Proteins - the renal diet building blocks
Good choices: fresh chicken breast, turkey, white fish (cod, haddock, plaice), eggs, plain firm tofu, paneer, cottage cheese (reduced salt), ricotta.
Limit: red meat to small portions (80 g), tinned fish to spring-water varieties drained well, cheese to small portions (30 g) of lower-phosphate types.
Avoid: bacon, ham, gammon, sausages, corned beef, pate, meat paste, tinned meat, breaded fish (fish fingers), fish cakes, ready-made pies and quiches - all are very high in sodium and often contain phosphate additives.
Carbohydrates - keeping meals filling
Good choices: white basmati rice, plain pasta (all shapes), plain couscous, porridge oats, low-salt bread (check label), plain crackers (unsalted), pitta bread (check salt), chapatti flour (make your own without salt).
Limit: wholemeal bread and brown rice in larger portions (higher potassium and phosphate).
Avoid: instant noodles, packet rice (microwave pouches), croissants, pastries, garlic bread, stuffing mixes, savoury rice packets - all are high in sodium and often contain phosphate additives.
Vegetables and salad - the low-potassium approach
Good choices: cabbage (all types), cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, peppers, onions, lettuce, celery, carrots, green beans, asparagus, leeks, aubergine, courgette.
Limit in later CKD: potato (leach before cooking), sweet potato, tomato (fresh small portions, avoid puree), spinach, mushrooms, avocado, butternut squash, beetroot.
Avoid: pickled vegetables (gherkins, olives, sauerkraut), tinned vegetables in brine, vegetable juices, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes.
Fruit - the lower-potassium options
Good choices: apples, pears, berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries), peaches, plums, grapes, cherries.
Limit: banana, melon, kiwi, orange, mango, pineapple (small portions only in Stage 4-5).
Avoid: dried fruit (apricots, raisins, dates, prunes), fruit juices (especially orange, cranberry, grapefruit), coconut water, fruit smoothies (potassium stacking).
Food first. If you are choosing a daily multivitamin alongside a balanced diet, Kidney Vitality was developed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist using renal nutrition principles. See the formulation.
Dairy and alternatives
Good choices: reduced-salt cottage cheese, ricotta, small portions of mozzarella, plain Greek yoghurt (unsweetened, no added calcium phosphate), unsweetened oat or rice milk (no added calcium phosphate).
Limit: cheddar and hard cheeses (high phosphate), feta (very high sodium), halloumi (very high sodium).
Avoid: processed cheese slices, cheese spreads, cheese strings, flavoured yoghurt pots, soya milk with calcium phosphate fortification.
Fats, oils and spreads
Good choices: extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed (canola) oil, small amounts of unsalted butter.
Limit: vegetable oil blends, margarine (check for salt and additives).
Avoid: coconut oil (very high saturated fat), palm oil, lard, suet, spreads with added salt or phosphate stabilisers.
Drinks and beverages
Good choices: still or sparkling water, diluted no-added-sugar squash, black tea, weak coffee, herbal teas (peppermint, ginger - avoid liquorice and nettle).
Limit: beer, wine, spirits (within UK low-risk guidelines), cola (phosphoric acid).
Avoid: coconut water (very high potassium), energy drinks (caffeine, sugar, blood pressure), sports drinks (potassium, sodium), fruit juices (concentrated potassium), cola (phosphate, sugar).
Condiments, herbs and flavourings
Good choices: fresh garlic, fresh ginger, black pepper, lemon juice, vinegar (balsamic, white wine, cider - all low sodium), fresh and dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric in culinary amounts), mustard (small amounts, check sodium), mayonnaise (small amounts, check additives).
Limit: tomato ketchup (sugar and potassium), brown sauce, soy sauce (very high sodium), Worcester sauce.
Avoid: stock cubes and gravy granules (extremely high sodium, often phosphate additives), salt substitutes and lo-salt (potassium chloride), garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt, seasoning salts.
Snacks and treats
Good choices: unsalted rice cakes, plain popcorn (unsalted, no butter), small handful of unsalted nuts (walnuts, cashews - check portions in later CKD), plain biscuits (check salt), dark chocolate in small amounts (25 g), home-baked cakes made without salt.
Limit: crisps (very high salt), salted nuts, shop-bought cakes and biscuits.
Avoid: salted popcorn, cheese puffs, prawn crackers, pork scratchings, all savoury snack mixes.
