Put limits on phosphorus- and potassium-laden foods. To keep phosphorus and potassium levels at a minimum, cut out or reduce your intake of dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream, creamy soups, chocolate), dried beans, peas, nuts and peanut butter.
Particularly, junk food such as chips, cookies, and ice cream, can negatively impact your kidney function. Of course, the key is good balance. While high-sugar and high-salt meals can negatively impact your kidneys, it does not necessarily mean that you must cut them out completely.
Milk and milk products such as yogurt, pudding, ice cream and buttermilk are also high in potassium.
Better sweet snacks include: • jelly sweets • fruit gums • marshmallows • Turkish delight • mints • doughnuts • shortbread • ginger biscuits • rich tea biscuits • digestive biscuits.
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.
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.
Ice cream or frozen yogurt can be substituted for the half cup of milk usually allowed on the renal diet. Your dietitian can give you a list of the best non-dairy substitutes to use.
Low-quality chocolate containing high levels of milk, sodium, sugar, and preservatives is far from a healthy option. On the other hand, high-quality dark chocolate containing a high percentage of cocoa (above 85%) offers health benefits if you have kidney disease.
Beans are in the legume family which includes dried lentils and split peas. Recent research shows the benefits of plant-based foods in the kidney diet. Beans are great for people with kidney disease to enjoy.
Smart, kidney-friendly choices for dessert are fine when you have CKD. Low-potassium desserts, such as cake and fruit pies, can fit into a kidney diet and be a delicious sweet treat. It's healthier to enjoy goodies that are baked in your own kitchen than to eat the store-bought kind.
For example, ½ cup vanilla ice cream has 73 mg phosphorus, ½ cup strawberry ice cream has 70 mg phosphorus, and ½ cup chocolate ice cream has 75 mg phosphorus. Adding toppings like nuts, chocolate or caramel will increase the phosphorus. The best ice cream choice for CKD: try to stick to just plain ice cream.
Potatoes are high in potassium (also know as “K”) which is a nutrient that must be limited when following a diet to manage kidney disease. People following a kidney-friendly diet can cut up and soak their potatoes in water to reduce their potassium content.
Choose soy, almond, cashew, or rice milk for less phosphorus and less potassium than cow's milk. Avoid cow's milk substitutes that are "Enriched" or have the word phosphorus or "phos" in the ingredient list.
Objective(s): Despite the nutritional benefits of potato tuber, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) should limit the consumption because of its high potassium content.
Phosphorus and Dairy Foods
Most dairy foods are very high in phosphorus. People with kidney disease should limit their daily intake of milk, yogurt, and cheese to ½ cup milk, or ½ cup yogurt or 1-ounce cheese. If you do eat high-phosphorus foods, ask your doctor for a phosphate binder to be taken with your meals.
Breaded veal or pork cutlets, fried chicken, sliced eggplant or zucchini, fried okra and hash browns made from leached potatoes are all kidney-friendly examples of pan-fried foods.