Renal diet recipes

Patients suffering from kidney (renal) problems should closely watch their diet. What they eat may affect their health and because of that, these patients are advised to control and limit the consummation of fluids, sodium, potassium and phosphorus.

The so-called renal diet is designed to help kidney patients slow down the progression of their disease. Excess proteins, coming from animal or plant sources should be limited if the patient’s condition still doesn’t require dialysis. Once they start with dialysis, proteins should be used in large quantities.

The use of sodium (salt) must be controlled in kidney patients. These people are advised to use spices and herbs, to avoid retention of the fluids and hypertension.

Potassium may cause hyperkaliemia (high potassium in the blood) and must be avoided.

Dairy products and eggs are rich in phosphates and therefore not suitable for kidney patients. Several different products are made to substitute the milk, including Milupa and Snopro.

If you are on dialysis, your doctors must have warned you to limit daily intake of fluids. Remember to count all fluid during the day, including some soups, custards, jellies, and sauces.

Zucchini Soup

Heat some olive oil in the pan, add 2 slices of red onions, 6 sliced zucchinis and some salt. Cover for couple of minutes, add 4 tablespoons of pesto sauce and 2 cups of chicken stock (without added salt) and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the flame and blend the soup, then add 2 tablespoons of parmesan and leave on the stove for a minute or two. Serve the soup while it’s still hot.

Pasta Salad

Cook 2 cups of farfalle pasta and drain it. Shortly boil a cup of green beans in the water. On the side mix a tablespoon of each: extra virgin olive oil, mustard paste and fresh basil, 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander, juice from 1 lemon and half of a cup of sliced spring onions. To the same dish, add half of a cup of tuna, cooked farfalle and some ground black pepper and mix the salad gently. Leave it to cool down for an hour and then serve.

Salmon with Mushrooms

For this recipe, you will need 2 fillets of salmon. Fry them in a non sticking pan until they turn golden on both sides, but be careful not to overdo them, because they won’t taste good. Remove the salmon and fry 2 cloves of minced garlic and add a cup of shitake mushrooms, and some salt and pepper. Cover and let on the stove for 5 minutes maximum, then add a cup of baby spinach and finally soy sauce (2 tablespoons). Serve the salmon with the mushrooms aside.