8 Diet Tips to Help Prevent or Manage Chronic Kidney Disease

Your diet is one of the most important tools you can use to help keep your kidneys healthy, including the prevention and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

If you have CKD, your kidneys can’t filter blood as well as they should, causing excess waste to build up in your body. Diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) are the two leading causes of kidney disease. High blood sugar levels in uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure can damage the kidneys’ blood vessels, leaving them unable to do their job properly, says Krista Maruschak, RD, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic.

“Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure can have a significant effect on the development of CKD over time,” says Maruschak.

A healthy diet can help you prevent or manage conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, in turn supporting your kidney health, says Maruschak. As part of a kidney-friendly diet, you may also need to limit certain foods and nutrients to help prevent further kidney damage.

1. Portion Your Plate

As a general rule of thumb, Maruschak suggests following the MyPlate method at every meal: Fill roughly half of your plate with vegetables and fruits, one-quarter with lean protein, and one-quarter with whole grains.

2. Limit Your Salt Intake

If you’re at risk of or already have high blood pressure, Maruschak suggests following a low-sodium diet — specifically the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. Also try these tips to keep your sodium in check:

• Limit Ordering Takeout and Eating at Restaurants “Salt is often added to your food, and items used in restaurant kitchens may have added sodium,” says Maruschak. When you do eat out, do your research. You can sometimes find the sodium content of dishes on the restaurant’s website, she adds.
• Cook at Home With Whole, Unprocessed Foods When you prepare meals at home using fresh ingredients you control exactly how much sodium (and fat) goes into each bite.
• Get Creative With Seasonings Maruschak suggests avoiding salt when cooking or at the table. Instead, use spices, herbs, lemon, and other sodium-free seasonings.
• Check Packages Any prepared food with 20 percent or more of your daily value of sodium is considered high-sodium. Choose soups, frozen meals, and other packaged foods labeled as “reduced sodium,” “low-sodium,” or “salt-free” whenever you can.
• Rinse Canned Foods Before Eating This quick extra step helps remove excess sodium.

3. Be Mindful of Protein

• Lean meat, fish, or poultry (one portion size is 3 ounces [oz], or about the size of a deck of cards)
• Dairy (one portion size of yogurt and milk is 1 cup, while one portion of cheese is 1.5 oz, or about the size of your two thumbs together)
• Legumes (one portion is ¼ cup)
• Nuts (one portion size of nut butter is 1 tablespoon [tbsp])

Be sure to speak with a registered dietitian nutritionist to determine the right amount of protein for you.

4. Choose Complex Carbs Over Simple Carbs

As part of an overall healthy diet, you should limit sweets and foods with added sugars. Check food labels closelybecause added sugars are found in surprising places like fruit yogurt, says Maruschak. Healthier carbohydrate choices include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and lentils.

If you have diabetes and are on insulin, you may need to be even more careful about your carbohydrate intake. “It’s likely that people will need to count carbohydrates at mealtimes so they can dose their insulin correctly,” says Maruschak.

5. Limit Saturated Fats, and Avoid Trans Fat

Diets that are high in saturated and trans fats increase the risk of heart disease, and what’s bad for your heart is bad for your kidneys. “Heart health and kidney health are interconnected, as the heart constantly pumps blood throughout the body, and the kidneys continuously filter the blood in order to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body,” says Maruschak.

6. Watch Your Alcohol Intake

7. Talk to Your Doctor About Whether You Need to Limit Phosphorus and Potassium

8. Work With a Dietitian

Making changes to your diet can be hard. If you’re struggling to stick to a healthy diet, a registered dietitian nutritionist can help you develop a meal plan that’s tailored to your individual needs.

“It can seem overwhelming to manage your diet,” says Maruschak. “A [registered dietitian] can help you find foods that fit into your specific dietary requirements.”

The Takeaway

• A healthy diet can help you prevent or manage chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which can have a significant impact on kidney function as well.
• Pay close attention to the portions on your plate, prioritizing plenty of fruits and vegetables and being selective with high-quality protein and complex carbohydrate sources, to nourish your body and reduce your risk of kidney problems.
• Keep a careful eye on your sodium intake to prevent or manage high blood pressure and, in turn, protect your kidney health.
• If you have chronic kidney disease, you may need to keep an eye on your phosphorus and potassium levels as well, avoiding certain animal-based meats, canned fruits and vegetables, salt substitutes, and processed foods and beverages if they get too high.