What are some low potassium substitutes for tomatoes and dried beans/peas/lentils?

[magnoliasouth]

I have been switched to a low potassium diet... that I absolutely hate. Every food I love is high in potassium. :(

I've bought a couple of cookbooks, but they don't offer any substitutes for things you love. It is apparently much easier to just say "don't eat them" than offer alternatives. It's so disappointing, not to mention terribly depressing.

I've managed to figure out good substitutions for spinach and many fruits. I'm just having trouble now with tomatoes, dried beans/peas/lentils,

I use tomatoes in probably half my cooking. From tomato sauce to salsas to just good ol' fashioned raw. I also use dried legumes in another quarter to a half of my cooking.

I do know that in my beloved Mexican food I can substitute tomatillos with peppers for the tomatoes, most of the time, but what about tomato based dishes such as marinara or whatever? Then I love my black beans, cannellini beans, black-eyed peas and lentils.

Do you all have any suggestions for me? I am crossing my fingers that you do.

[Ruthie789]

You could also go on the website of the dialysis department of the hospital, sometimes information could be provided on diets for low potassium, low sodium.

[paulj]

I just found out that lentils and wheat berries makes a nice combination. If wheat and related grains are ok, you might try whole grains as a substitute for lentils. They won't have protein of lentils, but the texture will be similar.

Whole wheat berries (rye also) stay pretty chewy, but pearled (polished) versions cook faster and are more tender. A farro salad can use many of the same flavorings as a lentil salad.

[laredo]

This website was very helpful to me when I was cooking for a renal/diabetic family member.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp...

It was very challenging and I wish you much luck!

If I am remembering right, canned mandarin oranges were low in K (surprisingly to me). Dole's website shows 115 mg K in half a cup.

[DuchessNukem]

This link will give the online tool that Laredo referenced -- and on this one, you can input amounts served and get the full nutrient breakdown including potassium:

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Edited to add: please do get some advice through a dietician. There's some horribly incorrect info out there on the web.

[tastesgoodwhatisit]

My mom's on a low sodium/low potassium diet.

Roasted red peppers can make a good stand in for tomatoes in a lot of dishes, with maybe a bit of vinegar for the acidity. It's not going to be exactly the same, but is not bad. I hadn't thought of tomatillos - I might try experimenting with a mix of roasted red peppers and tomatillos to stand in for a tomato sauce.

Corn is very useful - whole kernel corn could be used to substitute for beans in some recipes, and roasted corn salsa is very tasty (pan fry kernel corn on moderately high heat in a bit of oil until browned. Cool, mix with finely diced onion, cilantro, and lots of fresh lime juice).

For a bean substitute I might also try a firm mushroom, cut into the appropriate size. Again, not an exact substitution, but maybe a bit of the same texture in the final dish.

As an aside - for pickles, you can do things like beet, cucumber or onion pickles in the fridge with vinegar and spices.

You'll learn more when you meet with the nutritionist, and as they continue to monitor your potassium levels. My mom is pretty strict with her diet, but she is allowed some quantity of tomatoes (fresh rather than canned, but no paste or dried) and the occasional slice of whole wheat bread (her personal most missed item), and can occasionally splurge on some French fries.

[4Snisl]

Can you give us an idea of how many milligrams of sodium and potassium are allowed for you a day? If you don't have a clear idea, this is a good reason for you to consult with a registered dietitian or healthcare provider.

If this is a form of a renal diet, I'm also wondering if you have an ideal range of protein intake and fluid intake as well? Again, just helpful so we can take them into account when making suggestions.

Most cookbooks and standard materials out would say "don't eat them" or "avoid" because individual cases can't be taken into account. However, if we know your particular range, then we might be able to take serving sizes of foods with different potassium concentrations into account.

As far as sodium, the best thing you can do (and which it seems like you ARE doing!) is avoiding processed or prepared foods.

[magnoliasouth]

I'm allowed less than 2 grams of each per day.

It is nearly identical to a renal diet. The problem is that I'm allergic to sulfa drugs. I've lately had an abnormal heart rhythm coupled with an uncontrolled raised blood pressure, which has complicated matters. The blood pressure has been non-responsive to medication too. Mine is an inherited problem, which is unfortunate.

The best diuretics are the ones that contain sulfa, which I cannot take because of my allergy. I have to take medication that is potassium sparing and I'm having to take an unusually high dose, for it to be effective.

To be frank, I'm scared as hell. I'm in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Either my heart will give out (from my blood pressure) or my kidneys will (from the medication). :( I am in a dangerous situation.

I am praying that this is only temporary. I just don't know how I can deal with this on a permanent basis. Hopefully I won't have to.

The other problem is that I do NOT qualify to see a dietitian. If my kidneys fail, or if I become a diabetic I will. An allergy to a medication is evidently not important enough.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start a pitty party here. lol! I really am trying to keep a positive attitude. It's just hard sometimes.

As for the processed foods, you're right, I really don't like processed foods. The only thing I really depended on, processed-wise, was tomato paste. I tried doing that myself. It wasn't pretty. Now though, that seems to not matter too much.

Many thanks to you and all the others for your help. :)

[Ruthie789]

Changing your diet this radically is a big process. Potassium is a natural component of food, it is very hard to work around. It does not sound like you are on a low protein diet, so you could perhaps eat a little more protein than you eat at the moment. Try to make yourself some soup, that is filling and comforting. Many vegetables could go into that broth check your list buy your vegetables according to low levels. Are you allowed to eat calcium, if so you could make some cream based meals, soups, pasta sauce? Yellow and green beans are low, 4 spears of asparagus,are what you could find on my Dad's plate, a chart below with levels: http://www.permanente.net/homepage/ka...

[4Snisl]

Got it- thanks for the additional details!

To mimic the texture of beans, I've found that drained water chestnuts, diced up, can mimic the texture of beans in dishes to some degree. This works well in dishes with flavorful bases/sauces in particular- I usually try to saute them with a bit of the spices so that it absorbs the flavor as much as possible. Eggplant can also work well flavorwise (in that they take on other flavors without much of their own inherent :), but the texture can go to mush in long-stewing recipes.

Figuring out distribution of intake through the day can also be a challenge- a lot of the suggestions here, like stretching out into grain-based dishes, can help. Grains may seem like they need salt to be flavorful, but other ways to add flavor without salt are:
1. "toast" grains like rice or bulgur in a pan with a liuttle olive oil before adding liquid, and
2. use fresh herbs, like oregano, chives, cilantro, and dill (yes, they will contain potassium like most other plant foods, but it's about how the flavor "return in investment", so to speak. :)

Do be cautious wih the homemade stock- it is flavorful without overdoing sodium, but it can also be surprisingly high in potassium. 1 cup homemade chicken stock, according to the USDA database, has about 250 mg potassium.

I thought of you over the past few days as I ate my meals and a few things I made seemed like they could be in the "safer" zones for you:
-raw radish slices (4 radishes made a substantial snack) dipped in soft chive butter (unsalted)
-chicken thigh cutlets that I marinated in honey mustard (just a dab, because I know it can be high in sodium) and chopped fresh herbs, dipped in panko that had been tossed in a little olive oil, and baked until crispy and brown
-pasta tossed with fresh herbs and a few thinly-sliced mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, topped with a poached egg
-"egg foo yung"- just a touch of soy sauce, but most of the flavor in the omelets from toasted sesame oil, fresh minced ginger, crisp bean sprouts, bits of chicken and a few sliced scallions

As a side note, I'm a provider at a free clinic that offers dietetic sevices, and I see people in similar situations all time- insurance won't cover them until they are diagnosed with something that is hard (or impossible) to reverse, and they can't afford to see a dietitian out-of-pocket. It's like waiting something bad to happen and then cleaning up the aftermath instead of investing in simple preventive measures. You're doing what you can to be proactive and avoid any futher limitations (e.g. carbohydrates if you become diagnosed with diabetes) so my hat is off to you. Good luck! :)

[Ruthie789]

Regarding the homemade stock it is a better option than canned in regards to sodium. I was not aware that it was high in potassium, it is a very tough diet to be on.

[nokitchen]

Ouch. I'm bummed you have this diet, which I've never heard of.

That said, now I'm wondering how one would make a synthetic tomato for Italian cooking. Off the top of my head, I'd start with tomatillos as you did but instead of spicy peppers I'd blend in some mild dried peppers like poblanos. Then I'd color them with a healthy dose of crushed achiote seeds, which will add a little bit of a rustic, nutmeggy flavor.

I'll add more ideas as I think of them but I bet that would get you most of the way there. I may try it myself just for fun.

Oh, and subject to your nutritionist's permission I definitely endorse the idea of making your own chicken stock. It's possible (and to me desirable) to make it with virtually no sodium but I have no idea how much potassium might occur naturally.

[Ruthie789]

Am wondering if sun dried tomatoes have as much potassium as regular ones?

[magnoliasouth]

Actually, sun dried has a lot more potassium than a regular tomato, well... by volume anyway. Evidently the drying process doesn't eliminate the potassium and since they become smaller it becomes more concentrated.

I couldn't have told you that last week! I only learned that this a few days ago.

[Ruthie789]

But the link provide below indicates 1 piece is a low level. How many pieces do you need of sun dried tomato to add some flavour? I don't use it often so am not sure how much you need to add to a pasta dish.
I find that planning your meals help in this matter. I made meals in advance for my Dad so it helped to control the level. We had frozen dinners for him all home cooked so it was not a dilemna trying to figure it all out at the last minute. You could flavour your olive oil with some peppers or purchase as such all adding flavour to your dish.

[ohmyyum]

I'm sorry that I don't have any specific suggestions, but here's a tool that might help.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/n...

You can search for foods highest (or in your case, lowest) in specific macro/micronutrients.

Unfortunately, many low sodium products are also high potassium due to the replacement of NaCl with KCl.

I would also highly recommend consulting a registered dietitian if at all possible. Best of luck.

[Ruthie789]

That is a really tough diet to be on. My Dad was on a low potassium diet for well over a year. You could make yourself some angel hair pasta with a lemon basil sauce instead of tomatoes. Christina Ferrare has a lovely recipe for this on her website Big Bowl. You cannot completely avoid all potassium in foods so be aware of how much you are allowed to have per day and maybe this will allow for some foods that you like. Herbs will add some flavour to your food. I also see you must avoid sodium. Canned tomatoes from Italy are lower in salt percentage, look at your limits, calculate your portion you may be allowed to have some. You have to leach your potatoes, carrots, but I did discover that instant potatoes are low in potassium in comparison to the fresh. We used a brand from Costco. Although you mention you do not have a nutritionist, I suspect that you may eventually be able to consult one from the department that you are being treated at. The dietician at my Dad's dialysis center was more than happy to go over the limitations of his diet. It was helpful to work with portions of what he could have as opposed to what he could not have, it made it more realistic.

[MrsJonesey]

I feel for you too. I googled and found this which has lists for both high-potassium foods and low-potassium foods, as well as instructions on how to leach foods. Hope it helps. http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/po...

[magnoliasouth]

Funny you should mention that. My doctor gave me a print out of that very page. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when I read it. I think I cried real tears. No tomatoes? No broccoli? No brussels sprouts? No beans?

Many thanks though for your empathy and taking the time to answer. You're very sweet. :)

[MrsJonesey]

Sorry about that. I would cry too if I were told I couldn't have those foods. You might consider subbing mushrooms sometimes. Are you familiar with crowder peas? From a quick google, they appear to be free of potassium. I love them. They have an earthy flavor and the texture is more like a bean than even black-eyed peas (which would also be a good bean sub). They can be hard to find, but Food Lion carries them here. I buy frozen, but have found them in a can.

Too bad there isn't a test strip, like the strips used to test pH balance, to do a quick test for potassium. Besides the leaching method in the link I provided, I also read you can leach potassium by boiling vegetables in a large volume of water, then draining them.

[magnoliasouth]

I wanted to add too that I'm also now on a low sodium diet. It's a low potassium/low sodium diet. Sorry about that.

[seamunky]

Hi.

For your white chicken chili, perhaps you can use hominy instead of cannellini beans. Cook them from dried so you can avoid the sodium of the canned version. Sweet corn is also low in potassium.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/c...

[magnoliasouth]

Hominy? What an interesting idea! I would have never thought of that. You're brilliant and thank you so much!

[magiesmom]

that's a great idea. Is hominy ok?

[mbfant]

I feel for you! Don't sweat the marinara. You can make a lovely smooth sauce for pasta with roasted bell peppers. Roast and peel the peppers, then puree them in the food processor. You can embellish this variously, with lightly sauteed garlic and its oil one day, lightly sauteed minced onion another, fresh herbs, and plenty of extra virgin olive oil. There's a huge repertoire of tomatoless pasta sauces. I can't help with legumes except to wonder whether there isn't something somewhere in that vast world of peas, beans, and friends that you can eat.

[magnoliasouth]

Thank you! That actually sounds wonderful, the peppers. Many thanks on that. :) I'll have to look into tomatoless pasta sauces then. I tried Googling "tomato free marinara" without success, but maybe I need to try your "tomatoless pasta sauce".

I bought a nutritional book but I can't seem to find any peas and beans that are low enough. That's such a disappointment because I adore my White Chicken Chili, which capitalizes on Cannellini beans. I could eat that, every day, for the rest of my life and never tire of it.

[magiesmom]

I don't know anything about potassium in various foods but I am wondering whether you could just use less of the beans,ie make the white chicken chili but with more chicken, broth and veggies and just a few beans?

can beans be leached like other vegetables?

Are you working with a nutritionist?

[magnoliasouth]

Maybe. One problem is that broth (even reduced sodium) is not allowed. :( Some of the sodium free bouillons have potassium in it to make up for the salt, so it's really difficult.

I was wondering the same thing about beans, if they could be leached. I would SO be all over that if it's possible.

I don't have a nutritionist yet. I'm not sure I'll get one either. I do have a nutritional book though that gives me the potassium values of most foods.

[Ruthie789]

You may have to start making your own broth, chicken broth is really easy to do! I do use a brand that is low in salt, the name escapes me but will post a reference to it when I get home.

[magiesmom]

Broth is easy to make, no sodium needed.