The renal diet for chronic kidney disease can be an ever-changing, overwhelming process. When people are first diagnosed, it can be a confusing time. The information available on the internet can worsen the confusion. We have rounded up the best renal diet meal delivery services because having prepared meals delivered to your house can help reduce some of the stress around feeding yourself or a loved one in the face of a CKD diagnosis.
Why is the renal diet confusing?
I think the most confusing thing about the renal diet is that many resources provide blanket guidelines when in reality, nutrition goals depend on lab work. While most people with CKD will benefit from reducing sodium and protein (pre-dialysis), limiting potassium and/or phosphorus is only necessary when they are elevated in the labs. An elevated potassium is 5.3 mmol/L or above and an elevated phosphorus is 4.5 mg/dL or above.
Why choose renal diet meal delivery?
Having prepared meals delivered to your doorstep may not appeal to you. Maybe you prefer to cook your own meals fresh, and that’s great. However, some people either are not physically able to cook, don’t have the time to cook, or just want the convenience and reduced mental load of not having to think of meal ideas. For whatever reason, if you are looking for prepared meals, there are options that are kidney friendly.
6 Renal Diet Meal Delivery Services to Choose From
Magic Kitchen
- With Magic Kitchen, you can choose either Renal Diet Stage 3&4 or Dialysis
- $50 minimum, shipping starts at $22.95, can qualify for free shipping with orders over 100-125
- They state that their CKD meals are a subset of their diabetes friendly meals, so it should be appropriate for both conditions
- Their meals have <700 mg sodium, <700 mg potassium, <350 mg phos, <25 mg protein
- There are vegetarian options
- $11-16 per meal
Meal Pro
- Meal Pro offers options for Renal Meals Stage 1-3, Renal Meals Stage 4, and Renal Meals Stage 5 (Dialysis)
- Limits protein (<20 g per meal), and they state that they limit sodium, phosphorus, and potassium
- Each meal provides nutrition information for these nutrients
- Chef’s box 22 meals $343.78 (ranges from $14-18 per meal)
- Delivery is expensive; I was quoted at $100 delivery
Mom’s Meals
- Meals start at $7.99
- Less than 700 mg sodium, 833 mg or less potassium, 330 mg or less phosphorus
- Can add extras like cheese stick, juice, roll, pudding, jello, etc for additional cost
Martha’s Senior Gourmet
- 4 weeks of meals subscription
- Starting at $15 per meal
- Can get as many as 3 meals/day 7 days/week if needed (this option is only available in certain areas of the country)
- If not within their “delivery” zone, you can purchase meals and have them shipped. The price for this option is 12 meals for $199.
Options that are not specifically renal friendly, but could work for some:
Hearth Meals
- While this is not specific to CKD you can choose Hypertension as condition. This will provide meals with reduced sodium.
- 10 meals – $14/meal, $140 plus $11 shipping (cost per meal goes up if you order 8 or 6 meals)
- $11 shipping
- This could be a good option if you are not limiting potassium or phosphorus.
- Have vegetarian options
Cook Unity
- Not specific for CKD. You can choose low sodium meals.
- This is a good option if you don’t need to limit potassium and phosphorus. These nutrients are not provided in their nutrition information.
- Vegetarian options
- 4,6,8,12,16 meals/week
- $11-15 per meal depending on how many meals
For more ideas on how to follow a renal friendly diet, check out these blogs:
Get Expert Help: Contact Our Renal Dietitian Today!
An award winning recipe developer, Dietitian Kaitlin’s mission is to empower others to reach their health goals by encouraging them to get back into the kitchen. Co-author of Nourished: 10 Ingredients to Happy, Healthy Eating and Cooking with Diabetes.
