ledger, you can find less than 40 mg of potassium in a 1/2-cup of cranberry sauce and less than 100 mg in a peeled apple or 1/2-cup of watermelon.
Meats
You can check the potassium levels of more than 1,200 foods and beverages in the U. S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database. Canned, cured corned beef provides the lowest potassium level for beef, at about 116 mg per 3 ounces, while lean top sirloin, trimmed to 1/8 inch of fat, delivers 320 mg in 3 oz. A chicken wing has 68 mg of potassium to 112 mg for a drumstick, while 3 oz. of breast meat has about 220 mg. Among fish, 3 oz. of flounder delivers almost 300 mg; a half-fillet of halibut packs more than 900 mg.
Grains
White wheat flour contains between 130 and 160 mg of potassium per cup, depending on the processing, while whole-grain wheat flour provides 490 mg, according to the USDA database. Raw, pearled barley has about 560 mg per cup, but cooking leaches out most electrolytes, reducing potassium to only 145 mg per cup. For a low-potassium grain, try cooking long-grain, white, instant and enriched rice, which contains only 7 mg potassium per cup.
Beverages
Whole milk, with 3.25 percent butterfat, delivers about 350 mg of potassium per cup, the USDA database reports. On the high-potassium end of the beverage spectrum, a cup of condensed, canned and sweetened milk packs more than 1,100 mg; meanwhile, 1 tablespoon of dried buttermilk delivers just a low of 100 mg. Six oz. of brewed tea delivers less than 30 mg; coffee has 125 mg in a 6 oz. cup. Orange juice contains about 250 mg of potassium per 1/2-cup.
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