Kidney Diet Guide - Nephrology Associates LLC

Maintaining Optimum Potassium Levels

Potassium keeps your heart beating and blood circulating throughout your body. It maintains a healthy nervous system and brain function, balances fluids and electrolytes and promotes muscle growth. Potassium also lets your brain send nerve impulses that filters blood in your kidneys. It’s important to maintain a healthy potassium level of roughly 3.5 – 5.0 mEq/L in your blood.

Kidney disease lessens the kidneys’ ability to remove extra potassium from the blood. Some medications also cause the body to retain potassium rather than removing it through urination. A high potassium level is known as hyperkalemia. Sypmtoms include muscle cramps, nausea, weakness, feeling tired, slow pulse and even heart failure.

Hypokalemia – a lack of potassium – is rare, because potassium is common in so many foods. But issues like malnutrition, excessive vomiting or diarrhea or taking certain medications can cause hypokalemia. Symptoms include fatigue, confusion, an irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, cramping and heart failure.

High Potassium Food to Avoid

Potassium is found mostly in fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Avoiding these high-potassium foods will help control potassium levels in your blood. Remember – dairy products are high in phosphorous and potassium. Limit your dairy intake to 1/2 cup serving per day.

Chinese
Cabbage
Banana
Bamboo Shoots, fresh
Beans* dried, cooked, canned: kidney, lima, lentils, navy, pinto, soy, great northern
Beets, fresh
Bok Choy
Greens: beet
Carrot Juice
Chard, Swiss
Chocolate*
Artichoke
Avocado
Dried Fruits: figs, prunes, raisins, dates, apricots
Guava
Kiwi

Peppers, sun-dried
Persimmons
Melons: cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew
Milk & Soy Milk*
Papaya
Nuts, Peanuts*
Orange, orange juice
Parsnips
Potato Chips
Peas, mature, cooked*: split peas, black-eyed, chickpeas, pigeon
Nectarine
Potato: (unsoaked), French fries, boiled, hash brown, baked
Kohlrabi
Mango
Prune Juice

Vegetable Juice
Savoy Cabbage
Seeds*: pumpkin, squash, sunflower
Spinach, cooked, canned
Rutabaga
Tomato and tomato juice
Pumpkin canned, fresh
Succotash*
Squash, winter
Sweet Potato*
Water chestnuts fresh
Salt Substitute
Tomato paste- 3 Tbsp., sauce 1/4 cup
Refried Beans*
Yams

*Foods are high in phosphorus, Check with your Dietitian before including these foods in your diet.

Acceptable Low-Potassium Foods

The low-potassium fruits and vegetables in this kidney diet guide are okay to eat. However, they still need to be limited. Stick to 2-3 servings each of vegetables and fruits daily. A serving size is 1/2 cup or 4 ounces, unless specified otherwise. (Low-potassium foods have less than 250 mg of potassium per serving)

Broccoli
Asparagus, 4 spears fresh
Corn*
Cranberries, sauce, juice
Beets, canned only
Blackberries
Blueberries
Bamboo Shoots, canned
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Apple with skin, applesauce, apple juice
Apricots, fresh, 2 small
Cauliflower
Celery
Cherries
Coconut, shredded or fresh
Collards
Boysenberries

Kumquats
Kale
Leeks
Figs, 2 small fresh, canned figs
Fruit Cocktail
Okra
Onion
Grapefruit
Green Beans
Peas, green, fresh, frozen*
Mustard greens
Lemon, Limes, Lemonade
Lettuce, all kinds, Endive
Mandarin Oranges, canned
Mushrooms*
Cucumber, 1 cup
Eggplant
Peaches & Pears, canned or small fresh
Grapes, grape juice

Turnips & turnip greens
Sprouts: alfalfa, bean
Strawberries
Watermelon, 1 cup
Snow peas
Spinach, raw only
Pineapple
Tangerines
Radishes
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Plum
Squash: summer, zucchini, spaghetti
Water chestnuts, canned
Peppers, bell

*Foods are high in phosphorus. Check with your Dietitian before including these foods in your diet.

Low-Sodium Diet

Sodium also plays a role in transmitting nerve impulses and regulating blood pressure and balance. Those with kidney disease can have a harder time removing excess sodium from their blood. Excess sodium can lead to shortness of breath, edema, high blood pressure and heart failure. Low-sodium foods are available in every food group, making a low-sodium kidney diet easy and tasty.

Pasta, Rice, Cereals and Bread

Most pastas and bread contain very little sodium. Compare labels to find products with less salt when cooking. There are also plenty of other low-sodium options:

Shredded Wheats
Unsalted Popcorn
Crackers and breadsticks without salted tops
Granola
Puffed Rice
Rolled Oats
Whole grain bread
Bagels and English muffins

Fruits

As long as they don’t contain sauces, fruit and fruit juice are generally low in sodium. Particularly low-sodium fruit include:

Pears
Raspberries
Peaches
Watermelons
Blackberries
Cherries
Bananas
Apples

Vegetables

All fresh vegetables are low in sodium. Canned or frozen vegetables are a good pick if they don’t contain sauces.

Chickpeas
Lima beans
Cucumber
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Green peppers

Protein

Choose fresh meat whenever possible. Check the label, though – some fresh meat has added sodium.

Low sodium nut butter
Low sodium, water packed tuna or salmon
Eggs and egg substitutes
6 ounces daily of any fresh or frozen beef, veal, Iamb, pork, poultry, and fish without salt or sodium in the preparation and without skin
Unsalted nuts and seeds

Fats

Unsalted butter or margarine
Low-sodium mayonnaise
Olive oil and other cooking oils
Low sodium salad dressings

Dairy

Milk contains almost no sodium. Cheese can be high in sodium – opt for fat-free or low-fat milk and yogurt whenever possible. Yogurt and milk are also good sources of potassium, which helps lower blood pressure.

Non-dairy creamers
Sour cream
Soy-based drinks with added calcium
Skim or 1% milk
Fat-free or low-fat yogurt
Cream
Low-sodium cottage cheese
Ice cream

Condiments and Extras

To maintain a proper kidney diet, choose condiments with little or no sodium, and try using seasonings to flavor food instead of salt.

Mrs. Dash and other sodium-free seasonings
Cream of tartar • Mustard
Yeast
Spices and herbs without sodium or salt
Tabasco sauce or low sodium chili sauces
Lemon
Fresh horseradish or prepared without salt
Baking soda and powder
Low sodium tomato sauces and vegetable juices without salt or sodium added
Vinegar
Jams and jellies
Low sodium ketchup

High-Sodium Foods to Avoid

Bacon (all types), sausages or hot dogs, all lunch meats unless low sodium
Anything pickled such as sauerkraut, pickles); olives
Meats koshered by salting
Buttermilk, malted milk, chocolate milk
Anchovies and other smoked fish; caviar
Canned or frozen vegetables if processed with salt
Breaded meats (such as chicken parmesan)