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Whether you’re avoiding high-potassium foods or adding potassium-rich foods, the farmer’s market offers some good foods to eat for kidney health. Farmer’s market foods are also eco-friendly and typically less expensive.

While you’re at the farmer’s market (search  to find one near you), remember the following information about potassium so you can make the best choices for your diet.

Low potassium selections

The low potassium fruits and vegetables in this list (below 200 mg/serving) are healthy choices, especially for people on hemodialysis who need to avoid high potassium levels. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) but not on dialysis may have normal or low potassium levels and don’t require potassium restriction if their lab values are normal on an unrestricted potassium diet.

Low potassium fruits:

Apples

Apricots

Blackberries

Blueberries

Cherries, sweet

Grapefruit

Grapes

Peach

Asian Pear

Plum

Raspberries

Rhubarb

Strawberries

Watermelon

Low-potassium vegetables:

Asparagus

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Corn

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Green Beans

Mushrooms, white

Okra

Onion

Peas, green

Radish, red

Scallion, bulb and tops

Squash, crookneck

Squash, zucchini

Turnips

Turnip Greens

High-potassium fruits and vegetables

The high potassium fruits and vegetables (over 200 mg/serving) in the list below may need to be limited if you are on a low-potassium diet. However, it’s possible to plan small amounts of some of these foods and still stay within your daily target for potassium. Portion size and frequency are important considerations.

 If you’re on peritoneal dialysis (PD you may need to add high potassium foods to avoid potassium depletion. If you’re on home hemodialysis (HHD) or nocturnal dialysis you may find your kidney diet is more liberal in potassium since the treatment provides more dialysis than traditional in-center hemodialysis. People in early stages of CKD usually don’t require a potassium restriction unless blood levels are above normal.

High-potassium fruits:

Avocado

Cantaloupe

Honeydew

Nectarine

Orange

Pear

High-potassium vegetables:

Artichoke

Beets

Brussels Sprouts

Lima Beans (butter beans)

Mushroom, portabella

Potato, russet

Potato, red skin

Pumpkin

Some vegetables, like potatoes, can be double-boiled or soaked to reduce potassium. The above food lists don’t include high-potassium fruits like banana, kiwi or mango or high-potassium vegetables like bitter melon, bamboo shoots or taro, as these are  imported from other countries. Ask your renal dietitian for additional information on potassium sources in the kidney diet.