Renal Diet Food List – While some people eat 3 meals a day, others may spread out their meals and eat smaller meals and a few snacks. After all, you have to decide when and what to eat.
However, making food choices and meal planning can be overwhelming and challenging with kidney disease. Here are some of the best kidney diet snacks for you in this post. Let’s try them!
Renal Diet Food List
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Diet For Kidney Health
Although snacks sometimes get a bad rap, snacks can be an important part of your diet. Eating healthy, tasty snacks between meals is a great way to control hunger, and helps you make healthy food choices at meals. Plus, snacks are a great opportunity to add more fruits and vegetables to your day, which are so important on a kidney diet.
Walk down the snack aisle of your local grocery store, and you’ll find a wide range of snack options. However, if you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), it’s best to avoid certain ingredients in snack foods.
Depending on your labs and medical history, your doctor or dietitian may recommend that you limit phosphorus, potassium, protein, or sodium to keep your body in balance.
By knowing what a kidney diet looks like for you, a kidney diet breakfast can be a healthy and delicious part of your day!
Renal Diet Guide 2020: Complete Nutritional Guide To Manage Kidney Disease And Avoid Dialysis. Includes List Of Foods To Avoid And Eat: Peterson, Nancy: 9798605411536: Books
Walking down the breakfast aisle, you may be surprised by the variety of options. But, how do you know which one is right for you? The easiest way is to return the package and read the label.
If your lab shows high potassium levels, it’s a good idea to watch how much potassium you eat. Low-potassium snacks contain less than 200 milligrams (mg) of potassium per serving.
It’s a good idea to check out ingredients that also contain potassium! The potassium content adds extra (highly absorbable!) potassium to your breakfast. They are especially common in “low sugar” or “sugar free” products.
Also, don’t forget about phosphorus. In general, you don’t need to worry about natural phosphorus in grains, beans, legumes, and vegetables. It is the phosphorus added to the diet that should be limited.
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You can often find phosphorus additives in highly processed snack foods such as snack mixes, lunch meats, bacon, jerky and frozen prepared foods.
Whole foods are those that remain as close to their state as possible in nature. Without artificial processing, whole foods retain almost all of their nutrients and are less likely to contain harmful substances.
Let’s start with the fruit! Fruit makes the perfect kidney diet snack. Many fruits are pre-portioned and easy to take with you.
Then, we need to talk about vegetables. Vegetables are a great way to get some work out of your kidneys!
Diet & Nutrition
Try getting fresh broccoli, cucumber, capsicum, carrots, celery or snap peas. Not only are they delicious, but they are also beneficial for your kidneys and overall health.
Finally, don’t forget about the unsalted nuts and seeds! These plant proteins are a wonderful snack option for the heart and kidneys. Look for unsalted or lightly salted options to reduce sodium. If you want to limit potassium, keep your portion size in the cup.
It’s unexpected, isn’t it? But, yes, you can still enjoy popcorn while on the kidney diet. Popcorn is a good source of fiber and aids in digestion. Of course, lots of salt and butter can be a problem. Pop your own popcorn at home.
If you go for pre-popped popcorn, remember to read the label and look for the “low sodium” or “light salted” versions. Skinny Pop* is my favorite store-bought popcorn with only 75 milligrams of sodium per 4 cups!
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You can always find grapes at the grocery store. This year-round fruit is not only delicious but also offers a ton of nutrition in a small package.
These sweet fruits are also stone friendly! A 1/2 cup of grapefruit contains only 2 milligrams of sodium, 144 milligrams of potassium and 15 milligrams of phosphorus.
Like other tree nuts, walnuts are very beneficial for your health. Most importantly, walnuts are the only nut that contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid that are beneficial for heart and brain health.
Nuts, and other plant proteins, are associated with a reduced risk of end-stage kidney disease and delayed development. (x) Since walnuts are rich in fiber and healthy fats, just a handful will fill you up.
Top Foods To Avoid For Chronic Kidney Disease
Be sure to check the labels and choose unsalted walnuts! These raw walnuts* are a great choice – they contain 0mg sodium, 120mg potassium and 160mg natural phosphorus per serving.
Cow’s milk can contain large amounts of potassium and phosphorus. Less non-dairy yogurt and milk! Try yogurt made with coconut, oat, cashew or almond milk. As always, pay attention to phosphorus additives in these products.
I am obsessed with these green peas* snacks. They are a fun way to get in some extra veggies. The lightly salted version contains only 75mg sodium per serving!
Craving something sweet? Animal Crackers* and Graham Crackers* are the perfect snack for kidney beans, with just a touch of sweetness to them. Be sure to check the ingredients for phosphate additives.
Renal Diet: Guide For The Management Of Kidney Diseases, With Food Plan And Meal Planning With Low Sodium, Low Phosphorus, Low Potassium And Liquid Intake: Clark, Vivian: 9798640203707: Books
Seeds are an excellent plant-based protein that is full of fiber. My favorite seeds for breakfast are sunflower and pumpkin seeds! Just look for “low sodium” or “light salted” options to keep salt in check.
Rice cake doesn’t have to be boring! Drizzle a spread of nut butter or avocado over them. Or, try flavored rice cakes (check the sodium in these)! I like apple cinnamon*!
Although small in size, blueberries are truly a nutritional powerhouse! They are full of antioxidants and vitamins. In particular, blueberries contain a group of antioxidants called anthocyanins, which may protect against heart disease, some cancers, cognitive decline, and diabetes. (I)
In addition, blueberries are a great addition to a kidney diet. Blueberries are low in sodium, phosphorus and potassium. Can you imagine that one cup of fresh blueberries contains only 2 milligrams of sodium, 114 milligrams of potassium and 18 milligrams of phosphorus?
Low Sodium Foods And Ckd (chronic Kidney Disease)
Now that we’ve covered some of the best kidney diet snacks, it’s time to eliminate some of the foods that aren’t the best choices for kidney health.
Potato chips are crunchy and delicious, but they may not be the best kidney diet snack to eat all the time. One serving of potato chips contains about 160 milligrams of sodium. If you really want crunchy chips, try lightly salted tortilla chips* for a more kidney-friendly option!
Beef and other jerky is a popular and convenient snack, but not a good choice for a kidney diet. Because it is highly processed, beef jerky typically contains large amounts of sodium and phosphate additives that can damage the kidneys.
Like beef jerky, lunch meat is high in sodium, artificial phosphorus and often contains potassium additives too! Avoid processed meats such as salami, pepperoni, bologna and other deli meats.
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Aren’t These Kidney Diet Snacks Enough? For a more complete kidney diet list, see the Kidney Friendly Grocery List. Plus, find delicious kidney-friendly recipes in my Recommended Renal Diet Cookbook! But, first, let’s understand about what kidney diet is. It’s not the same for everyone!
There is no “kidney” diet that is right for everyone. The renal regimen will vary depending on your lab values, stage of kidney disease, and other medical history. This renal diet grocery list should be personalized by a kidney dietitian familiar to you!
Limiting how much salt you eat is almost universal in the kidney diet. Almost everyone with kidney disease should limit sodium to 1,500 – 2,300mg per day. (1)
Varies depending on your lab values. If your blood potassium is normal, a high potassium diet may be beneficial in helping to control your blood pressure and protect your kidneys. (2) But, if you have high blood potassium, you may need to limit how much potassium you eat. (1)
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Too much phosphorus should also be avoided for most people on a kidney diet. However, not all phosphorus is created equal. Our bodies do not absorb well natural sources of phosphorus such as whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and lentils. Most people with kidney disease do not need to avoid natural sources of phosphorus.
But, phosphorus additives in processed foods are highly absorbed. Most people should avoid phosphorus additives in the kidney diet. (1)
Protein requirements on a kidney diet vary greatly. In general, people with kidney disease who are not on dialysis should limit how much protein they eat. If you are on dialysis, you may need more protein. (1) Learn more about protein in the kidney diet. Work with your dietitian to find out what’s best for you.
Dietary acid load is a relatively new aspect of a kidney-healthy diet. A lot of research has told us that people who eat a diet pattern with a low dietary acid load have a slower progression of kidney disease. (3) (4) Eating foods with a low acid load can help you avoid dialysis.
High Potassium Foods To Avoid: Eating For Chronic Kidney Disease
All in all,
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