Kidney Diet Tips

Memorial Day Grilling on the Kidney Diet

The upcoming Memorial Day holiday on May 30th is a great reason to pull out the grill and celebrate the beginning of summer. Sticking with your kidney diet is easy when you have kidney-friendly recipes that are tasty but still low potassium, low sodium and low phosphorus.

Grilling adds another layer of flavor to food, unlike kitchen-prepared food. While most people pair grilling with meats, the grill is fantastic for cooking vegetables and fruits too. Place on the outer edges where the grill is cooler on a charcoal grill or reduce heat to medium if using a gas grill to cook low potassium fruits and vegetables.

You can marinate red meat and chicken for several hours up to 24 hours before grilling to add extra flavor. Try a low sodium meat marinade with olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and a low sodium herb blend. If adding barbecue sauce, wait until the last 5 minutes to start basting because most sauces contain sugar which burns easily.

Checkout the DaVita article “16 Healthy Grilling Recipes for People with Kidney Disease” for some great kidney diet recipes to try and more tips on grilling. For dinner last night I made the Grilled SalmonGrilled Multicolored Peppers and Onions and grilled pineapple slices–a great combination and big hit with my family.

Have a fun Memorial Day and remember our current military heros and veterans who are honored on this day.

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 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.