If you have chronic kidney disease, it’s important to eat a healthy diet. The foods you choose can help your body stay strong and keep the disease under control. But what if you have to limit potassium? Your doctor might suggest that you follow a renal (REN-al) diet, which is designed for people with reduced kidney function. This article provides recipes and advice for incorporating some of these foods into your regular meals.
Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
- Serves 1 to 2
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: none
Poppy Seed Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey (or agave syrup)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice; freshly squeezed if possible!
Pan-Fried White Fish With Lemon-Dill Sauce
Pan-Fried White Fish With Lemon-Dill Sauce
- Serves 4
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 30 minutes
Corn, Black Bean, and Tomato Salsa
This recipe requires no cooking, but can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use.
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (drain if thawed)
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (about half a pepper)
- 3 tablespoons fresh diced jalapeno peppers or 2 tablespoons canned jalapenos (drained)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (about one small onion)
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press. Use garlic powder for a milder flavor and less heat if you don’t want it spicy!
For serving: Tortilla chips are great here! You could also serve this with baked pita chips or flatbread crackers like those from Food Should Taste Good . It’s also delicious as a side dish served over rice or quinoa.
Bean Dip With Tortilla Chips
- To prepare the dip, you will need:
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup salsa (mild or spicy depending on your preference)
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
- Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Wild Mushroom Risotto Cakes
Wild Mushroom Risotto Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked wild rice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1/2 cup chopped leek or green onions (about 2 leeks or 4 green onions)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or more!) *(If you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, you can use bacon instead – just omit the wine in the recipe below and add more broth). Making this dish is easy if you use a nonstick pan. First sautee your mushrooms until slightly browned and then remove from pan leaving just enough oil behind to cook your rice in with out sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook until tender adding hot water as needed until its soft but not mushy. Next add your wine and broth along with some salt and pepper then stir continuously for 5 minutes until it thickens into tasty goodness! Lastly fold in some freshly grated cheese before serving for an extra burst of flavor!
Simple Rice Pilaf
Rice is a great choice for renal patients because it’s low in potassium and phosphorus, which are two minerals that can cause kidney stones. It’s also high in fiber, which helps prevent constipation—a common problem among renal patients.
You can use brown rice, white rice or a combination of both. If you’re making this recipe with chicken broth instead of water (which will add more flavor), be sure to use the low-sodium kind; otherwise your dish may end up too salty!
If you’d like to add other vegetables like carrots or peas, they’ll work well in this dish—just sauté them until they’re tender before adding the rice mixture into the pot so they cook evenly with everything else. You could even try adding corn during step 2 if you’d like some extra sweetness that complements spicy curry powder well!
Sliced Grilled Chicken Breast With Mango Salsa
1 chicken breast, sliced into strips
1 mango, cut into small pieces (reserve the pit for later)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Oven-Steamed Fish With Vegetables and Herbs
Fish is a good source of protein, and contains low amounts of fat. Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels. The protein in fish helps prevent osteoporosis, heart disease and high blood pressure. Smaller varieties of fish include anchovies, sardines and smelt. Whales are high in vitamin D; they eat krill which contain large amounts of vitamin D that are absorbed by whales when they consume it.
Fish also contains iron, which helps your body to make red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body; this makes you feel more energetic after eating fish instead of feeling sluggish like you do after eating chicken or beef! Eating vegetables along with the fish makes it even healthier because vegetables contain vitamins A & C which help fight off cancer cells while providing fiber needed for good digestion!
Mixed Berry Shake with Yogurt
- Use low-fat yogurt, milk and berries.
- Other options for fruit: bananas, peaches, pineapple, melon.
You can eat tasty food even when you have to limit potassium.
If you have to limit potassium, you can still eat tasty food. The renal diet recipes here are delicious and healthy. They’re good for your health and can help to control your blood pressure. You won’t need to give up eating delicious meals just because you’re on a low-potassium diet!
Conclusion
I hope that you enjoyed reading this article on renal diet recipes. There are many different ways to eat tasty food while still following a renal diet so don’t let it get you down. The main thing is to keep an open mind when looking through recipe books or online and try new things! Remember not all foods may be right for you but if they’re not at least give them a chance before rejecting them entirely because if nothing else – it’ll help pass some time until dinner time rolls around again.
