Simple Summer Recipes for the Renal Diet

If you want to protect your kidneys from further damage when you have renal disease, there are a few things that can make a big difference, such as:

• Take medications
• Avoid foods high in salt, potassium, and phosphorus
• Eat a low to moderate amount of protein

That might sound like your food choices are highly limited when you have renal disease. But that's just not the case. In fact, there are lots of healthy and tasty meals and sides you can enjoy even if you have renal disease.

Feeling like cooking at home? Here are some super simple renal diet summer recipes to make and enjoy:

Asian Pear Salad

Serves 4

4 Asian Pears
16 leaves of Bibb Lettuce
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. Walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. water
1/8 tsp. table salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. Dried Cranberries

Have a sheet of parchment paper ready on a counter.

Heat up the water and pinch of salt to a simmer over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Stir in the sugar until it's dissolved, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until it becomes syrupy and starts to brown. Quickly stir in the walnuts and take it off the heat. Pour and scoop it out unto the parchment paper to cool.

Place 4 leaves of lettuce on each of 4 plates. Peel, core and dice the pears. Place equally over the lettuce on the plates.

Break up walnuts mixture and scatter walnuts, blue cheese and dried cranberries evenly over the pears. Serve.