Potatoes are high in potassium (also know as “K”) which is a nutrient that must be limited when following a diet to manage kidney disease. People following a kidney-friendly diet can cut up and soak their potatoes in water to reduce their potassium content.
Certain high-potassium foods, such as potatoes, can be soaked in water to reduce their potassium content for people on the kidney diet. For years, renal dietitians have instructed patients on low-potassium diets to cut up and leach or soak potatoes to reduce the potassium load.
Potassium. Mashed potatoes benefit your health because they offer a rich source of potassium. Each cup of mashed potatoes provides 622 milligrams of potassium, or 13 percent of your recommended daily intake, according to the NYU Langone Medical Center.
Results: Mean potassium content was highest in the purple Viking potato (448.1 6 60.5 mg [11.5 6 1.6 mEq]/100 g [values are mean 6 SD unless otherwise noted]), and lowest in the Idaho potato (295 6 15.7 mg [7.6 6 0.4 mEq]/100 g).
Potassium in Mashed Potatoes
This is with whole milk, which also has a lot of potassium. You can learn about milk for the renal diet in our article here. However, prepared mashed potatoes have even more potassium. Ready-made mashed potatoes can have almost 700 milligrams of potassium per one-cup serving.
Frying potatoes in oil lowered phosphorus content by 37%, whereas steaming them reduced phosphorus content by 27%. Roasting frozen hake in oil led to a 49% decrease in phosphorus content.
Leaching method: Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a large pot of warm tap water and soak for 2 to 4 hours. Drain and set aside.
People withe chronic kidney disease or on dialysis who require a low potassium diet can still eat potatoes by using a technique to reduce potassium. Although potassium is not totally removed, it is lowered enough to safely include a small portion and keep your diet kidney-friendly.
MYTH #2. MOST COOKING METHODS DESTROY THE NUTRIENTS IN POTATOES. While boiling potatoes does cause a small loss of water-soluble nutrients like vitamin C and vitamin B6, the white potato retains most, if not all, of its potassium and dietary fiber regardless of cooking method, such as baking, boiling, or frying.
Put limits on phosphorus- and potassium-laden foods.
To keep phosphorus and potassium levels at a minimum, cut out or reduce your intake of dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream, creamy soups, chocolate), dried beans, peas, nuts and peanut butter.
Avoid salty items like soy sauce, French fries (also high in potassium), and macaroni and cheese. Instead, order vegetables like carrots, green beans, or corn.
Soaking potatoes may remove some potassium but it will not remove as much as double boiling. There are two cooking methods you can use to significantly reduce the potassium content in your potatoes. The first method is often referred to as “double boiling”.
The Potato is a Food Rich in Potassium
One medium potato (5.3 ounces) with the skin contains 620 mg of potassium. That's 15% of your daily requirement and more than a banana.
Overall, potatoes contain more vitamins and nutrients than rice, but when you add toppings such as butter, sour cream, gravy, bacon bits and salt, the number of calories and fat grams in a baked potato increases significantly.
The United States Department of Agriculture considers that a serving of mashed potatoes is 1 cup, which equals 210 grams (g) or almost half a pound (0.46 pounds). But don't let anyone dictate(r) to you the size of a mashed potato serving. If you want to eat 2 cups, or even 3, it's your decision.
The 2004 Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiatives (KDOQI) guidelines recommend that patients with CKD stage 3–5 limit potassium to 2–4 g/d (16).
Don't eat ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, lunch meats, chicken tenders or nuggets, or regular canned soup. Only eat reduced-sodium soups that don't have potassium chloride as an ingredient (check the food label.) Also, only eat 1 cup, not the whole can.
Pastas and noodles are actually good for CKD patients, especially since they can fit a renal healthy diet (also check our useful guide on pizza for kidney dieting). Some dishes may be more suitable for you than others, depending on your specific needs.
Foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, such as crisps, chocolate, biscuits and cakes, can be included in your diet. However, because they do not contain good nutrients, they should only be included in small amounts occasionally.