If possible, make meat sandwiches from low sodium, fresh-cooked meats such as chicken, turkey breast, roast beef, pork or fish. Use meat leftover from dinner, or cook fresh meat specifically for lunch sandwiches. Consider freezing cooked meat in 2- to 3-ounce portions until needed.
Good choices for sandwiches are tuna, egg, or chicken salad. Avoid processed deli meats, even if you have the counter cut slices for you. These 'lunch' meats are full of sodium and phosphorus. These minerals that can build up and cause serious health problems for people on dialysis.
Subway: Choose 6” sub, good ideas for fillings include chicken breast, tuna, ham, egg mayo, beef, turkey breast, club, sweet onion teriyaki and salad. The wraps available are all okay for those following a low salt diet.
Whole grains and whole wheat are both great options for people with kidney disease. Both whole grain and whole wheat products contain the entire kernel. Whole wheat refers to products that are only using whole wheat kernels.
Suitable bread types
White or brown pan loaf, baguettes, pitta bread, ciabatta, chapattis, white or granary bread rolls are all suitable. Your dietitian will decide if you can eat wholemeal bread based on your blood levels. Sourdough bread is not a suitable bread as it is high in phosphate.
Butter contains saturated fat, which increases your risk for heart disease. The National Kidney Foundation notes that heart disease is a major risk factor for kidney disease and vice versa. Consume less butter, lard and shortening to reduce your intake of saturated fat and lower your risk for heart and kidney disease.
Large amounts of fried foods are not recommended as part of a healthy diet for anyone, whether a person has chronic kidney disease (CKD) or not.
Asian Food:
Dishes without sauces or with a light sauce are more suitable e.g. steamed whole fish, braised meats, crispy skin chicken, sweet sauces such as plum, lemon, orange, and sweet and sour may also be lower in salt.
Phosphorus and Dairy Foods
Most dairy foods are very high in phosphorus. People with kidney disease should limit their daily intake of milk, yogurt, and cheese to ½ cup milk, or ½ cup yogurt or 1-ounce cheese. If you do eat high-phosphorus foods, ask your doctor for a phosphate binder to be taken with your meals.
Your renal dietitian will determine how much sodium, protein, potassium, phosphorus, and hemoglobin (SPPP) you need per day based on the nutritional requirements of each patient. Kidney patients will not be able to consume cheese due to chronic kidney disease.
Tuna is kidney-friendly and an inexpensive source of protein. Make homemade tuna salad with yogurt instead of mayo and throw it into a pita for a delicious meal. Low-sodium chicken broth or bouillon cubes.
Processed meats often contain high amounts of sodium and preservatives, which can be harmful for kidney health. One of the main ingredients you want to avoid for optimal kidney health is excess sodium, which is abundant in processed meats (think hot dogs, bologna, and deli meats).
If you find yourself occasionally craving a fast food hamburger, it's fine to have one every now and then. Remember to order your hamburger with no salt, pickles or grill seasoning, so you can limit sodium and potassium. Also, cheese is limited for those on the dialysis diet.
If you want to protect your kidneys, try to avoid eating fried foods as much as possible. Instead, opt for healthier alternatives like grilled or baked chicken or fish.
High in vitamin K, vitamin C and fiber, cabbage is also a good source of vitamin B6 and folic acid. Low in potassium and low in cost, it's an affordable addition to the kidney diet. Raw cabbage makes a great addition to the dialysis diet as coleslaw or topping for fish tacos.
Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich
This chicken sandwich avoids MSG and is low in sodium compared to many other fast-food chicken sandwiches. One Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich clocks in at 350 calories, 8 grams of fat (with only 1.5 grams of saturated fat), and 850 milligrams of sodium.
Sodium in a Tuna Sandwich
The average fast food tuna sandwich contains 1,293 milligrams of sodium. That's 56 percent of your 2,300-milligram daily limit. Even worse, if you follow a low-sodium diet, it's 86 percent of the 1,500 milligrams you should limit yourself to each day.
Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Edam and Red Leicester are high in phosphate. Better options include: cream cheese • cottage cheese • mozzarella • feta • brie • Stilton.