Potassium is an essential electrolyte most adults in the United States do not get enough of. This calculator compares the potassium you enter — directly or from a food log — against the sex-specific Adequate Intake (AI) target set by the National Institutes of Health, and optionally shows how your sodium and potassium intake balance against each other. This guide explains where the targets come from, why the sodium-potassium balance matters, and where this tool's limits are.
Why potassium intake targets exist
Potassium helps regulate fluid balance, transmit nerve signals, and contract muscles, including the heart. Because the body cannot produce it, potassium has to come from food — fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy, and some fish are the richest sources — or from supplements.
The National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements sets the potassium Adequate Intake (AI) at 3,400 mg/day for adult men and 2,600 mg/day for adult women, reflecting the National Academies' 2019 Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. Most adults in national surveys fall short of these targets, which is one reason potassium is flagged as a nutrient of public health concern.
Why the sodium-to-potassium ratio matters
Sodium and potassium work in opposition inside and outside the body's cells, and research consistently links a lower sodium-to-potassium (Na:K) ratio — meaning relatively more potassium than sodium — to more favourable blood pressure outcomes than looking at either mineral alone. That is why this calculator offers an optional Na:K Ratio tab alongside the primary potassium target check.
A ratio below 1.0 means you consumed more potassium (by weight) than sodium that day. It is a useful complementary signal, not a replacement for tracking either nutrient individually.
Building your total with a food log
Few people know their exact daily potassium intake off the top of their head. The Food Log tab lets you add potassium amounts for individual foods — a medium banana has about 422 mg, a medium baked potato with skin about 900 mg, a cup of cooked spinach about 840 mg — and sums them into a running total you can apply directly to the Daily Target tab.
Nutrition labels and databases (like the USDA FoodData Central) are the most reliable source for per-food potassium values if you want to build an accurate log.
Limits and when to talk to a clinician
This calculator is for general nutrition education, not a diagnosis or personalised dietary prescription. It uses a single Adequate Intake reference value per sex and does not adjust for age, kidney function, pregnancy, athletic activity, or medication use, all of which can change how much potassium is appropriate for a given person.
High potassium intake is a genuine safety concern specifically for people with impaired kidney function or those taking medications that raise blood potassium (such as certain blood pressure medications and potassium-sparing diuretics) — a condition called hyperkalemia. If you have kidney disease, are on dialysis, or take these medications, talk to a clinician before changing your potassium intake; do not use this calculator to make that decision on your own.