The following information represents options for changing your breakfast selections. The choices here reflect more natural and healthy alternatives to "traditional" breakfast foods.
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| Kidney Disease Diet Restrictions |
Eggs
Instead of eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, consider trying an egg white vegetable omelet. Two large organic egg whites have approximately 110 mg of sodium, 110 to 120 mg of potassium, 10 mg of phosphorus, and 3.5 g of protein. Add 1/2 cup of raw, chopped broccoli (15 mg of sodium, 150 mg of potassium, 30 mg of phosphorus, and 1.3 g of protein), and 1/4 cup of chopped raw onion (6 mg of sodium, 55 mg of potassium, 11 mg of phosphorus, and 0.5 g of protein).
Mix and match your portion size and vegetable choice according to your dietary restrictions. The key is substituting the vegetables for bacon, and egg white for egg yolk. Other protein substitutes include tofu (a six-ounce portion of Mori-Nu soft, silken tofu provides 8 mg of sodium, 300 mg of potassium, 105 mg of phosphorus and 8 g of protein) and tempeh.
Cereal
Instead of high sugar breakfast cereals, consider trying a sprouted whole grain cereal. A brand that I recommend is Ezekiel. 1/2 cup of Ezekiel Golden Flax Organic Cereal provides 190 mg of sodium, 190 mg of potassium, 8 g of protein, and no sugar.
Instead of topping the cereal with cow's milk, consider using soy milk or rice milk. 1/2 cup of soy milk has approximately 15 mg of sodium, 170 mg of potassium, 60 mg of phosphorus, and 6.7 g of protein. Soy milk can have sugar, but there is an unsweetened option made by Organic Valley Farms.
Bread
Instead of a bagel, consider trying sprouted bread. One slice of Ezekiel Sesame Sprouted Grain Bread has only 80 mg of sodium, 75 mg of potassium, 4 g of protein, and no sugar. Additionally, it has only 8 percent of the total daily phosphorus requirements, which is low. Gluten-free sprouted bread is also if you have celiac disease.
Lunch Examples
For many of us, we are at work and only have an hour - if that - for lunch. We want something quick and light, yet nutritious. For the examples discussed below, you may choose to increase your portion size at lunch if it is your main meal day of the day. It is important to make dietary choices that work for your lifestyle and schedule.
Salad
Instead of salad as an appetizer, consider it as a main course. Raw vegetables are a good source of fiber and nutrition. Your salad should contain at least 1 cup of iceberg lettuce and 1 cup of romaine lettuce. 1 cup of romaine lettuce provides little sodium, 167 mg of potassium, 25 mg of phosphorus, and 1 g of protein. In contrast, 1 cup of iceberg lettuce has about a third less of sodium, and about 50 percent less phosphorus.
You can add almost anything to the lettuce. Consider carrots, either sliced or grated (a 7.5 inch carrot provides 50 mg of sodium, 230 mg of potassium, 25 mg of phosphorus, and a little less than 1 g of protein). Other options include cucumbers, peppers, spinach, and kale (1/2 cup of chopped raw kale provides 15 mg of sodium, 150 mg of potassium, 20 mg of phosphorus, and 2.2 g of protein). Top it off with oil and balsamic vinaigrette and you have a delicious lunch.
Sandwiches
Instead of a foot-long hoagie with fries for lunch, consider organic pita bread. A small 4-inch-diameter bread has anywhere from 60 to 120 mg of sodium, 50 mg of potassium, and 3 g of protein, with little or no sugar and fat. The phosphorus content is about 25 to 30 mg for this serving size. You can stuff the pita with any type of vegetable, as discussed in the case of the omelet, to make a vegetable sandwich.
Soup
Instead of a meaty cream-based soup, choose a broth-based vegetable soup instead. You can make any type of vegetable into a soup. Simply add vegetables of your choice to some vegetable broth and you are on your way. To find out more, you can check out Kidney Disease Diet Restrictions.