Celebrate Cinco de Mayo the Kidney-Friendly Way

Americans love celebrations and holidays! While many may think Cinco de Mayo was borrowed from our Mexican neighbors, there’s actually more to the story. May 5th is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s surprise victory over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, but is not a national holiday in Mexico. Celebrations in the United States were actually started during the American Civil War by Mexicans and Latinos living in California. They are credited with being the first to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States.

No doubt, if you have Mexican heritage or live in an area with significant Latino population you may be attending or even planning a Cinco de Mayo celebration this weekend. Even if you have no connections to Latino communities, why not celebrate anyway? No worries about sticking to your kidney diet or dialysis eating plan, because we’ve compiled a list of DaVita’s Mexican-influenced kidney-friendly recipes. Excelente!

• A-maze-ing Bean Dip
• Arroz Con Leche (Rice with Milk)
• Authentic Steak Tacos
• Beef Chipotle Burritos
• Chicken Fajitas with Pineapple Salsa
• Chile Colorado
• Chile Colorado Sauce (Basic Red Chili Sauce)
• Corn Tortillas
• Easy Chicken Enchiladas
• Easy Chorizo
• Enchilada Sauce
• Fantastic Pork Fajitas
• Fiesta Roll-Ups
• Fiesta Tilapia Ceviche
• Flour Tortillas
• Grilled Mexican Swordfish Fillets
• Huevos Rancheros
• Mexican Chorizo Sausage
• Mexican Coleslaw
• Mexican Rice
• Mexican Seasoning
• No Tomato Salsa
• Shrimp Quesadilla
• Soft Tacos with Mexican Seasoning
• South of the Border Meatballs
• Sweet and Spicy Tortilla Chips
• Taco Pasta Salad
• Terrific Tacos
• Tortilla Rollups

 A few words of caution. If you are limiting potassium, be aware guacamole is very high with approximately 180 mg for 2 tablespoons. Whole or refried pinto beans contain 370-470 mg potassium and 110-150 mg phosphorus for a 1/2 cup portion, so keep your portions very small. Other foods to limit include tomato salsa, chile sauce, cheese and too many tortilla chips.

For more Mexican food dining ideas read Kidney Friendly Foods from the Southwest and Lunches On-the-Go for the Dialysis Diet.

Kidney diet resources from DaVita.com

• Discussion Forums
• myDaVita.com Account and Newsletters
• DaVita Diet Helper
• Phosphorus Challenge^TM
• Food Analyzer
• DaVita Cookbooks