Kidney Diet 8 min read·Updated 22 July 2026 Clinician-reviewed

Is Beetroot Bad for Your Kidneys?

A UK Consultant Nephrologist on beetroot in chronic kidney disease — a nitrate-rich vegetable with real BP benefits in healthy people, but a serious oxalate and potassium load that limits its place in advanced CKD.

  • Clinically Reviewed
  • NHS & NICE Aligned
  • UK Evidence-Based
  • Last Reviewed 22 July 2026

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf

Consultant Nephrologist & Acute Physician

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Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf

MD, MSc, PgDip (Clin Ed), FRCP, FHEA, FASN

Consultant Nephrologist & Acute Physician · GMC 7216325

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Direct answer

Beetroot is high in oxalate and moderate-high in potassium. Small portions (50 g) are fine for most stage 1–3 patients. Beetroot juice shots are not recommended in stage 3b+ CKD or in calcium-oxalate stone formers.

Key recommendation: Beetroot: ~ 325 mg K + ~ 700 mg oxalate per 100 g.

Quick answer

✓ Best choices

  • Vegetables and lower-potassium fruit at every meal
  • Whole grains: oats, basmati rice, pasta, wholegrain bread
  • Lean protein in modest portions: fish, chicken, eggs, tofu
  • Extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices for flavour

✓ Foods to limit

  • Added salt and salty sauces
  • Processed meats and foods with phosphate additives (E338–E452)
  • Very large portions of bananas, oranges, potatoes if potassium is rising

Key takeaway

Beetroot is high in oxalate and moderate-high in potassium. Small portions (50 g) are fine for most stage 1–3 patients. Beetroot juice shots are not recommended in stage 3b+ CKD or in calcium-oxalate stone formers.

Who should be cautious

People on dialysis, post-transplant, pregnant or breastfeeding, or taking prescription medication — confirm with your renal team before changes.

Is Beetroot Bad for Your Kidneys?

Why beetroot needs careful framing

Beetroot has genuine cardiovascular benefits from dietary nitrate — meta-analyses in healthy adults and hypertensive patients show modest reductions in systolic BP. But it's one of the highest oxalate foods in the UK diet (alongside spinach, rhubarb and almonds). Concentrated beetroot juice has been linked in case reports to acute oxalate nephropathy and irreversible CKD progression.

Portion by CKD stage

  • Stage 1–2 with normal K and no stone history: 50–80 g cooked beetroot, occasional 70 ml juice shot.
  • Stage 3a: 50 g cooked beetroot, no juice.
  • Stage 3b+ / dialysis / stone formers / nephrotic: avoid beetroot juice; cooked beetroot in 50 g portions only.
  • Acute oxalate exposure (juice cleanses): don't.

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.

Forms compared

  • Roasted beetroot (50 g) — 160 mg K, 350 mg oxalate.
  • Pickled (50 g, drained) — 130 mg K, 350 mg oxalate, + ~ 250 mg Na.
  • Beetroot juice (70 ml shot) — ~ 230 mg K, ~ 200 mg oxalate.
  • Beetroot juice (250 ml glass) — ~ 800 mg K, ~ 700 mg oxalate.
  • Beetroot powder / pre-workout — variable; check label, often very concentrated.

Practical CKD-friendly approach

  • Treat beetroot as an occasional flavour element, not a daily superfood.
  • Roasted beetroot wedges in a salad with goat's cheese (small amount) and olive oil.
  • Skip 'beetroot juice cleanses' regardless of CKD stage.
  • For BP support, focus on the proven pillars: low sodium (< 6 g salt/day), DASH-style eating, weight, exercise, alcohol limits — not a single 'superfood'.
  • Avoid pre-workout 'beet shots' if you have any oxalate risk.
Is Spinach Bad for Your Kidneys?
Related reading: Is Spinach Bad for Your Kidneys?.

Key practical tips

Designed for quick scanning — what to order, what to avoid, sensible portions, common mistakes.

  • Read labels: sodium ≤ 0.3 g per 100 g (low) is the target
  • Cook from scratch when you can — it controls the hidden salt and phosphate
  • Personalise potassium and phosphate targets with your renal dietitian

Clinical guidance

TL;DR summary

Beetroot is high in oxalate and moderate-high in potassium. Small portions (50 g) are fine for most stage 1–3 patients. Beetroot juice shots are not recommended in stage 3b+ CKD or in calcium-oxalate stone formers.

Key takeaways
  • Beetroot: ~ 325 mg K + ~ 700 mg oxalate per 100 g.
  • Pickled: + ~ 250 mg sodium per 50 g.
  • Beet juice 250 ml: ~ 800 mg K.
  • Oxalate nephropathy reported with juice 'cleanses'.
  • Stage 3b+ CKD: avoid juice; small portions of cooked only.
Kidney Diet & Nutrition Considerations

On a kidney-friendly diet, single foods matter less than the overall pattern. Build meals around vegetables, lower-potassium fruit, whole grains, sensible protein and olive oil, and watch the three usual suspects — salt, phosphate additives and oversized portions of very high-potassium foods. Targets are individual and should be confirmed with your renal team.

Foods to prioritise

  • Vegetables and lower-potassium fruit at every meal
  • Whole grains: oats, basmati rice, pasta, wholegrain bread
  • Lean protein in modest portions: fish, chicken, eggs, tofu
  • Extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices for flavour

Foods to limit

  • Added salt and salty sauces
  • Processed meats and foods with phosphate additives (E338–E452)
  • Very large portions of bananas, oranges, potatoes if potassium is rising

Potassium, phosphate and protein needs vary between individuals — please confirm personal targets with your renal team or dietitian. Browse the Kidney Diet Hub for more guides in this cluster.

Frequently asked questions

Is beetroot bad for kidneys?

Beetroot is high in oxalate (~ 700 mg per 100 g raw) and moderate-high in potassium (~ 325 mg). It can raise stone risk in calcium-oxalate stone formers, and in advanced CKD should be portion-controlled.

Can I drink beetroot juice with CKD?

Beetroot juice (250 ml) has ~ 800 mg K and very high oxalate. In stage 1–2 CKD with normal K, a 70 ml 'shot' may give blood-pressure benefits. In stage 3b+ avoid; oxalate nephropathy has been reported.

Are pickled beetroots OK?

Pickled beetroots add sodium from the vinegar brine. The oxalate is unchanged. Drain and rinse, eat small amounts.

Does beetroot lower blood pressure?

Yes — beetroot is high in dietary nitrate which converts to nitric oxide and modestly lowers BP. This is documented in healthy adults; benefit is less clear in CKD and must be balanced against oxalate and K risk.

What foods are best for kidney health?

A kidney-friendly diet centres on vegetables, lower-potassium fruit (apples, pears, berries), whole grains (oats, basmati rice, pasta), sensible portions of fish, eggs or lean meat, beans and lentils in modest portions, and olive oil as the main cooking fat — broadly a Mediterranean pattern with reduced salt.

Nutritional challenges in kidney disease

Many people living with kidney disease have to limit foods because of potassium, phosphate, diabetes, dialysis, appetite changes or simply the time it takes to cook from scratch every day. That can make it harder to keep daily nutrition balanced — particularly for vitamins and minerals that food alone may not fully cover.

Kidney Vitality is a UK-formulated daily nutritional support product designed by Consultant Nephrologist Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf with renal nutrition in mind from the start. It keeps doses moderate, leaves out added potassium, phosphate and magnesium, and avoids megadose vitamin A — sitting alongside a kidney-friendly diet, not replacing it.

Why Kidney Vitality fits this need

Built around UK renal guidance

Aligned with NICE NG203, KDIGO 2024 and BDA renal nutrition guidance.

Designed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist

Formulated and reviewed by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf (GMC 7216325).

Evidence-based by design

No added potassium or phosphate; sensible vitamin doses.

Designed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist

Ready to support your kidney health?

If you have been researching kidney health, supplements, CKD nutrition or kidney-friendly living, Kidney Vitality was developed specifically around those principles by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf (GMC 7216325). Nephrologist Developed Daily Multivitamin.

  • No Added Potassium
  • No Added Phosphorus
  • No Added Iron
  • UK Manufactured
  • One capsule daily
  • UK GMP — BRCGS, NSF GMP, Halal
Subscribe & Save — £20.39/monthCheck your current multivitamin

✓ Free UK tracked delivery  ·  ✓ Delivered every 30 days  ·  ✓ Pause or cancel anytime  ·  ✓ Never run out

ComparisonKidney VitalityTypical high-street multivitamin
Added potassiumNoneOften included
Added phosphateNoneOften included (E338–E452)
Vitamin A (retinol)No megadoseOften high-dose retinol
Kidney-focused formulationYesNo — general population
Consultant Nephrologist involvementYes (GMC 7216325)No
UK GMP manufacturedYes (BRCGS, NSF GMP)Varies

Food supplement. Not a medicine and not a treatment for kidney disease. Speak with your GP, pharmacist or renal team before starting any new supplement, especially in advanced CKD, on dialysis, post-transplant, pregnant or breastfeeding.

Clinical reviewer

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf

Consultant Nephrologist

Acute Physician

GMC 7216325

View Full Biography

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf is a UK Consultant Nephrologist and Acute Physician with a special interest in chronic kidney disease, AKI prevention and renal nutrition. He combines hospital practice with patient education and clinical guidance review.

View professional profile →
View Credentials
  • MD
  • MSc
  • PgDip (Clin Ed)
  • FRCP
  • FHEA
  • FASN

About this article

Written for UK patients and based on:

  • NICE guidance
  • NHS resources
  • British Dietetic Association guidance
  • Kidney Care UK resources
View methodology

Each article is researched against current UK clinical guidance (NICE NG203, NG118, NG136), NHS patient resources, KDIGO and KDOQI international guidelines, and the British Dietetic Association Renal Nutrition Group. Drafts are written by the Kidney Vitality editorial team and reviewed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist before publication. Content is reviewed on a rolling basis and updated when guidance changes.

Editorial standards

  • Clinically reviewed
  • NHS-aligned
  • NICE-aligned
  • Evidence-based
  • Reviewed before publication
View full editorial process

Every article is researched and written by the Kidney Vitality editorial team using current UK clinical guidance (NICE NG203, NG118, NG136), NHS patient resources, KDIGO/KDOQI international guidelines, and British Dietetic Association renal nutrition guidance. Drafts are reviewed for clinical accuracy by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf, MD, MSc, PgDip (Clin Ed), FRCP, FHEA, FASN (Consultant Nephrologist & Acute Physician, GMC 7216325) before publication. Content is updated when UK guidance changes.

References (4)View Sources
  1. NICE NG203: Chronic kidney disease — assessment and management
  2. KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of CKD
  3. KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Nutrition in CKD: 2020 Update
  4. British Dietetic Association — Renal Nutrition Group

Medical disclaimer

This content is educational only and does not replace personalised medical advice.

Read full disclaimer

This page is general information, not personal medical advice. If you have chronic kidney disease, are on dialysis, have had a kidney transplant, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take prescription medication, please confirm any supplement with your GP, pharmacist or renal team before starting.

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