# Are there any drinks high in potassium that don't require refrigeration **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604 "2012-05-02T04:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/1 "2012-05-02T04:15:50Z")
Milk and orange juice are both high in potassium. V8 low sodium is incredibly high in potassium, about 900mg per 8 oz serving. But they all need refrigeration. Are there high potassium beverages that don’t require refrigeration? I guess buying V8 and orange juice in a can could work. That is more expensive than buying the 46-64oz containers, but I wouldn’t need to refrigerate it. I don’t like the taste of powdered milk. Anything else I can try? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/2 "2012-05-02T05:27:43Z")
A potassium tablet and a glass of water? Potassium bicarbonate dissolved in a glass of water? ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/3 "2012-05-02T06:28:20Z")
How long will it sit out? If you’ll finish it in a day or two, the V8 will be fine at RT. I wouldn’t let it go more than 48 hours though (well, actually _I_ would, but wouldn’t recommend it for someone else). Like **Blake** said, you could add potassium bicarbonate (or chloride, I suppose) to water and make your own arbitrarily strong K drink. Adding sugar-free Crystal Lite or something will make it taste better. Is there a reason you want it in drink form? Because there are plenty of high-potassium fruits and vegetables that are fine at room temp and quick to eat; bananas, oranges, piece of broccoli, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/4 "2012-05-02T07:12:56Z")
Edit : never mind, just reread the OP ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/5 "2012-05-02T08:37:15Z")
Coconut water isn’t as high in potassium as orange juice, but it’s another option. About 250mg/serving, but remember a serving is much smaller than most people drink. My local Mexican grocery carries UHT single serve packs of coconut water that don’t require refrigeration, although to be honest, they don’t \*taste \*so great at room temp. But if you need to supplement potassium, my suggestion is water to drink and a [potassium supplement](http://www.puritan.com/potassium-159?scid=6831&cm_guid=1-_-100000000000000039605-_-14340162031&cm_mmc=Google-_-Mineral_Potassium-_-potassium%20supplements-_-Exact+Ad_14340162031&mkwid=s2aT4AguC&pcrid=14340162031&pmt=e&kw=potassium%20supplements&gclid=CKqY0rCZ4a8CFZDrKgod4DFXAg#tab=tab-1) for the potassium. Easier to control the dose, easier to take with you and far cheaper per mg, without the excess empty calories of fruit or vegetable juices. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/6 "2012-05-02T10:14:17Z")
You can also buy shelf stable milk, although you still need to refrigerate them once open or stick with single-serving containers, which tend to be rather pricey. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/7 "2012-05-02T10:46:03Z")
KCl probably has a shelf life of a few billion (if not trillion) years. Until the protons decay. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/8 "2012-05-02T10:50:34Z")
Why are you specifically looking for a drink? An orange has as much potassium as orange juice, right there in a convenient, round, room-temperature-stable package. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/9 "2012-05-02T14:37:36Z")
My last hospital stay I was given Breeze by Boost. Evil juice box like, but containing up to 25% of the RDA of many vitamins and minerals, and even some protein. I lived on it and chicken broth for a couple of days following surgery. All the convenience of a juice box, and nutrition too. ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/10 "2012-05-02T14:42:06Z")
Get some NuSalt at the store, add some to some water, chug it down. There’s all the potassium you can handle, all for pennies (per dose). ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/11 "2012-05-02T20:28:28Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > An orange has as much potassium as orange juice, right there in a convenient, round, room-temperature-stable package. Not only that, but it has a non-slip, waterproof, biodegradable wrapping that smells good. And it’s sectioned into bite-sized, easy-to-eat morsels. So nice to have our needs met by a benevolent intelligent designer! ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/12 "2012-05-03T18:40:39Z")
I drink Ensure. I believe it comes from the grocery store shelf (Mister Vigilante does the shopping), but probably needs to be refrigerated at some point. The one called Revigor (I think that’s the name; strawberry flavor) has 900 mg of potassium; that’s what I drink it for. It does come in powder form though. [Ensure.com](http://www.ensure.com) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/13 "2012-05-03T23:29:20Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > KCl probably has a shelf life of a few billion (if not trillion) years. Until the protons decay. Well, some of it will turn into argon or calcium, since one of the isotopes in naturally occurring potassium is radioactive (and, if anyone is confused, not due to proton decay, which may or may not be a real thing). > [@randomface](#): > > Get some NuSalt at the store, add some to some water, chug it down. There’s all the potassium you can handle, all for pennies (per dose). True, but he may not be wanting the extra sodium he would get that way. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/14 "2012-05-04T02:08:08Z")
> **[Coconut water](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_water)** > > Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As growth continues, the endosperm matures into its cellular phase and deposits into the rind of the coconut pulp. The liquid inside young coconuts is often preferred to the liquid of a ripened coconut. Coconut water from young green coconuts is also known specifically as bu ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/15 "2012-05-04T04:07:11Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > True, but he may not be wanting the extra sodium he would get that way. Nu Salt (and many other salt substitutes) are mostly potassium chloride with some binders/fillers, but no NaCl. ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/16 "2012-05-04T13:15:49Z")
Lite Salt is half NaCl, half KCl. NuSalt is all KCl (or at least the majority is) but it is sodium free. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/17 "2012-05-04T13:46:31Z")
I’ve never been able to figure out the theory behind limiting the dosage of potassium supplements to no more than 99 mg K per tablet (around 3% of the RDA for potassium) while allowing the sale of KCl salt substitutes that contain 650 mg K per quarter teaspoon. On a cost per dose basis, potassium supplements are for chumps. ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-drinks-high-in-potassium-that-dont-require-refrigeration/620604/18 "2012-05-04T16:09:46Z")
I think it has something to do with the risk of pills getting caught in your throat and damaging your tissues with a concentrated blast of potassium salt.