Kidney-Friendly Diet

You need a “kidney-friendly” diet when you have chronic kidney disease or kidney failure.  Watching what you eat and drink will help you stay healthier.  This section of our website gives general information about the kidney-friendly diet.

Keep in mind that diet needs vary from person to person, depending on size, activity, stage of kidney disease and other health concerns.  Talk to a renal dietitian, someone who specializes in the kidney-friendly diet, to find a meal plan that meets your needs.

Why is diet important?
Healthy diet basics
Calories
Protein
Carbohydrates
Fat
Sodium

How is a kidney-friendly diet different?
Potassium
Phosphorus
Fluids
What about vitamins?
What if I have diabetes and kidney disease?

Why is diet important?

What you eat affects your health.  A balanced diet, low in fat and salt, can help you control your blood sugar and keep a healthy blood pressure.  A healthy diet may also help slow down kidney disease.

Depending on your stage of kidney disease, you may also need a kidney-friendly diet.  This diet goes a step further.  It limits certain minerals in the foods you eat.  This helps keep waste from building up in your blood and may help prevent other health problems.

We’ll start by reviewing the basics of a healthy diet.  Then, we’ll take a look at the kidney-friendly diet and some helpful kidney-friendly resources.

Healthy Diet Basics

All diets, including the kidney-friendly diet, need to take into account some of the same things, like:

• Calories
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat

Calories

Your body gets energy from the calories you eat and drink.  Calories come from the protein, carbohydrates and fat in your diet.  How many calories you need depends on your age, sex, size and activity level.  You may also need to adjust how many calories you eat based on your health concerns.

Some people will need to limit the calories they eat.  Others may need to have more calories.  Your dietitian can help you figure out how many calories you need each day.  Work with your dietitian to make a meal plan that helps you get the right amount of calories.

Protein

Protein is one of the building blocks of your body.  Your body needs protein to grow, heal and stay healthy.  Having too little protein can cause your skin, hair and nails to be weak.  But having too much protein can also be a problem.  To stay healthy and help you feel your best, you may need to adjust how much protein is in your diet.

The amount of protein you should have depends on your size, activity level and stage of kidney disease.
 
If you have kidney disease but are not on dialysis, doctors may recommend that you limit how much protein you eat.  This is because diets very high in protein can make the kidneys work harder and may cause more damage.
 
Once you are on dialysis, you may need to eat more protein.  This is because you will lose some protein during your treatments. 
Ask your doctor or dietitian how much protein you should have.  Your dietitian can help you make a meal plan that helps you get the right amount of protein.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (“carbs”) are the easiest kind of energy for your body to use.  Healthy sources of carbohydrates include whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Other sources of carbohydrates include sugar, honey, hard candies and sugary drinks.

Some carbohydrates are high in potassium and phosphorus, which you may need to limit depending on your stage of kidney disease.  You may also need to watch your carbohydrates carefully if you have diabetes.  Your dietitian can help you learn more about the carbohydrates in your diet.

Fat

You need some fat in your diet to stay healthy.  Fat gives you energy, keeps you warm and helps you use some of the vitamins in your food.  But too much fat can lead to weight gain and heart disease.  Try to limit fat in your diet, and choose healthier fats when you can.

Healthier fat or “good” fat is called unsaturated fat.  Examples of unsaturated fat include:

• Olive oil
• Vegetable oils
• Nuts
• Fish

Unsaturated fat can help reduce cholesterol.  If you need to gain weight, try to eat more unsaturated fat.  If you need to lose weight, limit the unsaturated fat in your diet.  As always, moderation is the key.  Too much “good” fat can also cause problems.

Saturated fat, also known as “bad” fat, can raise your cholesterol and put you at risk for heart disease.  Examples of saturated fats are:

• Butter
• Lard
• Some meats

Limit these in your diet.  Choose healthier, unsaturated fat instead.  Trimming the fat from meat and removing the skin from chicken or turkey can also help limit saturated fat.

Sodium

Sodium (salt) is a mineral found in almost all foods.  Too much sodium can cause swelling, make you thirsty, and raise your blood pressure.  This can damage your kidneys more and make your heart work harder.

One of the best things that you can do to stay healthy is to limit how much sodium you eat.  To limit sodium in your diet:

• Do not add salt to your food when cooking or eating.  Try cooking with fresh herbs, lemon juice or other spices.
• Choose fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables.  If you do use canned vegetables, rinse them before eating or cooking with them to remove extra salt.
• Shop for items that say “reduced-sodium” or “low-sodium.”
• Avoid processed foods like frozen dinners and lunch meats.

How is a kidney-friendly diet different?

When your kidneys are not working as well as they should, they may let waste and fluid build up in your body.  Over time, the waste and extra fluid can cause heart, bone and other health problems.  A kidney-friendly diet limits how much of certain chemicals and fluid you take in.  This can help keep the waste and fluid from building up and causing problems.
 
How strict your diet should be depends on your stage of kidney disease.  In the early stages of kidney disease, you may have little or no limits on what you eat and drink.   As your kidney disease gets worse, you may need to limit your:

• Potassium
• Phosphorus
• Fluids

Potassium

Potassium is a mineral found in almost all foods.  Your body needs some potassium to make your muscles work, but too much potassium can be dangerous.  When your kidneys are not working well, your potassium level may be too high or too low.  Having too much or too little potassium can cause muscle cramps, irregular heartbeat and muscle weakness.

Many people with kidney disease or kidney failure need to limit potassium.  Ask your dietitian if you need to limit potassium.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a mineral found in many foods.  It works with calcium and vitamin D to keep bones healthy.  Healthy kidneys keep the right balance of phosphorus in your body.  When your kidneys are not working well, phosphorus can build up in your blood.  Too much phosphorus in your blood can lead to weak bones that break easily.

Many people with kidney disease need to limit phosphorus.  Ask your dietitian if you need to limit phosphorus.

Depending on your stage of kidney disease, your doctor may also prescribe a medicine called a phosphate binder.  This helps to keep phosphorus from building up in your blood.  A phosphate binder can be helpful, but you will still need to watch how much phosphorus you eat.  Ask your doctor if a phosphate binder is right for you.

Fluids

You need water to live, but when you have kidney disease, you may not need as much.  This is because damaged kidneys do not get rid of extra fluid as well as they should.  Too much fluid in the body can be dangerous.  It can cause high blood pressure, swelling and heart failure.  Extra fluid can also build up around your lungs and make it hard to breathe.

Depending on your stage of kidney disease and your treatment, your doctor may tell you to limit your fluid.  If your doctor tells you this, you will need to cut back on how much you drink.  You may also need to cut back on some foods that contain a lot of water.  Soups or foods that melt, like ice, ice cream and gelatin, have a lot of water.  Many fruits and vegetables are high in water, too.

Ask your dietitian if you need to limit fluids.
 
If you do need to limit your fluids you may feel thirsty.  To help you quench your thirst, you might try to:

• Chew gum
• Drink from small cups
• Rinse your mouth
• Suck on a piece of ice, mints or hard candy (Remember to choose sugar free candy if you have diabetes.)

What about vitamins?

A kidney-friendly diet may make it hard to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need.  To help you get the right balance of vitamins and minerals, your dietitian may suggest a special supplement made for people with kidney disease.

Your dietitian might also suggest a special kind of vitamin D, folic acid, or iron pill, to help avoid some common side effects of kidney disease, like bone disease and anemia.

Regular multi-vitamins may not be healthy for you if you have kidney disease.  They may have too much of some vitamins and not enough of others.  Talk to your dietitian to find vitamins that are right for you.

What if I have diabetes and kidney disease?

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.  Diabetes can also damage other parts of your body, like your eyes and heart.  If you have diabetes, you will need to watch your blood sugar and diet to stay healthy.  Work with your dietitian to make a kidney-friendly meal plan that helps you keep your blood sugar in control.

Learn how to manage diabetes here