Home Food and Nutrition Kidney Friendly Recipes For Summer

Kidney Friendly Recipes For Summer

June 9, 2020

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Summer is on its way, which means it’s time to break out the summer recipes. We’ve composed a list of five easy and delicious kidney friendly recipes to help spruce up your summer days and maybe even impress your friends and family!

1. Grilled Flank Steak and Vinaigrette Vegetables

This tasty recipe from DaVita is full of delicious flavor and protein. The main ingredients in this recipe are flank steak, eggplant, and peppers, but you can substitute for your favorite kind of vegetables. The vinaigrette sauce gives the vegetables that extra flavor. If you have a low-protein diet, portion the steak accordingly to meet your dietary needs. This recipe serves up to four people. (1)

2. Fish Tacos

Nothing says summer like some flavorful fish tacos! This fish taco recipe is made with cod, cabbage, spices, and garnishes that will make these tacos look and taste photo-worthy. Cod can be substituted with any other white fish of your choice. The serving size for this recipe is two tacos and it can feed up to six people. You can find the full recipe from DaVita, here. (2)

3. Southwestern Meatless Burger

A good veggie burger can oftentimes be hard to come across, especially one that’s kidney-friendly! This Southwestern Meatless Burger is full of spices and garnishes that give it lots of flavor in every bite. This delicious recipe from The Kidney RD and can serve up to 6 people. Find the full recipe here. (3)

4. Cucumber Watermelon Salad

Watermelon is a popular summertime favorite! This refreshing summer salad from American Kidney Fund is a great addition to any meal, and not to mention, quick and easy to make. This kidney friendly recipe only requires a few ingredients, including watermelon, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. This recipe can serve up to four people and is best eaten when it’s fresh. The full recipe can be found here. (4)

5. Triple Berry Protein Parfait

This dessert is a light, yet delicious summer treat. DaVita’s Triple Berry Protein Parfait recipe only calls for a few ingredients, including blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, honey, whipped topping, and whey protein powder. These berries can either be fresh or frozen. This recipe serves two people and the full recipe can be found here. (5)

If your hosting a party take a look at these 5 FUN KIDNEY FRIENDLY PARTY RECIPES

Kidney Friendly Substitutes

Cooking may feel discouraging for some on the renal-diet, as it has certain limitations. However, there are plenty of kidney-friendly substitutes available for your kidney friendly recipes. According to The Kidney Foundation of Canada, these are some of the kidney-friendly substitutes to use:

If you are watching your phosphorus intake, consider swapping the following ingredients:
- Almond beverage instead of milk
- Whipped topping instead of whipped cream
- Fresh meat choices rather than processed meat
- Use a small amount of cheese, or replace with cream cheese if it fits the recipe
- Try to eliminate nuts altogether if possible (6)
If you are watching your potassium intake,consider swapping the following ingredients:
- Peel, cut, and boil potatoes, carrots, and broccoli and drain before adding them to soup or stews. This helps leach the potassium.
- Olive oil and garlic instead of a tomato sauce if making a pasta dish
- Mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes (6)
If you are watching your sodium intake, consider swapping the following ingredients:
- Oil and balsamic vinegar as a sodium-free salad dressing
- Unsalted nuts instead of regular, salted nuts
- Choose low-sodium canned foods
- Add herbs to flavor your food instead of salt (6)