You have recently been diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease and your doctor has told you that you must follow a kidney friendly diet. You may have many questions or thoughts going through your head of where to start and our team of Registered Dietitians are here to help!

To help, we are starting a blog series to help cover all the basics of what to eat, why these foods would be the best choices, and how these foods will help you safely manage your CKD.

If you have discovered this page, there is a good chance that you googled “what foods can I eat
for chronic kidney disease?” – if so, we have answers for you!

Kidney disease can be very scary, and very complicated. The good news is that nutrition can help you not only retain kidney function, but also make you feel better!

Navigating Nutrients for CKD

There are four components that we want you to get familiar with and will need to know to help make following a diet for chronic kidney disease (CKD) easier.  Some you may be familiar with and others may be completely new to you.  We have listed out the four components below and each will be explained thoroughly in our upcoming blog series, but to start this blog series off we are diving deep into phosphorus and the role it plays in managing CKD. 

There are four vital components to a kidney-friendly diet:

1) Phosphorous 

2) Potassium

3) Sodium

4) Protein

Easy CKD Food Swaps

Here is an overview of which foods are high in each nutrient that may harm your kidneys and which foods will help you take the some stress off of your kidneys. Each of these nutrients are discussed in more detail in complimentary blogs linked to this blog.

If you find yourself thinking “what on earth is phosphorus? where do I find that?” – if so, you aren’t alone!

Let’s focus on Phosphorous and Kidney Disease

Phosphorous:

Phosphorus is a tricky mineral, as it is hidden in several food additives under a long, complicated name.

Check Labels To Ensure Foods Are Low In Phosphorous 

Low Phosphorous Foods Food Swaps:

Looking for CKD Recipes with Low Phosphorous Foods?

Here are some of our favorites.

• Honey mustard turkey

Photo credit Kaitlin Eckstein

• Fish tacos

Photo by Klara Knezevic

• Beef lo mein

Photo by Kaitlin Eckstein

• Lamb gyros

• Pork Tacos

• Shrimp