Many people living with kidney disease feel that the renal diet is the most difficult part of treatment. Managing a renal diet can be challenging for a number of reasons:
- There is no standard “kidney diet” – it’s complicated and it changes over time depending on kidney function;
- Many people need to balance two or more diets such as a diabetic diet and/or a heart health diet along with a renal diet and they can often disagree;
- The diet can be really limited, especially if you have food allergies, intolerances and/or restrictions; and,
- Many of the guidelines and suggestions for healthy eating no longer apply when you’re following a renal diet and you may need to avoid some fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
The renal diet can also have a big impact on your quality of life and your social activities:
- Grocery shopping, label reading, and preparing renal friendly meals can seem like a full time job;
- It can be difficult to eat out, and still control your sodium, potassium, phosphorous and protein intake;
- Friends and family may not know or understand what you can eat; and,
- You may miss some of your favorite foods and feel left out of holiday meal traditions and celebrations.
The Kidney Foundation of Canada has created the Kidney Community Kitchen to help address these challenges. This site is a celebration of food for people living with kidney disease – in addition to kidney friendly recipes and meal plans, we’ve created information and fact sheets to help you manage your diet. This section of the web site will continue to expand as we get requests for information so please let us know if there’s anything you would like us to add in the future.
Tips & Fact Sheets
- Sodium (salt) and Chronic Kidney Disease (PDF)
- Eating Guidelines for Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease (PDF)
- Potassium Content in Cultural Foods (PDF)
- Potassium and Chronic Kidney Disease (PDF)
- Phosphorus (phosphate) and Chronic Kidney Disease (PDF)
- E. coli Bacteria (PDF)
- What To Do When You Don’t Feel Like Eating (PDF)
- Easy Meals to Make (PDF)
- Kidney Friendly Eating on a Budget (PDF)
- Food Safety for Kidney Patients (PDF)
- Modifying Recipes to be Kidney Friendly (PDF)
- Kidney Friendly Ingredient and Recipe Substitutions (PDF)
- Kidney Stones (PDF)
- Eating Out on a Kidney Diet (PDF)
- Navigating the Food Bank for the Kidney Diet (PDF)
- Plant-based Protein Options (PDF)
