Renal Diet Snacks You Wished You Knew Earlier

This article was written by dietetic student Yuning Liu & reviewed by Melanie Betz MS, RD, CSR, CSG.

Eating habits may vary from person to person following a renal diet. While some people with kidney disease only eat 3 meals a day, others may spread out their intake into smaller and more frequent meals and snacks. Finding renal diet snacks that work for you is essential for the health of your kidneys.

That being said, finding snacks that fit within the renal diet can be tricky!

In this article, we’ll review the benefits of consuming renal diet snacks, as well as what to look for at the grocery store. I’ll also review 10 of my favorite recommendations and some snacks we may want to avoid. 

Let’s dive in!

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Benefits of Renal Diet Snacks

Even though some snacks get a bad rap, they can be a valuable addition to your renal diet. Eating healthy, delicious snacks in between meals is a fantastic way to control hunger and make healthier food choices during meals. And if you aren’t sold yet, adding snacks to your day provides a great opportunity to eat more fruits and vegetables, which are essential for a renal diet!

Choose the Right Renal Diet Snacks 

Walk down the snacks aisle of your local grocery store, and you’ll find a wide array of snack options. However, if you have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), you may need to avoid certain ingredients in these snack. 

Depending on your labs and medical history, your doctor or dietitian may recommend limiting certain nutrients like sodium, potassium, phosphorus or protein to keep your body in balance.

By understanding what a renal diet looks like for you, these snacks can be a healthy and tasty part of your day! 

How to Find Renal Diet Snacks at the Grocery Store 

Read the Labels 

Walking down the snack aisle, you may be mesmerized by the variety of options. How do you know which is appropriate for your renal diet?

Reading the nutrition facts label is a great way to learn about the specific macro- and micronutrients found in the item. Establishing the habit of reading this information can be a useful tool in managing your chronic kidney disease.

Sodium

When looking for a renal diet snack, you want to find an item that is lower in sodium content. Try to find products with any of these claims:

• “salt/sodium free” (<5 mg per serving)

• “very low sodium” (<35 mg per serving)

• “low sodium” (<140 mg per serving)

Potassium

If your labs show high potassium levels, you might need to cut back how much potassium you eat. Historically, limiting higher potassium fruits and vegetables was recommended to get potassium values under control. However, because ALL fruits and vegetables are so good for your kidneys, we no longer recommend strictly avoiding foods higher in natural potassium.

Instead, it is a good idea to limit potassium that has been ADDED to your food. Unfortunately, snack foods like chips and crackers often have potassium additives. Check the Nutrition Facts label for ingredients that have potassium in them. Potassium ingredients add this extra (highly absorbable!) potassium to your snack. They are especially common in “low sugar” or “sugar free” products.

Phosphorus

Also, don’t forget about phosphorus. Usually, you don’t need to worry about natural phosphorus in grains, beans, legumes and vegetables. It is the phosphorus added to food that should be limited.

You can often find phosphorus additives in highly processed snack foods like snack mixes, lunch meat, bacon, jerky, and frozen prepared foods.  

Whole Foods Come First

Whole foods are those that remain as close as possible to their state in nature. Without artificial processing, whole foods retain nearly all of their nutrients and are less likely to have harmful ingredients added to them.  

Choose Fruit for Snacks

Let’s start with fruit! Fruit makes the perfect renal diet snack. Many fruits are pre-portioned and easy to bring with you.

Try these wonderful fruit choices for a renal diet:

• Apples
• Berries
• Peaches
• Plums
• Pears
• Pineapple

Don’t Pass Up Vegetables

Then, we have to talk about vegetables. Vegetables are essential in our diet and a great way to TAKE SOME WORK OFF YOUR KIDNEYS!

Try to grab some fresh broccoli, cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, celery or snap peas. They are not just delicious, but also beneficial for your kidneys and general health.

Crunch on Nuts & Seeds 

Finally, don’t forget about unsalted nuts and seeds! These plant proteins are a wonderful heart and kidney friendly snack choice. Look for unsalted or lightly salted options to bring down sodium.

My Top 10 Favorite Renal Snack Ideas

Popcorn

Unexpected, right?  But, yes, you can still enjoy popcorn on a renal diet. Popcorn is a great source of fiber and helps with digestion. Of course, tons of salt and butter can be problematic. Popping your own popcorn at home allows you to have more control in what is added to it.   

If you go with pre-popped popcorn, remember to read the labels and look for “low sodium” or “lightly salted” versions. Skinny Pop* is my favorite store-bought popcorn with only 75 mg of sodium per 4 cups! 

Low-sodium Crackers, Pita Chips or Unsalted Pretzels

Who doesn’t like crunchy crackers and pretzels? Just remember to check nutrition labels and avoid added phosphorus. 

I love these low sodium tortilla chips*!

Grapes

You’ll always find grapes at the grocery store. This year-round fruit is not only delicious, but also delivers a ton of nutrition in a small package.

These sweet fruits are kidney-friendly too! A 1/2 cup of grapes contains only 2 mg of sodium, 144 mg potassium and 15mg of phosphorus. 

Walnuts

Just like the other tree nuts, walnuts have a ton of benefits for your health.  Most importantly, walnuts are the only nut with a significant amount of Omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., alpha-linolenic acid) that are beneficial for heart & brain health.

Nuts, and other plant proteins, are associated with a reduced risk of end-stage renal disease and delayed progression. (1) A handful of walnuts is packed with fiber and healthy fats, and is just enough to fill you up. 

Make sure to check the labels and select unsalted walnuts!  These raw walnuts* are a great option – they have 0mg sodium, 120mg potassium, and 160mg natural phosphorus per serving.

Non-Dairy Yogurt

Cow’s milk dairy can have quite a bit of potassium & phosphorus in it. However, non-dairy yogurt and milk tends to be lower! Try yogurt made from coconut, oat, cashew or almond milk. As always, look out for phosphorus additives in these products.

If you are a coconut fan, try this coconut yogurt* with some berries!

Green Pea Snaps!

I’m obsessed with these green pea snaps*. They are such a fun way to get in some extra veggies. The lightly salted version only has 75mg of sodium per serving!

Animal or Graham Crackers

Craving something sweet? Animal crackers* and graham crackers* are a perfect kidney friendly snack with just a hint of sweetness. Make sure to check the ingredients for phosphate additives. 

Unsalted Seeds

Seeds are a great plant based protein packed with fiber. My favorite seeds to snack on are sunflower and pumpkin seeds! Just look for “low sodium” or “lightly salted” options to keep the salt in check. 

Rice Cakes

Rice cakes don’t have to be boring! Top them with a nut butter or a smear of avocado. Or, try flavored rice cakes (check the sodium on these)! I love apple cinnamon*! 

Blueberries

Though small in size, blueberries are truly a nutritional powerhouse! They are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. In particular, blueberries contain a group of antioxidants called anthocyanins, which may protect against heart disease, certain cancers, cognitive decline, and diabetes. (2)

Also, blueberries are a fantastic addition to a renal diet. Blueberries are low in sodium, phosphorus, and potassium. Can you believe that one cup of fresh blueberries has only 2 mg sodium, 114 mg of potassium and 18 mg of phosphorus?

Renal Diet Snacks to Limit

Now that we have covered so many great renal diet snacks, it’s time to call out some foods that are not the best choice for kidney health. 

Cheese Puffs

Although super delicious, cheese puffs have around 250mg sodium per serving. Many brands also have phosphorus additives.

Potato Chips

Potato chips are crispy and yummy, but they may not be the best renal diet snack to have all the time. One serving of potato chips has about 160 mg of sodium. If you really love crunchy chips, try lightly salted tortilla chips* for a more kidney-friendly option!

Jerky

Beef and other types of jerky are a popular and convenient snack, but not a good option for a renal diet. Since it is highly processed, beef jerky usually has large amounts  of sodium and phosphate additives that can hurt kidneys. 

Lunchmeat & Other Processed Meats

Just like beef jerky, lunch meat is high in sodium, artificial phosphorus and often has potassium additives too!  Avoid processed meats like salami, pepperoni, bologna and other deli meats. 

If you find yourself craving lunchmeat, check out these lower sodium options!

Final Thoughts…

Obviously, snacks have a place in every renal diet. What matters the most is finding what works for you and your specific nutrition needs.

Meeting with a registered dietitian can help with this! 

Through our personalized 1:1 services with a Registered Dietitian and Kidney Stone Nutrition School, we help people prevent kidney stones and enjoy eating again! You can also book a FREE discovery call to learn more about the services we offer!

If you are looking for more kidney friendly foods, check out my kidney friendly grocery list! You can also find delicious kidney-friendly recipes in my recommended renal diet cookbooks!

Happy snacking!