Cranberries are the perfect fruit for low potassium kidney diets because they are very low in potassium. A cup of cranberry juice cocktail contains only 30 mg potassium. A cup of fresh cranberries provides 84 mg potassium, 12 mg phosphorus, 0 mg sodium, 0 g protein 14 g carbohydrate and 60 calories.

A kidney-friendly nutrition profile is not the only reason to eat cranberries. For a low sodium diet, cranberries in the form of sauce, salsa or dried sweetened berries add a punch of flavor to compliment many meat and salad dishes. Cranberry juice cocktail and cranberry juice combinations are tasty and readily available. For people on dialysis who are also diabetic, low calorie or no sugar cranberry juice products are a great choice. Look for fresh whole cranberries in the Fall and buy extra to freeze and use later for up to 9 months. Use fresh, frozen or dried cranberries in muffins, pancakes, stuffing, biscotti, pie and other desserts.

Cranberries have several health benefits. For those who still urinate, substances in cranberries inhibit bacteria from clinging to the bladder walls. This may help prevent bladder infections. Cranberries contain polyphenol antioxidants and anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants associated with potential health benefits to prevent cancer, inflammation, infections and age-related diseases.

 Lots of people with kidney disease have other health problems–like diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. They may have been on a fat restricted or low sugar diet prior to being diagnosed with kidney disease.
When a person starts on hemodialysis, their body needs more calories than before starting dialysis. Appetite may be decreased or nonexistant for some end stage kidney disease patients.

In some cases, the dietitian instructs them to add extra sweets or fats to help boost calories. Why? Because foods that contain sugars and fats have more calories than low sugar, low fat foods. By easing up, it’s easier to eat enough calories. This helps stop unwanted weight loss and muscle breakdown related to not getting enough calories.

For people with diabetes, they still need to monitor blood sugars and keep carbohydrates in balance, even if higher sugar foods are added.

Peritoneal dialysis patients receive extra calories from glucose in the dialysis solution, so they may not need to increase calorie intake from extra fat or sugar.

B is for … Blueberries

Blueberries, like most other berries are low in potassium. One cup provides 112 mg potassium and 3.5 grams fiber. Sodium and phosphorus are also very low. Blueberries contain phytochemicals such as anthocyanins that act as strong antioxidants to help protect against age-related changes like memory loss and DNA breakdown.

Fresh blueberries are great, but when unavailable try frozen or dried blueberries. Eat straight from the package or add to cereal, muffins or salad. Make a pie from frozen berries or use prepared blueberry pie filling. Try a glass of blueberry juice or a blueberry smoothie for a refreshing beverage with a healthy kick!

Diets by nature limit certain foods or food groups. Often this causes dieters to focus on what they can’t have instead of what they can have. The list of foods limited in the diet for kidney patients includes many more foods than other diets because of concerns about protein, sodium, potassium and phosphorus.

Being an optimist, I think we need to focus on the positive parts of the dialysis diet! By doing so we can better appreciate the beneficial foods that can be eaten and feel more positive about the renal diet.

Today and future posts will include selected ‘kidney-friendly’ foods and some of the good things about them.

                                                     A is for….Apple.

Apples are fairly low in potassium compared to other favorite fruits like bananas (408 mg) and oranges (255 mg). One medium apple (2-3/4″ diameter) contains only 158 mg potassium, 9 mg phosphorus and 0 mg sodium. In addition, apples are a good source of fiber–3.7 grams if unpeeled.

Another great feature about apples is there are so many varieties with variations in taste (tart, sweet, sour). Apples are great eaten raw as a snack or cooked to include as a hot side dish with the meal. Applesauce is a favorite for meals or snacks. Baked apples and the all-American favorite apple pie ate great for dessert. You can probably think of many more ways to prepare this kidney friendly fruit. Why not include an apple a day!