FOOD CHECK LIST

APPETIZERS

• Celery & Carrot sticks with cream cheese
• Bagel chips - unsalted
• Bread sticks
• Cream cheese or Sour cream and dill dip
• Chicken wings (no salt added)
• Cocktail Meatballs (no salt added)
• Crackers - unsalted
• Deviled Eggs
• Natural Tortilla Chips - unsalted
• Popcorn/Pretzels - unsalted
• Shrimp

MEATS

• Calamari, Capons
• Chicken, Chitterlings
• Clams, Duck, Fish
• Goat, Lamb
• Roasted fresh meat: Turkey, beef or pork
• Squid, Veal

VEGETABLES

• Green/String Beans, Corn, Carrots
• Mixed Vegetables, Sweet Peas
• Cauliflower, Broccoli, Okra
• Tossed Salad
• Mustard, Collard or Kale Greens
• Turnip Bottoms, Spaghetti Squash
• Eggplant, Kohlrabi
• Potatoes (dialyzed)
• Cabbage, Zucchini

STARCH

• Corn Bread, Dinner Rolls, Pasta
• Rice, Rye Bread
• Stuffing/Dressing Homemade
• Tortillas, Wheat Bread/White Bread

ACCOMPANIMENTS

• Apple Salad, Apple Sauce
• Coleslaw, Cranberry Salad
• Fruit Cocktail, Fruit Salad
• Gravy, homemade
• Hawaiian Salad
• Whipped Topping

 

 

 

General Eating Tips

GROCERY LIST

• Go easy on healthy foods. It will he pl you from getting too thirsty and drinking too much
• For the main course, choose fresh, unprocessed meats such as turkey, chicken, capon, beef or pork. Avoid ham and self-basting turkey because these are high in sodium.
• Make your own stuffing (see recipe). Commercially prepared stuffing is usually high in sodium
• Substitute rice or an extra helping of stuffing for potatoes if you want to decrease the potassium in your meal.
• Remember to count Jell-O or Jello-O salads as part of your fluid allowance
• Use whipped cream instead of ice cream on desserts if you want to decrease fluids
• Select low potassium deserts such as plain cakes, sherbet, low potassium fruit pies instead of the high potassium desserts such as pecan pie, fruit cake, pumpkin pie, and chocolate desserts.
• If you have a large meal, go easy on what you eat the rest of the day
• Take your phosphate binders with or immediately after eating meals and snacks

FOOD SAFETY
Follow these important food safety tips:

• Thaw meats in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave oven. Meats should not be defrosted at room temperature (on the kitchen counter)
• Don't stuff turkeys over 15 pounds. Cook the dressing/stuffing separately
• Roast meats to the correct internal temperature, see below
  • Pork 170 degrees F
  • Poultry 165 degrees F
  • Ground Beef 160 degrees F
• Always refrigerate leftovers right away. Never leave leftovers to cool at room temperature
• Remove stuffing before refrigerating leftovers
• Do not eat un-pasteurized, uncooked eggs. For recipes such as eggnog or cream pies that call for uncooked eggs, use pasteurized eggs or buy commercially prepared eggnog that has been pasteurized
• Thoroughly scrub chopping boards with hot water and soap, immediately after preparing poultry, meat or fish
• Wash dish rags daily in your dishwasher or soak in bleach and water

DIALYZING POTATOES AND OTHER VEGETABLES
Note: Some vegetables are high in potassium. Use the following method to lower the amount of potassium in vegetables such as potatoes

• Use fresh vegetables
• Peel and slice vegetable 1/8" thick
• Place them in cold water so they won't darken
• Rinse in warm water a few seconds
• Soak for a minimum of two hours in warm water. Use 10 times the amount of water to the amount of vegetables.
• Rinse under warm water again for a few seconds
• Cook for five minutes. Use five times the amount of water to the amount of vegetables

These vegetables may be cooked in a variety of ways: french fried, mashed, boiled, home fried with onions, scalloped, etc.

 

If your doctor has approved alcohol, avoid high potassium cocktails such as bloody marys, screwdrivers & pina coladas.