High Potassium in Green Juicing

by Ted Penny
(Pink Hill, N.C.)

Q: My question: If I juice greens such as collard leaves and other greens which are high in potassium will my potassium level increase to levels that would be harmful to me?

I am on a low potassium diet. How could I calculate the potassium levels, say in one ounce of green collard juce.

A: Hi Ted! Well, if you are on a low potassium diet and worried about the levels you might be consuming, I would definitely say to check with your doctor on the amount of greens or other fruits and veggies you safely can have each day.

And if you are worried about it, then juice other fruits and vegetables with lower potassium amounts.

To calcuate potassium levels, this is what I would do: Take the produce that you are juicing, and calculate the potassium levels in the whole vegetable. You will get about the same amount juicing, just in a concentrated form.

For example, the potassium in 1 cup of chopped collard greens are 60.8 mg. So if you juice one cup of the raw vegetable, that would be the amount that you would be drinking, give or take. If you decide to juice three cups, it would be 3x that amount, at 182.4 mg.

You can get this information by going to www.nutritiondata.self.com. You'll be able to input the vegetable or fruit you are juicing and it will provide you with the nutrition facts.

Hope that this will help. Be safe and talk to your doc!