Kitchen Creations for Kidney Health: Part 1
This post is sponsored by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. However, all opinions are my own.
After being diagnosed with a kidney disease, such as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), one of the first questions people often ask their physician is if they will need to change their diet. While each patient’s experience is different, a healthcare provider may recommend their patient transition to a renal-healthy diet, which is common for those living with ADPKD. However, throughout one’s disease journey and when doing their own research on nutrition tips, patients may notice there are different recommendations out there. This can be confusing, especially for those newly diagnosed.
Navigating new dietary recommendations can be a challenge, but it does not have to be undertaken alone. It’s important to utilize credible resources—such as the Kitchen Creations for Kidney Health cookbook, which provides healthy kidney-friendly recipes by and for those living with kidney disease—and speak with your primary care physician and nephrologist to understand your risk of progression and available disease management strategies.
The most common dietary changes that may be recommended by a patient’s healthcare team include lowering daily intake of sodium, protein, potassium, and phosphorus. While it’s important to speak with your doctors, following are some general recommendations to keep in mind:
Sodium: Most people with ADPKD would benefit from limiting sodium (salt) intake, especially if issues with high blood pressure are also present. Reducing sodium intake can help to regulate blood pressure and prevent fluid accumulation. Cooking at home is a very effective way to limit dietary sodium since there are large amounts in restaurant and packaged foods. Many foods including fruit, vegetables, unsalted nuts/seeds/nut butter, unsalted legumes, and grains will have a minimal amount of sodium. When choosing foods in packages (boxes, cans, etc.), try to select those with less than 140 mg sodium per serving. Utilizing herbs and spices can be a great way to add flavor to food without increasing sodium.
Protein: How much and what kind of protein you need depends on what stage your kidney disease has progressed to. Choosing mostly plant proteins—legumes (beans, lentils, peas, etc.), soy (tofu, edamame, etc.), nuts, seeds, and whole grains—can be beneficial for people in both stages. Though some people may opt to go totally plant based, others may choose to incorporate limited amounts of animal proteins. Be sure to consult with your healthcare team when determining which combination works best for your lifestyle and preferences.
Potassium: Potassium only needs to be avoided if levels of potassium in the blood are high or borderline high. This is something that your doctor should be checking on a regular basis. Many high potassium foods, such as leafy greens or bananas, are also quite nutritious so there is no need to prematurely restrict these foods. For people with kidney disease, it’s important to have the right amount of potassium, as potassium is needed to help your nerves and muscles work properly. If you are at the point where you need to limit your potassium intake, select lower potassium fruits and vegetables, like blueberries and cauliflower, and be cognizant of portion sizes of other high potassium foods.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is present in our diets in three forms: plant, animal, and added phosphates. Added phosphates may be put into food for many reasons, such as enhancing color or improving taste/texture. We absorb the most amount from these added phosphates. Checking ingredient labels for foods with added phosphates (such as “sodium phosphate” or “calcium phosphate”) is an important first step. Another helpful step is choosing mostly plant proteins instead of animal proteins, as we will absorb the least amount of phosphorus from plant proteins. This means including more beans, lentils, soy, nuts, and seeds, and smaller portions of meat, poultry, and dairy.
The Kitchen Creations for Kidney Health digital cookbook, located on NephU.org, provides a variety of healthy recipes to ensure there are meal options for all individual’s living with ADPKD, no matter where they are in their health journey. From appetizers to side dishes, there are many recipes accommodating low-sodium or plant-based diets that can be enjoyed by those living with kidney disease, as well as friends and family. The below recipe is a kidney-friendly option because:
It is 100% plant based, including proteins from pistachios, whole grains, and legumes. This keeps total protein intake moderate while using less bioavailable sources of phosphorus.
It’s suitable for a low sodium diet, providing 315 mg per serving.
It uses mostly lower potassium fruits and vegetables, for those who do require a potassium restriction.
Disclaimer: Please be advised that some of these foods may contain wheat/gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy or other foods that may cause allergic reactions in some people. Please contact your healthcare provider if you are concerned about food allergies or other food-related reactions such as food sensitivities.
Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
4 servings (2 cups per serving)
Estimated Prep Time: 25-30 mins
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
2 cups chopped cucumber
1 cup corn
2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
½ cup finely diced red onion
½ cup shelled pistachios, unsalted
1 can of low sodium chickpeas
Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup loosely packed basil
Salt (try to limit to ½ teaspoon salt)
Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Add 1 cup of quinoa to a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes until all water is absorbed. (Note: quinoa can be substituted with another whole grain such as barley, farro, or whole wheat couscous).
While the quinoa cooks, wash and chop the cucumber, spinach, and onion. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and corn (if using canned corn).
For the dressing, blend olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and zest, finely chopped basil, and salt and pepper. If you do not have a blender, you can mix by hand but make sure basil is chopped finely.
Combine cooked quinoa, blueberries, cucumber, corn, baby spinach, red onion, unshelled pistachios, and chickpeas in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad ingredients and mix well.
Recipe notes:
Substitute quinoa with another whole grain such as barley, farro or whole wheat couscous. Barley has less potassium and phosphorus than most other whole grains.
Blueberries can be substituted with chopped strawberries.
Canned corn or fresh corn can be used. If using canned, choose without added salt.
Per serving: 490 kcal, 63g carbs, 16g protein, 21g fat, 315 mg sodium
If you would like to participate in the Kitchen Creations for Kidney Health digital cookbook, you can submit your favorite kidney-friendly family recipe and a brief (250 words) summary about why this meal is special to you at https://nephu.org/resource-center/diet-nutrition-resources/recipe-submission/.
References:
Plant-Based Diets for Kidney Disease: A Guide for Clinicians. Shivam Joshi, Michelle McMacken, and Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2021-02-01, Volume 77, Issue 2, Pages 287-296.
https://www.kidney.org/news/plant-protein-reduces-mortality-chronic-kidney-disease-patients
May 2022 10US22EUC0039
