Quince is a pear shaped, golden yellow fruit related to the pear and apple fruit family. Unlike it’s cousin fruits, the quince is very tannic and bitter when eaten raw, so most recipes call for cooking the fruit. When sugar is added the cooked quince turns crimson red and develops a flavor described as a combination of rose, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Some popular quince recipes include quince baked or poached with sugar, quince added to stewed or slow cooked meat dishes, quince tarts, preserves and a spreadable paste known as membrillo.

In the US, quince is available in the fall. You can find it at farmer’s markets, large supermarkets and specialty and ethnic stores. Turkey is the world’s largest quince producer/exporter.

Nutritionally, a medium quince has around 75 calories and 14 grams of carbohydrate. With only 181 mg potassium, 16 mg phosphorus and 4 mg sodium, quince is a great fruit choice for a kidney diet.

Treat yourself to a new taste experience! Look for the raw fruit to cook or shop for quince paste or jelly.

Here’s an easy recipe for Baked Quince: 

Portions:  8           

Serving size:  1/2 quince

Ingredients

• 4 medium quinces
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Peel the fruit, cut in half and remove seeds. Place in a baking dish.
3. Pour sugar over quince halves and dot each piece with butter.
4. Add water and bake for 1 hour.
5. Serve each quince half with a spoonful of whipped topping.

Nutrients

152 calories, 0 protein, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 93 mg potassium, 9 mg phosphorus, 9 mg calcium, 0.8 g fiber

Visit DaVita.com to discover more kidney-friendly fruit recipes. Some of  my favorites include:

• Apples Baked in Cider
• Blueberry Peach Crisp
• Creamy Grape Salad
• Peach Cobbler
• Traverse City Cherry Crisp
• Zingy Spiced Pears

Kidney diet resources from DaVita.com

Review and rate recipes

Discussion Forums

Monthly Recipe Alerts

DaVita Diet Helper

Phosphorus Challenge

Pineapple is a symbol of friendship and hospitality as well as a sense of welcome, good cheer, warmth and family affection. It’s also a great fruit choice for the kidney diet. The DaVita Dietitian team admires the pineapple so much they chose it for their logo to go with their motto “Improving Nutrition Together”.

Pineapple fits a low potassium diet plan with 125 mg potassium for 1/2 cup frozen or canned (chunks or crushed), 2 rings or 3/4 cup fresh. Read more…

Most people aren’t concerned about potassium because healthy kidneys regulate potassium to keep blood levels normal. If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) you may need a low potassium diet as your kidneys stop working. Read more…

Many chronic kidney disease patients I’ve worked with have questions about what’s important with potassium control. Not all people with CKD need to restrict potassium.  In early stages of CKD, potassium usually is not a problem because the kidneys still remove enough to keep blood levels normal.  In some cases, elevated potassium may return to normal with adjustments in medication, especially if a person is on potassium sparing diuretics.  If medications are adjusted and levels continue above normal, a lower potassium diet is needed.

Kalium-Latin for Potassium

What’s the link between potassium and kidneys?  90% of the excess potassium consumed through diet is removed by your kidneys. Read more…

(This post is a continuation of a look at kidney-friendly foods and some of the good things about them.)

Increase flavor without increasing sodium with two world-famous citrus favorites–lemons and limes.  These tart citrus fruits enhance the natural flavors in many foods. Their acids stimulate taste buds while masking the need for salt.

Use the juice or zest, the colored part of the peel packed with fresh citrus flavor. If you are fortunate enough to find lemon or lime oil (usually in a specialty culinary store) add it to your flavorings collection. One or two drop of lemon oil added to marinades and sauces turns a good –tasting dish into a great –tasting one.

Nutritionally, lemons and limes are Read more…

‘Tis the season to be jolly…and to face a new set of holiday diet challenges. For people with chronic kidney disease or dialysis patients, knowing what to eat and when to be cautious while following a low potassium diet is extremely important. High potassium levels are dangerous and could cause the heart and nerves to stop working properly.

Here are some important things to know and do Read more…

(This post is part of a series focusing on healthy foods for kidney diets.)

One challenge people with chronic kidney disease face when following a low potassium renal diet is choosing healthy lower potassium vegetables.  Cooked greens are often placed in the limit or avoid category and assumed to be high in potassium. Indeed, some greens, like beet greens, spinach and chard contain over 400 mg potassium per in a 1/2 cup serving.

Kale is a lower potassium cooked green. Potassium content ranges from 150 to 210 mg for 1/2 cup raw or boiled. Read more…

People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and those on dialysis need to be aware of how much protein, potassium, sodium, phosphorus and calcium they consume. Since phosphorus and potassium are not required on food labels, food manufacturers may not analyze and provide data on these nutrients. Many online diet analysis tools provide only the available nutrient data. When values are missing, these tools calculate a zero value. Consequently, a person using the tool may assume they are eating less potassium or phosphorus than they actually consume.

DaVita’s online meal planning tool for kidney diets, DaVita Diet Helper, includes a Nutrition Log where users can enter foods eaten and view nutrient values for calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, protein, sodium, potassium, phosphorus and calcium.

Each food in the database includes a complete nutrient profile, including potassium and phosphorus content. Users can be sure all the values are correct and potassium and phosphorus are not falsely low when using DaVita Diet Helper to analyze their daily food intake.

If you use another diet analysis tool be sure to check for accurate potassium and phosphorus values.

J is for…Jicama
Kidney diets are challenging but not impossible to follow while still enjoying great tasting foods.  One way to add enjoyment is to try new foods previously not included in routine food choices. Have you ever tried jicama?

Jicama is the tuberous root of a native Mexican vine also known as Mexican or Chinese Turnip, Mexican Potato or yam bean root. The brown skin and must be removed before eating it. Jicama has a crisp texture similar to a fresh pear, apple or water chestnuts. It has a slightly sweet taste, sometimes described as a cross between an apple and potato. It’s often eaten raw with lemon or lime juice and a sprinkle of chili powder or included on a vegetable tray with dip. Jicama is also great when added to salads, soups or stir-fry dishes. In addition to eating it raw, jicama  can be steamed, baked, or boiled.

Nutrients
Jicama is a great choice for renal patients following a kidney diet because it is low in sodium, potassium and phosphorus. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber. For people with diabetes, jicama is low in carbohydrates and calories.

1/2 cup Jicama

*********Calories   Protein   Carbohydrate    Fiber      Potassium     Phosphorus    Sodium
raw         23            0.4 g             5 g           2.9 g          90 mg            11mg            2 mg
cooked   19            0.3 g             4 g           2.5 g          68 mg             8 mg            2 mg

Look for jicama during your next grocery store trip and try it as a new kidney-friendly addition to your kidney diet.

The Daily Value (DV) on food labels was established for the general public to help determine if a food is a high or low source of specific nutrients.

For people with healthy kidneys a high potassium intake is considered healthy. The daily goal is to consume enough high potassium foods to provide at least 3500 mg potassium.

Once the kidneys can no longer remove potassium (usually in later stage 4 and stage 5 CKD), and blood potassium values rise above normal (3.5-5.0 mEq/L) a lower potassium diet is usually prescribed.

Some but not all foods include potassium on the Nutrition Facts Label. An understanding of what to look for can help make grocery shopping easier. Here’s a general potassium DV guideline to help interpret the numbers when reading food labels:

• Up to 4 % DV = 0-140 mg, low potassium
• Up to 7 % DV = 141-250 mg, medium potassium
• Up to 14% DV = 251-500 mg, high potassium
• Over 20% DV = 700 mg or more, very high potassium

Each person has individual requirements for potassium depending on kidney function, lab values, appetite and type of dialysis treatment. It’s a good idea for people with chronic kidney disease to always check with their kidney care team rather than guess about their diet requirements for potassium.