Wholegrain breads, cereals, rice and pasta contain more fibre and provide a steady source of energy throughout the day. They break-down more slowly into sugar than white bread, pasta, biscuits and pastries, creating fewer ‘blood sugar spikes’.

The best types of wholegrain foods to select are those with a fibre content of greater then 15g per 100g on the nutritional information panel and varieties which are closest to their natural form (whole foods).

Good examples of these foods include, but are not limited to: 

• Bulgar wheat, quinoa, barley, steel cut/rolled oats, 100% wholemeal bread, rye bread, brown rice, whole wheat wraps, freekeh. 

These are packaged foods that contain many additives to ensure they have a long shelf life. They are designed to be ready to eat/heat with minimal preparation needed.

These packaged foods can be identified from a long list of ingredients containing chemical names and ingredients which we wouldn’t find in our own kitchen 

Examples of ultra-processed foods include, but are not limited to: 

• Soft drinks, cakes, pastries, burgers, pies, packet soups/sauces, chicken nuggets, pizzas, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, ready to eat meals, doughnuts, and cookies. 

Not everyone with kidney disease needs to reduce their dietary potassium and phosphorus. In fact, for people with early-stage CKD, a high potassium diet is actually good for you! 

Advice about reducing potassium and phosphorus generally only applies if you have reached stage 3B-5 CKD or are doing haemodialysis. Check with your doctor first if you are unsure whether your blood potassium/phosphate levels are too high and if you need to follow a specific diet. The advice about the low potassium and phosphorus diet has also changed in the last few years and it may be unnecessary to make changes. So don’t change your diet without checking first. 

If you have been advised to reduce the potassium or phosphate in your diet, then making sure that you do the following: 

1. Reduce the amount of processed and packaged foods. These may contain additives that increase your potassium and phosphorus levels 
2. Reduce your portion size of protein in line with the recommended amount (see above) 
3. Eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegies each day, as more fibre may help to eliminate waste build up   

NOTE: If you have been advised to follow a low potassium diet, then it is important you get individualised advice on what foods you need to modify. You can still follow the plan above but there may be specific foods that are recommended to be included or avoided. If you need to follow a low potassium or low phosphorus diet, then we suggest you speak with a dietitian who can help you to understand what further swaps to make. 

The average Australian diet contains more salt (sodium) then is recommended for good health.

Having too much salt has been shown to increase your blood pressure, risk of heart disease and puts our kidneys under increased stress. Whilst everyone can benefit from not adding salt at the table and reducing salt in cooking, most of the salt that we get from our diet now comes from foods made outside the home which have been packaged by retailers for our convenience.  

It is important to cook from fresh produce for this reason and check nutritional information on packaged foods to ensure that you’re choosing lower salt products where possible.  

When buying packaged brands, check the ‘per 100g’ column for sodium to help select items mostly from the following groups:  

• A ‘reduced salt’ product contains less than 400mg sodium per 100g (good choice) 

• A ‘low salt’ product contains less than 120mg sodium per 100g (best choice) 

Maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active most days reduces strain on the kidneys, lowers your risk of diabetes and other health conditions shown to reduce kidney function.  

Did you know? If you are overweight, then losing just 5% of your body weight can make a significant improvement to your kidney health and slow the loss of kidney function. 

How much you need to drink will change at different times in your kidney journey, but water is the best liquid for hydration at all stages of kidney disease. Early on for individuals with CKD 1-4, kidney stones, PKD or anyone who has received a kidney transplant, the focus should be maintaining good hydration so that your urine is clear or pale in colour at most times of the day.  

In later stages you may need to adjust and reduce the amount of fluid you have each day, particularly for those having dialysis treatment. Following a fluid allowance at this stage helps to reduce strain on your heart and remaining kidney function, as well as avoiding further health complications and unwanted hospital admissions. If you are unsure how much you should be drinking, then it is important to check this with your kidney doctor or treating healthcare team.