I is for…Italian Seasonings
(This post is part of an ongoing series on selected ‘kidney-friendly’ foods and some of the good things included in the kidney diet.)

Learning how to season and prepare kidney-friendly foods is a challenge for anyone prescribed a diet low in sodium, potassium and phosphorus. Adding flavors can make all the difference is preparing a meal with taste versus a tasteless meal.

Oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary—blend these dried herbs together and you have Italian seasoning. For kidney diets, Italian seasoning blend is a fantastic way to add salt-free flavor. One teaspoon contains 0 mg sodium, 35 mg potassium and 4 mg phosphorus. Read more…

Starting and following a renal diet for people with kidney disease is a challenging and often frustrating task. If you are on a kidney diet you can probably relate to lists–foods to eat, limit or avoid, lists of foods high in potassium, high sodium food lists and foods high in phosphorus.

Sometimes the lists contradict each other. The dialysis diet often goes against traditional healthy eating guidelines. Instead of ‘eat more fresh fruits and vegetables’ the new guideline is limit fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those high in potassium. Instead of “eat more whole grains and fiber’ the kidney diet guideline is ‘limit or avoid whole grains because the potassium and phosphorus content is higher than refined grains’.

Even for renal dietitians, planning individualized menus for each patient is an almost impossible job. Menu planning takes lots of time, especially considering each person’s food preferences and the differnet renal diet prescriptions.

Thanks to DaVita.com, people looking for help with renal diets now have another tool. A new online meal planner for kidney diets called DaVita Diet Helper is available at no charge for anyone looking for preplanned kidney friendly menus with recipes. Users can pick and choose 2 weeks of meals and snacks according to their food preferences. DaVita Diet Helper is based on the diet prescription prescribed by the doctor or dietitian. Meal plans from 50 to 100 grams protein are available. Potassium choices are 2000 mg low potassium or 3000-4000 liberal potassium. All meal plans are low in sodium and phosphorus.

In addition to menus and recipes, DaVita Diet Helper has a Nutrition Log where any foods eaten during the day can be recorded to show intake of calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugars, sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. The large database includes many restaurant foods, and all foods have potassium and phosphorus data included.

To use this fantastic tool, users need to know their kidney diet prescription. Clickhere to find the Diet Prescription sheet that can be printed and taken to the doctor or dietitian to complete before using DaVita Diet Helper.

The beginning of September marks end of summer and the last chances for summer outings and barbecues. Take advantage of the remaining sunny, warm weekends and plan a kidney-friendly get together with family and friends.

Here are some guidelines for sticking with your renal diet while still enjoying a fun filled end of summer barbecue.

1. Choose hamburgers, chicken, ribs, fish, steaks or pork chops for the grill. Fresh meats are low in sodium compared to processed meats like hot dogs and sausages.

2. Go easy on the sauces and dressings because these can add lots of hidden sodium. Try home made instead. Spicy BBQ Sauce and Meat Marinade from DaVita’s recipe collection are both tasty but low in sodium.

3. Serve a tossed salad with low sodium dressing, macaroni or pasta salad like Bow-tie Pasta Salad or a fresh cabbage slaw. Another option is a fresh low potassium veggie tray with celery, cucumber, bell pepper and cauliflower. Combine sour cream with any salt-free herb seasoning blend for a quick dip. If you prefer a hot vegetable, try Grilled Multicolored Peppers and Onions or roasted corn on the cob.

4. Instead of potato chips, cheese snacks or nuts, serve low salt pretzels with low sodium mustard, unsalted popcorn or low salt tortilla chips.

5. For dessert make vanilla cookies, angel food cupcakes, blueberry, peach or apple pie. Instead of ice cream, enjoy nondairy frozen dessert, a dish of sorbet, sherbet or a Popsicle. Make a fruit tray with lower potassium fruits such as grapes, strawberries, pineapple and watermelon. Serve with DaVita’s Easy Summer Fruit Dip.

6. The best drinks are homemade lemonade, home brewed Iced tea , lemon-lime soda or water. Make a sparkling drink with club soda and cranberry juice. Remember to count fluids if you are on a fluid limit. Wear a hat or stay in the shade to help keep cool so you don’t feel too thirsty .

Here are some more end of summer recipes for chronic kidney disease and dialysis diets from DaVita.com.

• Chicken and Summer Vegetable Kebabs
• Chicken Pepper Bacon Wraps
• Easy Baby Back Ribs
• Grilled Mexican Swordfish Fillets
• Grilled Pork Souvlaki
• Lisa’s Awesome Burgers
• Rotini Salad
• Deviled Eggs for Parties
• Frozen Fruit Delight
• Red White and Blue Pie