Kidney Diet Tips

Kidney Diet Tips for Celebrating Earth Day on Meatless Monday

Today is Earth Day, an extra special reason to plan a  Meatless Monday meal.  

Eating meatless for one day has a positive impact on your health by lowering your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. If you already have one or more of these diagnosis, a meatless day can potentially benefit you by decreasing saturated fat and calorie intake. This is a healthy step for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or those at risk for CKD, because heart disease and diabetes are risk factors for kidney disease. Another plus for going meatless at least one day a week—less meat consumption is friendly to the environment. The more livestock we raise for meat sources, the more we use natural resources and produce waste that adds to land pollution.

If you are following a kidney diet, you may be limiting protein if you are in stages 3-5, non-dialysis. Many people with CKD find incorporation of meatless meals helps them stick to a lower protein diet.

 If you are following a dialysis diet, you may be eating more meat or high protein foods as your protein needs must replace protein lost in dialysis treatments and provide extra for your body. You can still participate in Meatless Mondays by choosing a non-meat entrée that  provides a healthy serving of high quality protein, or add a high protein shake or protein supplement to your meal.

Celebrate Earth Day and Meatless Monday by considering one of these kidney-friendly vegetarian recipes today or any day.

Armando’s Chiles Rellenos

Asparagus Cauliflower Tortilla

Confetti Omelet

Couscous with Vegetables

Crunchy Tofu Stir Fry

Eggplant Casserole

High Protein Berry Shake

Omelet with Summer Vegetables

Quick Pasta Primavera

Tempeh Pita Sandwiches

Additional Kidney Diet Resources

Visit DaVita.com and explore these diet and nutrition resources:

DaVita Food Analyzer

DaVita Dining Out Guides

Today’s Kidney Diet Cookbooks

DaVita Kidney-Friendly Recipes

Diet and Nutrition Articles                                                      

Diet and Nutrition Videos

Kidney Smart® Virtual Classes

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.

Sara Colman, RDN, CDCES

Sara is a renal dietitian with over 30 years experience working with people with diabetes and kidney disease. She is co-author of the popular kidney cookbook "Cooking for David: A Culinary Dialysis Cookbook". Sara is the Manager of Kidney Care Nutrition for DaVita. She analyzes recipes and creates content, resources and tools for the kidney community. In her spare time Sara loves to spend time with her young grandson, including fun times together in her kitchen.