Go for pizzas with a thick base, so you fill up on bread rather than the toppings. Pizza – avoid mushroom / tomato / sun-dried tomato to reduce potassium content, avoid extra cheese to limit phosphate and avoid too many processed meats to limit salt content.
Limit pizza to 2 slices and serve with garlic bread, dough balls and small side salad. Salads can be a healthy choice as a main meal or side dish. As a main meal salad can be served with bread, pasta or rice.
Choose low-potassium toppings like green peppers, leeks, onions, and/or pineapples. Fresh meat toppings like chicken, beef, and some fish have lower sodium content compared to pepperoni, bacon, ham, and such. Avoid extra cheese toppings. As an alternative to tomatoes, try using garlic or pesto.
While many kinds of cheese are high in phosphorus and sodium, there are lower phosphorus and sodium cheeses more suitable for people with kidney disease. Most cheeses are also high in saturated fat; but lower-fat versions of many cheeses are available.
The exact amount of potassium in pizza varies significantly based on the toppings. But, for a ballpark estimate, 1 slice of a 12-inch cheese pizza with tomato sauce has about 200mg of potassium. Add pepperoni, and potassium goes up to about 300mg.
Pizza is usually salty and high in potassium and phosphorus. If you eat pizza, eat one slice and supplement with a small salad. A pizza with hamburger, green pepper and/or onions would be preferable to a pizza with pepperoni, sausage, olives, anchovies and/or extra cheese.
Better options include: cream cheese • cottage cheese • mozzarella • feta • brie • Stilton. If you do have hard cheeses, then good ways to help reduce the quantity used include: grating the cheese instead of having slices or chunks • using mature cheeses, as just a little can still add lots of flavour.
Pizza is typically a no-no when it comes to the renal diet. High in sodium (from the crust, cheese, and toppings like processed meats), high in potassium (from the cheese, tomato sauce, and toppings), and low in nutritional value of fiber.
Candy, diabetes and chronic kidney disease
People with diabetes and chronic kidney disease may be asked to avoid or limit the amount of candy they eat to help control blood sugar levels. Candy bars, hard candy, jelly beans, gum drops and chocolate are some of the sweets you are asked to cut back on.
Packing your sack lunch
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.
Red meat such as beef, pork, and lamb is also bad for your kidneys, but to a lesser extent than processed meats. If you want to protect your kidneys, it's best to limit your intake of red meat. Try to replace at least some of your red meat with fish or poultry instead.
Limit intake of foods with high levels of phosphate or phosphate additives such as organ meats, whole grain breads, processed foods, cola beverages, cheese, dried beans, liver, peanut butter, dairy products and chocolate.
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.
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.
For a 60-year-old man, stage 1 kidney disease life expectancy will be approximately 15 years. That figure falls to 13 years, 8 years, and 6 years in the second, third, and fourth stages of kidney disease respectively.
Butter contains saturated fat, which increases your risk for heart disease. The National Kidney Foundation notes that heart disease is a major risk factor for kidney disease and vice versa. Consume less butter, lard and shortening to reduce your intake of saturated fat and lower your risk for heart and kidney disease.
Most people with early-stage CKD or a kidney transplant do not have to limit tomatoes because of potassium. If your laboratory results show higher levels of potassium, your doctor or kidney dietitian may talk with you about how much to eat.
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.
If you have two slices, it's not going to derail your progress, but swapping out one slice for a salad or other veggies could help stay satisfied longer — and save you extra fat and calories.
With endless options to load on the veggies, Subway is a perfect choice for a kidney-friendly fast food meal.
Sugar is not a problem for the kidneys unless the blood sugar level gets too high. This commonly occurs in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.