Today’s Kidney Diet Cookbooks
Get free kidney-friendly recipe collections from DaVita dietitians.
Today’s Kidney Diet Cookbooks
Get free kidney-friendly recipe collections from DaVita dietitians.
Join the myDaVita community to connect with others, get kidney diet tools and more.
Register for FreeBy DaVita Dietitian, Sara Colman, RD, CSR, CDE
Work, school, errands, exercise and other activities—life is busy. Living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) involves additional time commitments due to lab tests, hospital procedures and appointments. People on dialysis also spend extra time going to treatments.
By following a meal plan provided by your dietitian and the tips in this article, lunch will be easy and fit into your dialysis or pre-dialysis diet.
Packing a lunch is an ideal way to keep sodium, potassium and phosphorus in control. Remember:
Leftovers may be the answer to a quick lunch. Plan to prepare extra portions, and package foods in containers that can go from freezer or refrigerator to microwave.
For meal ideas that can make good leftover lunches, check the recipe section of DaVita.com.
If you choose to eat fast food, choose wisely. Make kidney-friendly adjustments to the foods you order. Extra sodium, phosphorus and potassium are often hidden in fast foods. To help you avoid ordering specials or tempting items that are not part of your diet, get a Dining Out Guide from DaVita Diet HelperTM, the easy-to-use online diet management tool. The guide contains tips on what to order at various types of restaurants, including Mexican, Chinese and sandwich shops.
Many of the reduced sodium, healthy cuisine frozen meals are acceptable for a dialysis diet.
Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers are some brands that have entrées low enough in sodium for a dialysis diet. Follow these guidelines when making your selections and check with your renal dietitian for additional guidance.
Sometimes it's easier to grab a protein bar or nutrition drink when eating on the run. Here's what to know when this happens:
Some of the drinks often recommended by renal dietitians include Nepro, Re/Gen, Re/Gen Sugarfree, Nutrarenal and Novasource Renal. Check with your dietitian for advice on the best bar or nutrition drink for you.
If you are on limited fluids, divide your daily allowance between meals, snacks and medication times. Choose from these beverages that are acceptable for a kidney diet:
If you need extra help navigating the kidney diet, sign up for the DaVita Diet HelperTM, the easy-to-use online diet management tool.