Avoiding Holiday Eating Pitfalls

After Halloween, we are always tempted to overindulge. Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year’s Day traditionally revolve around food. Diet is very crucial for patients with kidney disease. 

Here are some suggestions to help you avoid diet pitfalls that the holidays bring. 

1. Always ask your renal dietitian about healthy meal choices for your individual eating plan when in doubt. 
2. Limit salty foods, which make you thirsty. If you overeat salt, you may drink too much fluid and possibly make your subsequent dialysis treatment difficult. 
3. Avoid brined turkey and ham due to the high sodium. 
4. Remember to take your phosphate binders! These should always be taken with food. 
5. Make your food from scratch using low-sodium condiments and fresh herbs & spices. 
6. Portion control! If eating turkey, beef, pork, or fish, make sure it’s the biggest portion on your plate. 3 oz protein food is equal to the size of your palm or a standard deck of cards. 
7. Leach potatoes to lower the potassium content. To leach: Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Soak in ample water (for 1 cup of potatoes, remember to use 10 cups of water) for at least four hours. Drain the water and Cook in a large pot of water until tender. Drain the potatoes and prepare. 
8. Remember that foods like Jell-O, ice cream, gravy, and soup count towards your daily fluid restriction. 
9. Prepare all foods to the appropriate internal cooking temperature to prevent foodborne illness. 
10. Add apple cider or cranberry spritzers instead of hot chocolate, eggnog, and alcoholic beverages. 
11. Attend and complete all your dialysis treatments.