Kidney friendly choices on-the-go

The following information is for people with chronic kidney disease who want to pick healthier choices while out and about.

It’s important to connect over food and stay social! Remember that these meals are ok for you to eat every once-in-a-while but cooking from fresh where possible is always recommended for day-to-day meals and snacks.

Dining out and eating on the go

Dining out is a lot of fun even if you are following a ‘kidney-friendly’ way of eating.

With a few basic principles, it is possible to choose from most menus or buffet tables. This information is designed to help you make the best choices when eating out. It is suitable for anyone on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease stages 3-5.

The general principles of a kidney-friendly diet still apply.

Aim for two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day
Eat the right amount of protein for your stage of kidney disease
Hold the salt.
Choose wholegrain, seeded, and high fibre version of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
Make water your drink of choice.

It is rarely necessary to contact a restaurant or hotel beforehand to order special foods. However, if eating at a friend’s home, you can chat beforehand about kidney-friendly options or offer to bring a dish. This will make it easier for your friend to plan an enjoyable meal for everyone.

Kidney friendly choices on the go

This information will help you make healthier food choices while out and about.

If you are eating a packaged food, you can also use the nutrition information panel on the food label to help you make other good choices.

Use the table below to help you make a good choice.

Use this table to help you make good choices when eating On The Go

Meal

Light Meal

Main Meal

Snack

Sodium

Less than 690mg sodium per serve

Less than 460mg sodium per serve

Less than 230mg sodium

Take - Away Foods

Many take-away foods are high in salt and fat. Limit to no more than once a week or try to choose healthy options such as salads and sandwiches more often.

Keep the protein serve (meat, tuna, chicken, egg and cheese) to the usual serve size and choose freshly-cooked lean meat sources where possible.