Tips to encourage eating with Chronic Kidney Disease

Children with CKD often struggle to eat for many different reasons including having a poor appetite, suffering from nausea, vomiting, acid reflux and taking lots of medications. This can be an anxious time, however providing a safe, calm, happy environment for your child to eat will help him / her to have a positive association with food.

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Meal ideas

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Eating out tips

Eating out is a lot of fun. With careful planning, it is possible to choose from most menus when following a renal diet and make eating out a fun experience. The suggestions below provide tips for eating out. It is important to discuss these suggestions with your dietitian to make sure they are suitable.

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General tips

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Choose restaurants that serve fresh food to order. Before eating out, contact the restaurant to discuss your dietary needs.
Many restaurants display their menus on their website, so it could be helpful to familiarise yourself with any of the meals that are suitable or could be easily adapted beforehand.
Always check with the dietitian regarding what options are suitable when eating out.
On the day you are eating out, be mindful of the meals eaten at home and consider reducing portion sizes of foods that are high in potassium, phosphate and sodium.
If a phosphate binder is needed remember to take this to the restaurant to have alongside the meal as the medical team have recommended.
Ask for your vegetables to be boiled as this helps to lower the amount of potassium they contain.
Salt is used in cooking and to season meals. Ask for meals to be prepared without salt and follow the tips below to choose lower salt alternatives.
Sauces can be high in salt and count towards fluid allowance. Order dishes without a sauce or ask for the sauce to be served separately so you can control the amount added.
If a fluid allowance is in place, avoid soups and free refills of drinks. Soups are usually high in salt and potassium and are best avoided. Remember that any drinks, sauces or soups must still be counted when eating out.

Food diary

If you have been asked to make dietary changes or monitor your dietary intake by your Dietitian or Doctor, keeping a food diary can sometimes help with this.

Download our editable food diary. You can detail the foods and drinks that you have in this and show it to your Dietitian and Doctor so they can advise you further on what changes you may need to make.

Download this weekly food diary