4 Low-Phosphorus Foods for a Dialysis-Friendly Diet

meals

“Wake up. It’s time for your next dialysis appointment.” Ever feel like your life revolves around that when you have kidney disease?

When your kidneys stop working, dialysis becomes a critical part of your care to stay healthy. But there’s a lot more you can do to protect your health and get the most out of each dialysis treatment, like eating foods low in phosphorus.

Eating no more than 800 to 1,200 mg of phosphorus per day helps prevent further kidney damage, according to the National Kidney Foundation. It also helps prevent poor bone health and heart disease.

If you’re trying to maintain your health while on dialysis, eat these four low-phosphorus foods.

1. Lean meat and poultry

Hold on. That doesn’t mean you’re going to make drive-thru hamburgers a regular thing. Lean beef is low in phosphorus, skinless chicken is even lower. Try one of these low-phosphorus meals:

Chicken Patty with BBQ Sauce with Stewed Tomatoes & Broccoli Florets
Chicken Patty & Penne Pasta Alfredo with Carrots and Butternut Squash

Fish

It’s low in fat and phosphorus, but high in omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also a good source of protein. Try these healthy fish options for a Dialysis-Friendly diet:

Crab Cake, Brown Rice & Mixed Vegetables
Salmon & Vegetable Linguini
Baked Tilapia, Brown Rice & Minted Carrots

Pasta and Rice

Not all pasta and rice are created equal. And even healthier versions are still higher in phosphorus than other foods. But choose the right pasta and rice, and it’s a good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Try:

Meatballs with Penne Pasta & Peas
Roast Turkey Pizzaiola & Rice Pilaf

Eggs

When you’re following a Dialysis-friendly diet, some foods are going to be off limits or only allowed in small amounts. But you still need to eat, and eggs happen to be one type of food you can still enjoy...if you remove the yolk.

Check this out. A typical egg contains 95 mg of phosphorus. But if you just eat the egg whites, it’s only 5 mg. Try this low-phosphorus meal:

Breakfast Scramble, Hashbrowns & Asparagus

Looking for more ways to enjoy a Dialysis-Friendly diet? Check out the complete menu here.