Kidney Diet Meal Planning Made Easy
Thinking of meal planning is an overwhelming task for most, especially when factoring in different diets, restrictions and personal food preferences. Taking the time to plan and prep meals can also be difficult between the numerous appointments and dialysis. Despite the initial commitment, meal planning can help to reduce the stress of figuring out daily meals while ensuring healthier diet choices and saving money.
Meal Planning Tips
The key to successful meal planning is making a plan and staying on course. Here are some tips for planning your meals:
- Determine a time frame (weekly, monthly)
- Use a calendar or notepad to plan
- Include appointments and commitments
- Make list of favorite meals and foods
- Ask your dietitian for meal ideas
- Incorporate traditional family recipes and meals
- Utilize DaVita.com for over 1,200 kidney-friendly recipes
- Join the myDaVita community and get access to our cookbooks and the ability to save your favorite recipes.
- Review weekly grocery store ads and take advantage of sales
- Use the local sales feature on the DaVita Diet Helper grocery shopping list
Weekly Meals
It may be easiest to start off planning weekly meals. First, dedicate time each week to meal planning and take in to account the busiest days of the upcoming week. If your schedule allows, starting on the weekend can help so that you can have extra time for meal preparation. Remember to count in days you may be away from your home and need to dine out. Knowing what’s to come in the week ahead can help determine the number of meals to include in your plan.
Next, start making a list of meals using the tips above. It is best to plan easier meals or leftovers on busier days. If there is a day with extra time, use that for cooking ahead for the week or adding freezer meals. Take in to consideration special dietary needs such as additional protein and/or low sodium, potassium and phosphorus. Many traditional family recipes can be modified to fit the kidney diet. To save money you can also review the local grocery store ads and incorporate sale items into your menu planning.
Meal planning, like many new tasks, can be overwhelming at first so don’t give up! Start off slow and work your way into it. If you are a caregiver, look on DaVita.com for meal plans and kidney-friendly recipes to help with planning meals for your loved one. Read “Caregiver Stress and Chronic Kidney Disease” for some tips to help if you feel overwhelmed at times. Once you are comfortable with meal planning it will make life easier and help you and your loved ones to eat healthier. In addition, it allows extra time to do the things you love.
Additional Kidney Diet Resources
Visit DaVita.com and explore these diet and nutrition resources:
DaVita Kidney-Friendly Recipes
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Consult your physician and dietitian regarding your specific diagnosis, treatment, diet and health questions.
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