Subway: Choose 6” sub, good ideas for fillings include chicken breast, tuna, ham, egg mayo, beef, turkey breast, club, sweet onion teriyaki and salad. The wraps available are all okay for those following a low salt diet.
Fresh is always best. If possible, make meat sandwiches from low sodium, fresh-cooked meats such as chicken, turkey breast, roast beef, pork or fish. Use meat leftover from dinner, or cook fresh meat specifically for lunch sandwiches. Consider freezing cooked meat in 2- to 3-ounce portions until needed.
Asian Food:
Dishes without sauces or with a light sauce are more suitable e.g. steamed whole fish, braised meats, crispy skin chicken, sweet sauces such as plum, lemon, orange, and sweet and sour may also be lower in salt.
If you are on peritoneal dialysis (PD) or home hemodialysis (HHD), you generally do not need to avoid potassium-containing foods. However, fast foods rich in sodium and phosphorus can be a problem for all dialysis patients. Talk with your renal dietitian to find out what is best for your specific renal diet.
I recommend whole grain, whole wheat or multigrain bread for people with kidney disease. Be careful to check the sodium in whatever bread you buy. Bread is a surprising source of salt! Historically, white bread was recommended because it has less phosphorus in it.
If you are on hemodialysis, unless you need to limit your calorie intake for weight loss and/or manage carbohydrate intake for blood sugar control, you may eat as much as you desire of grains, cereals and breads. They are a good source of calories. Most people need 6-11 servings from this food group each day.
Avoid salty items like soy sauce, French fries (also high in potassium), and macaroni and cheese. Instead, order vegetables like carrots, green beans, or corn.
Snacking is okay on the kidney diet as long as you make healthy choices. Rather than eating food that is high in sodium, such as a small bag of potato chips, a better option is a piece of kidney-friendly fruit. You also need to consider how much you eat overall. Snacking does not need to be synonymous with guilt.
Large amounts of fried foods are not recommended as part of a healthy diet for anyone, whether a person has chronic kidney disease (CKD) or not.
Order steamed rice or noodles instead of fried–they are usually lower in sodium. Menu items that suggest less fat include: nimono (simmered), yaki (broiled), and yakimono (grilled). Do not eat sashimi (raw fish) or sushi (vinegared rice prepared with seaweed, raw fish, and/or vegetables).
For Chinese food
Choose lower-potassium vegetables such as snow peas, string beans, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and bok choy.
Rice is a great choice for the kidney diet—it provides energy and is low in minerals of concern for people with kidney disease or those on dialysis.
Eat desserts that are low in potassium, sodium and phosphorus, such as croissants, sweet rolls, plain wafer cookies, Rice Krispie® treats, cobbler or pie made with allowed fruits and puddings made with non-dairy creamer, half and half or cream.
Beef burgers, chicken burgers and fish burgers are all suitable for a low potassium diet. Again these tend to be high in salt and phosphate so avoid having regularly. Avoid chips and fries as these are high in potassium. Doughnuts or fruit pie would be suitable as a pudding.
The amount and type of cheese you can have will depend on your stage of kidney disease or the type of dialysis you receive. If you need to limit phosphorus, look for ingredients on the label that contain “phos”—this means additional phosphorus ingredients have been added. For CKD choose low-sodium cheese options.
Foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, such as crisps, chocolate, biscuits and cakes, can be included in your diet. However, because they do not contain good nutrients, they should only be included in small amounts occasionally.
Vegetables. Adding a variety of vegetables to your diet can help the body to fight against diseases. Bitter gourd, red bell pepper, cucumber and onions are some of the vegetables which help to regulate the levels of creatinine in the blood.
Can A Renal Diet Have Grilled Cheese? There is a caveat to it, however: patients with Chronic Kidney Disease can still consume cheese. Your renal dietitian will determine how much sodium, protein, potassium, phosphorus, and hemoglobin (SPPP) you need per day based on the nutritional requirements of each patient.
Although shrimp has more cholesterol than other seafood, the amount is still reasonable for a kidney diet. Plus, there's practically no fat in a serving of shrimp. Look for fresh shrimp that has never been frozen, and check the labels for added phosphates or salt.
Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other varieties. By comparison, white basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan; and sushi rice from the U.S. on average have half of the inorganic arsenic of most other types of rice.
Avoid foods that have more than 300mg sodium per serving (or 600mg for a complete frozen dinner). Avoid foods that have salt in the first four or five items in the ingredient list. Don't eat ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, lunch meats, chicken tenders or nuggets, or regular canned soup.