P is for Pineapple, a kidney friendly tropical fruit

Pineapple is a symbol of friendship and hospitality as well as a sense of welcome, good cheer, warmth and family affection. It’s also a great fruit choice for the kidney diet. The DaVita Dietitian team admires the pineapple so much they chose it for their logo to go with their motto “Improving Nutrition Together”.

Pineapple fits a low potassium diet plan with 125 mg potassium for 1/2 cup frozen or canned (chunks or crushed), 2 rings or 3/4 cup fresh. Pineapples are very low sodium and phosphorus, high in vitamin C and contributes 1 gram of fiber per serving. It’s also fat-free, less than 1 gram of protein and 13 to 26 grams of carbohydrate depending on presence of added juice or syrup. Pineapple juice has 160 mg potassium for a four ounce serving. Your dietitian may advise you to have the fruit or the juice but not both at the same time if you are limiting potassium.

Suggestions for planning pineapple in your kidney diet include:

• Eat it fresh or straight from the container—it’s good enough to eat without any additions! To peel and cut a fresh pineapple you can view step by step pictures at http://www.howtocutapineapple.com/
• Make a pineapple upside-down cake or pineapple pie
• Add crushed pineapple to cream cheese as a spread or cheese ball
• Make a fruit salad with pineapple, grapes, strawberries and watermelon
• Skewer pineapple with shrimp for the barbecue
• Create a pineapple salsa to serve with your favorite fish or chicken entree
• Broil pineapple rings for a quick dessert
• Make sweet and sour pork or chicken and canned pineapple chunks

Try one of the above suggestions or check out these kidney-friendly pineapple recipes created by DaVita Dietitians for DaVita.com.

• Carrot Pineapple Salad
• Festive Pineapple Cheese Ball
• Grilled Pineapple Chicken
• Orange Pineapple Ambrosia Salad
• Pineapple Cake
• Pineapple Angel Cake
• Pineapple Rum Crème Cake
• Pineapple, Pork and Pepper Pizza
• Pineapple Rice
• Pineapple Salsa

Kidney diet resources from DaVita.com

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