If you or a loved one must follow a renal (kidney) diet, you probably know meals and snacks require careful planning. You might also worry that a renal diet is daunting and leaves you with few options. But these food lists and suggestions will help you prepare healthy, delicious, kidney-friendly foods.
What Is a Renal Diet?
A renal diet supports healthy kidney function for those with kidney disease. Your kidneys are bean-shaped organs below your rib cage, on either side of your spine. They perform essential functions like:
- Filtering your blood.
- Maintaining fluid balance in your body.
- Removing waste through your urine.
With kidney disease, your kidneys can’t filter your blood the way they usually would. That allows too much sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and protein byproducts to build up in your blood. This buildup worsens kidney damage and causes your body to retain too much fluid.
A renal diet is low in protein, sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. It protects your kidneys so they don’t have to work so hard and helps manage your body’s fluid levels.
What Can You Eat on a Renal Diet?
With a renal diet, it’s best to eat fresh, whole foods rather than packaged, frozen, or canned foods. Whole foods are naturally lower in sodium and more nutritious, so they’re healthier for your kidneys — and the rest of your body. With some planning, it’s easy to prepare meals with a variety of lean protein foods and low-potassium fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Protein choices
Protein is essential for healthy kidneys. But don’t go overboard if your kidneys are unable to remove excess waste. It’s usually OK to eat a small serving of protein at each meal. A dietitian can tell you if you should eat more or less.
Some good protein options include:
- Eggs.
- Fish or seafood.
- Lean beef like sirloin or tenderloin.
- Skinless chicken or turkey.
- Tofu and beans, like kidney beans or lentils. Note that these are higher in potassium and phosphorus, so you may need to limit the portion size.
Fruit and vegetable choices
Many fruits and vegetables are high in potassium. You might have to avoid them or eat small portions. It’s best to work with a renal dietitian who can tell you what and how much to eat. Some tasty lower-potassium fruit and vegetable options include:
- Apples
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cabbage
- Cherries
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Grapes
- Green beans
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Sweet peppers
- Tangerines
- Zucchini
Grain and starch choices
Whole grains offer fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but many are high in potassium. You may need to limit your portion sizes and how often you eat whole grains. Some healthy, lower-potassium options include:
- Barley
- Buckwheat
- Bulgur
- Unsalted popcorn
- Wild rice
White bread, pasta, or rice are lower in potassium than their whole-grain counterparts. Ask your dietitian if these are better options for you.
Renal Diet Foods to Avoid
Most snack foods and packaged or canned convenience foods are very high in sodium. The same is true with processed or seasoned meats and pickled vegetables. Read the nutrition facts label and choose foods with less than 240 mg of sodium per serving.
You should avoid or limit these high-sodium foods:
- Canned soups or stews.
- Chips, crackers, pretzels, and salted popcorn.
- Deli meats and cheeses (unless they say “low sodium”), hot dogs, sausages, and bacon.
- Frozen, seasoned meats or fish like chicken strips or fish sticks.
- Packaged meals like frozen dinners or mac and cheese.
- Packaged seasoned rice or noodles.
- Pickles, olives, and pickled vegetables or relishes.
Also, limit these high-potassium foods:
- Apricots.
- Bananas.
- Broccoli.
- Cantaloupe.
- Carrots.
- Chocolate.
- Dried fruits.
- Granola and bran cereals.
- Honeydew.
- Kiwi.
- Molasses.
- Nectarines.
- Nuts and nut butters.
- Oranges.
- Parsnips.
- Potatoes (white and sweet).
- Salt substitutes that contain potassium.
- Seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- Spinach.
- Tomatoes (and tomato sauce or juice).
- Winter squash.
Finally, you may need to limit portions of these high-phosphorus foods and beverages on a renal diet:
- Beer.
- Cocoa.
- Dairy foods like milk, yogurt, cheese, or ice cream.
- Dark soft drinks like colas or root beers.
- Dried beans like kidney, black, or pinto beans.
- Mushrooms.
Oat milk and milk substitutes have become increasingly popular. Depending on the brand, oat milk can have up to 20% phosphorus.
Renal Diet Cooking Tips
It’s crucial to read food and ingredient labels and use renal diet grocery lists to identify foods you should avoid. For healthy meal and snack inspiration, you might want to invest in kidney-friendly cookbooks. Ask your dietitian for resources and recommendations.
When cooking, try these tips to reduce sodium and potassium in your foods:
- Choose canned fruits packed in water instead of fresh fruit. Make sure you drain off the water before eating the fruit.
- Don’t add salt or potassium chloride salt substitute when cooking or seasoning food. Instead, flavor your foods with fresh or dried herbs or salt-free herb blends. Onions, garlic, mustard, flavored vinegar, and citrus zest are also great flavor enhancers.
- To reduce potassium in foods like potatoes or winter squash, cut and soak them in a large amount of water. When you’re ready to cook, drain the water and replace it with fresh water before boiling.
- When choosing canned foods like beans, vegetables, or tuna, choose low-sodium or no-added-salt versions. Drain and rinse them in a colander to reduce salt even more.
Shopping and cooking for a renal diet takes a bit of practice. But once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature. With time and support, you can cook healthy and delicious meals like a pro.
Sodium, potassium, and phosphorus limits in a renal diet
Everyone is different, so your exact renal diet will depend on factors like your size and age. The specific amounts of protein, sodium, potassium, and phosphorus you can eat also depend on the extent of your kidney disease. These amounts may even change throughout the disease and treatment. If you have advanced kidney disease, your doctor will tell you what and how much to limit.
A dietitian can also teach you how to count the milligrams of sodium, potassium, and phosphorus in your diet. So even if a food is higher in one of these elements, you may have small or occasional servings depending on your kidneys’ health. The best thing to do is speak with your doctor to learn what works for you.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on .