How to Treat Low Potassium Blood Levels

Blood potassium levels must be maintained between 3.5 and 5.0 mEq/liter for the body to function properly. Keep your potassium where it should be to optimize your physical and mental health.

Instructions

1

Eat foods high in potassium, such as avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, raisins, salmon, tuna, milk, oranges and baked potatoes.

2

Avoid overboiling foods because this causes potassium to diffuse out of the food and into the water.

3

Consider that canned fruit is lower in usable potassium than fresh fruit.

4

Understand that the potassium in grains is found in the germ and the bran. Thus, the more processed the food, the less potassium it contains.

5

Switch your diuretics, which is a medicine that causes you to urinate more frequently. Your doctor may change your potassium-depleting diuretic to a different type of diuretic.

6

Drink plenty of water. Kidneys regulate the volume and makeup of the extracellular fluids in our bodies, so giving them adequate amounts of fluid helps to keep potassium and other electrolytes in balance.

7

Take potassium supplements. Usually 20 to 80 mEq/day is needed to raise the blood potassium level of those who are potassium-deficient.

8

Discuss any vitamin supplementation with your physician. Even "natural" products can cause great disruption to your electrolyte balance.