Kidney Diet Tips

Successful Dining At Bangkok Cuisine Thai Restaurant

Turn your restaurant dining experience into a dream instead of a kidney diet nightmare. When you walk into a restaurant and view the menu it can be very overwhelming. “What options do I pick?” “Is this meal going to take me over on sodium, phosphorus, potassium or fluids for the day?” These are valid concerns that are brought to mind when eating out. The key to success is planning ahead.

To make it easier for you, I plan to review specific restaurant chains to help you make better choices. I live in Michigan, so will investigate chain restaurants in my area. You can apply these suggestions to your favorite local restaurants if the chain is not available in your area.

Choosing Thai CuisineBangkok Cuisine meal 400x300

Bangkok Cuisine is a Thai restaurant chain located in Southeastern Michigan. Pictured here is their Kow Pad dish with some substitutions requested when ordering. Steamed brown rice was substituted for fried rice, and mixed with lower potassium vegetables–onions, peas, and carrots– plus chicken for protein and low-sodium soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.

Other tasty kidney-friendly dishes on the Bangkok Cuisine menu include:

Appetizers

  • Spring Rolls
  • Lettuce wraps (light on brown sauce or substitute low-sodium soy sauce)

Salads

  • Ginger salad (hold the tomatoes)
  • Apple salad (hold the coconut and cashews)

Entrées

  • Pad Prik- stir-fried green peppers, onions, bamboo shoots and mushrooms (light on brown sauce or substitute low-sodium soy sauce)
  • Pad Prik Khing- Thai hot curry and stir-fried string beans
  • Pad Kee Mao- minced chicken, basil leaves and green peppers
  • Bangkok Chicken- chicken sautéed with sweet and sour sauce; topped with green onion
  • Pad Thai- sautéed rice noodles with eggs, bean sprouts and green onions (without peanuts and light on oil/sauce)
  • Curry Salmon-grilled salmon topped with curry sauce, lime leaves and red pepper.
  • Kow Soi-curry egg noodles with tofu, onions, green onions and cilantro.

Tips for eating out at Thai restaurants

  • Avoid the soups. Unfortunately, most are packed with high amounts of salt and can make it easy to go over your fluid restriction for the day.
  • Ask that items be prepared without sauce. You can add a small amount of low-sodium soy sauce instead, or ask for light on sauce when ordering.
  • For stir-fried dishes, ask the server to let the cook know to go light on the oil.
  • Avoid items prepared with coconut milk, which is very high in phosphorus and potassium.

Planning ahead and following these easy tips can turn the nightmare of dining out into a successful dreamy experience. Enjoy a kidney-friendly meal at your favorite Thai restaurant soon!

Deanna Denny, RD

Deanna Denny, RD

Deanna Denny is currently a DaVita renal dietitian and has worked in the dietetics field for over 5 years. She is an avid foodie; loves exploring foods from all sorts of areas and cultures. She has a one year old Australian shepherd named Ace who means the world to her. She's a huge animal lover. She also enjoys traveling and spending time at home with her boyfriend and puppy.