Potassium is an essential mineral that helps regulate fluid balance, nerve signals, and muscle contractions, yet many people fall short of the 4,700 mg Daily Value used on U.S. nutrition labels. Because potassium content varies widely between foods, it can be hard to know how your meals add up — especially when you're eating pale-colored staples that don't look nutrient-dense. Our White Potassium Calculator makes it easy to estimate how much potassium you're getting from common white foods, from baked potatoes and cooked white beans to cauliflower, mushrooms, parsnips, white fish, and dairy.
Simply pick a food, enter your portion weight in grams, and adjust the number of servings. The tool instantly reports total potassium in milligrams, its share of the Daily Value, and a banana-equivalent comparison so you can mentally connect the number to a familiar fruit. If your doctor has given you a different daily potassium target, uncheck the default and enter that value instead.
Whether you're tracking potassium for general wellness, managing blood pressure, or planning kidney-friendly meals with a dietitian, this calculator gives you a practical snapshot of one nutrient across many everyday white foods. It is intended for educational use, not as a substitute for professional dietary advice.
White Potassium Calculator
Estimate the potassium in common white foods from your portion size.
📊 Your Potassium Estimate
Quick Start
Using the calculator takes four quick steps:
- Select the white food that matches your meal from the dropdown. Each option lists its potassium density in mg per 100 g so you can compare choices at a glance.
- Enter the portion weight in grams. If you do not have a scale, use the preset buttons (50 g, 100 g, 150 g, 250 g) or the household estimates in the reference table below.
- Adjust the number of servings. You can use halves such as 1.5 or 2.5 if you ate a double portion or shared a snack.
- Press Calculate to see total potassium, percent of Daily Value, and banana equivalent. Use Reset to start over.
How It Works
The calculator uses a simple proportional formula:
Total potassium (mg) = potassium per 100 g × (portion weight in g ÷ 100) × number of servings
Percent of Daily Value is the total divided by your chosen daily target (default 4,700 mg), multiplied by 100. The banana equivalent uses the familiar benchmark of 422 mg per medium banana, so 844 mg displays as 2.0 bananas. Composition data come from standard food-composition databases such as USDA FoodData Central. Because cooking method, variety, and soil can shift mineral content by 10–20%, treat the result as an estimate rather than a laboratory value.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — Baked potato with skin. Select 'Potato, white, baked with skin' (535 mg/100 g), enter 150 g and 1 serving. Result: 535 × 1.5 × 1 = 802.5 mg, about 17.1% of the 4,700 mg target. A single medium potato contributes a surprisingly large share of the day's potassium.
Example 2 — White bean side dish. Choose cooked white beans (561 mg/100 g), portion 180 g, servings 1. Total = 561 × 1.8 = 1,009.8 mg, about 21.5% of the daily target, making beans one of the richest white-food options.
Example 3 — Mixed vegetables. At 120 g each, raw mushrooms (318 mg/100 g) provide 381.6 mg and raw cauliflower (299 mg/100 g) provide 358.8 mg. Combined, the plate adds about 740 mg. The calculator handles one food at a time, so add the totals when a meal contains several white foods.
Standard Values & Reference Data
The table below shows potassium density for the foods in the calculator. Use it to estimate when you don't have the tool open or to compare a food against the 4,700 mg Daily Value.
| Food (common measure) | Approx. weight | Potassium (mg) | % DV (4,700 mg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| White beans, cooked (1 cup) | 180 g | 1,010 mg | 21.5% |
| Baked white potato with skin (medium) | 150 g | 803 mg | 17.1% |
| Boiled white potato (medium) | 150 g | 492 mg | 10.5% |
| Raw cauliflower (1 cup, chopped) | 107 g | 320 mg | 6.8% |
| Raw white mushrooms (1 cup, sliced) | 70 g | 223 mg | 4.7% |
| 2% milk (1 cup) | 244 g | 366 mg | 7.8% |
| White rice, cooked (1 cup) | 158 g | 55 mg | 1.2% |
Boiled foods lose more potassium to the cooking water than baked or roasted foods, which is why the same potato can have different values depending on preparation.
Factors That Affect Accuracy
Potassium content in real food varies with growing conditions, plant variety, storage, and cooking method. Boiling leaches potassium into the water; roasting and baking retain more. If you are tracking potassium for a medical condition such as chronic kidney disease, use this calculator only as a rough educational guide and follow your care team's personalized limits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the default target 4,700 mg? That is the Daily Value for potassium printed on U.S. Nutrition Facts labels. If your doctor or dietitian recommends a different amount, uncheck the default and enter your own target.
Why compare to a banana? Bananas are the most familiar potassium-rich fruit, so converting your total to 'banana equivalents' gives a quick mental image. It is simply a conversion, not a nutritional recommendation.
Is white rice a poor source of potassium? Refined white rice is naturally low — about 35 mg per 100 g cooked — so it appears in some low-potassium eating plans. White beans and potatoes are much richer choices.
Where can I find more detailed nutrient data? The USDA FoodData Central database is the standard reference for food composition, and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements explains potassium requirements, food sources, and health effects.