Skip to main content
  1. Careers
  2. Resource Center
  3. About Us
  4. Contact Us
  5. Español
Thrive On
Fresenius Kidney Care
  • PatientHub
  • Community

Find a Dialysis Center

Find a Dialysis Center

Find a Dialysis Center
Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
    Try a detailed search

    Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

    1. About Kidney Disease
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
      3. Kidney Disease Stages
      4. What Is a Nephrologist?
      5. What to Expect with CKD
      6. Kidney Disease Management
      7. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
      8. How Kidneys Work
      9. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Treatments
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Dialysis Basics
      3. Benefits of Home Dialysis
      4. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
      5. Home Hemodialysis
      6. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
      7. In-Center Hemodialysis
      8. Transplant
      9. Insurance & Managing Costs
      10. Choosing Not to Treat
    3. Life On Dialysis
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
      3. Staying Engaged
      4. Staying Healthy
      5. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
      6. Tips for Loved Ones
      7. PatientHub
    4. Recipes & Nutrition
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Recipes
      3. Managing Your Diet
      4. Fluid Management on Dialysis
      5. Dialysis Diet Planning
      6. Cookbooks
    5. Thrive Central
      1. CKD
      2. Dialysis
      3. Diet & Nutrition
      4. Stories
      5. Wellness
      6. See All
    COMMUNITY
    PATIENTHUB
    HOME
    1. I Have Kidney Disease
    2. I’m Preparing For Dialysis
    3. I’m on Dialysis
    1. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Resource Center
    3. Recipes
    4. Request Patient Travel Services Information
    5. Sign Up for Our Newsletter

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center
    Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
      Try a detailed search

      Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

      1. About Us
      2. Contact Us
      3. FAQ
      4. Glossary
      5. Media
      6. Careers
      7. Español

      Need help? Call
      1-888-373-1470

      • facebook
      • twitter
      • youtube
      1. About Kidney Disease
        1. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
          1. Symptoms
          2. Risk Factors
          3. Causes
          4. Diagnosis and Testing
          5. GFR Calculator
        2. Kidney Disease Stages
          1. Stage 1
          2. Stage 2
          3. Stage 3
          4. Stage 4
          5. Stage 5
        3. What Is a Nephrologist?
        4. What to Expect with CKD
        5. Kidney Disease Management
          1. Kidney Diet Basics
          2. CKD Medications
          3. Your Kidney Care Team
          4. Diabetes
          5. High Blood Pressure
        6. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
          1. Acute Kidney Injury Treatment and Recovery
        7. How Kidneys Work
        8. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
      2. Treatments
        1. Dialysis Basics
          1. How Does a Hemodialysis Machine Work
          2. Starting Dialysis
          3. Types of Dialysis Access
          4. Your Care Plan
          5. Dialysis Medications
          6. Monitoring Your Lab Results
        2. Benefits of Home Dialysis
        3. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. PD Access
          4. PD Training
          5. PD Monitoring
          6. Your Care Team
        4. Home Hemodialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. HD Training
          4. HD Monitoring
          5. Your Care Team
        5. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
        6. In-Center Hemodialysis
          1. In-Center Treatment Options
          2. What to Expect
          3. Types of Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
          4. Your Care Team
          5. How to Choose a Center
        7. Transplant
          1. Finding a Kidney Donor
          2. Considering Kidney Donation
        8. Insurance & Managing Costs
          1. Understanding Medicare Coverage
          2. Understanding Medicare Advantage
          3. Understanding Employer Plans
        9. Choosing Not to Treat
      3. Life On Dialysis
        1. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
          1. Managing Your Emotions
          2. Talking About Dialysis
          3. Intimacy
          4. Body Image and Dialysis
          5. Building Your Dialysis Support Network
        2. Staying Engaged
          1. Tips for Working While on Dialysis
          2. In-Center Activities
          3. Hobbies
        3. Staying Healthy
          1. Managing Your Time on Dialysis
          2. Dialysis & Exercise
          3. Weight Management
          4. Avoiding Infection
          5. Managing Multiple Conditions
          6. Fighting the Flu
        4. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
        5. Tips for Loved Ones
          1. In-Center Hemodialysis
          2. At-Home Hemodialysis
          3. At-Home Peritoneal Dialysis
        6. PatientHub
      4. Recipes & Nutrition
        1. Recipes
        2. Managing Your Diet
          1. Eating Well on a CKD Diet
          2. Eating Well on a Dialysis Diet
          3. Salt and Kidney Disease
          4. Potassium and Kidney Disease
          5. Phosphorus and Kidney Disease
          6. Talking With Your Dietitian
        3. Fluid Management on Dialysis
        4. Dialysis Diet Planning
          1. Kidney-Friendly Shopping
          2. Eating Out
          3. Holiday Diet Tips
          4. A Chef’s Advice | Chef Aaron McCargo on Kidney Friendly Meals
        5. Cookbooks
      5. Thrive Central
        1. CKD
        2. Dialysis
        3. Diet & Nutrition
        4. Stories
        5. Wellness
        6. See All
      Dialysis Diet Planning
      Dialysis Diet Planning
      OVERVIEW Kidney-Friendly Shopping Eating Out Holiday Diet Tips A Chef’s Advice | Chef Aaron McCargo on Kidney Friendly Meals
      Table full of fruits and vegetables for a kidney diet.

      Dialysis Diet
      Planning

      Share:
      1. Home
      2. Recipes & Nutrition
      3. Dialysis Diet Planning
      When you’re on dialysis, eating right makes a real difference in your health. Choosing recommended portions of kidney-friendly foods and drinks can help reduce the amount of wastes and fluids that build up in your blood between treatments.

      Your dietitian will work with you to build your personal dialysis meal plan. Think of your meal plan as a roadmap to eating well—following it will help you reach your kidney health goals. As you use your plan, be open with your dietitian about what’s working, what’s not and your cravings. Tweaks to your plan are definitely expected—and important. Your meal plan is meant to be a lifestyle, not a diet, so it needs to be something you can stick with and enjoy.

      Why your dialysis diet plan needs to be personalized

      Making a personalized dialysis diet meal.
      Some basics apply to everyone on dialysis, like increasing protein while cutting back on salt and phosphorus. Your own dialysis meal plan will be tailored to your personal tastes as well as your specific health needs, prescribed dialysis treatment and schedule.

      Peritoneal dialysis or home hemodialysis may affect your daily diet

      With home dialysis, you may have fewer food or fluid restrictions than someone who does dialysis 3 times a week in the center. Why? Home dialysis is done more frequently, so waste, toxins and fluids have less time to build up in your body.

      Diabetes and other health factors

      Many people on dialysis also have diabetes or other health conditions to consider. Your doctor and dietitian will take into account all of the factors that may impact your meal plan, as well as your medications.


      Make your dialysis diet plan work for you

      Planning your dialysis meals can set you up for success, whether you're figuring out what you'll eat for the day, the coming week or a special event. Here are some tips for dialysis diet planning.

      • shop_icon_150x150

        Shop smart. Before you head to the store, download the low-potassium shopping list or flexible-potassium shopping list, as recommended by your dietitian. Add the foods you like to your meal plan and shopping list, so you’ll be sure to make healthy choices. 

        While you’re shopping, you'll also want to check food labels. Look for foods with no added phosphates in the ingredient list. Words that contain PHOS, like sodium phosphate or phosphoric acid, mean that the food has added phosphorus—which can make it harder to maintain a healthy phosphorus level. Get more tips for smart kidney-friendly shopping.

      • eat_icon_150x150

        Plan ahead for dining out. You can enjoy eating out and still stick to your dialysis diet. It just takes a little more planning. Look online for the menu and make smart choices before you go. To help with portion sizes, you may want to order an appetizer, ask for a half portion or immediately put half of your entree aside to take home. Learn more ways to stay on track while eating out.

      • celebrate_icon_150x150

        Have healthier celebrations. Festive events and holiday meals packed with tempting treats can challenge anyone who has specific dietary needs. You’ll feel a lot better if you indulge wisely. Before a party, ask your dietitian for tips to help you stick to your meal plan. Check out our tips for eating well during the holidays.

      • chefhat_icon_150x150

        Do the cooking yourself. As often as you can, prep your meals yourself. That way, you’ll have total control over the ingredients. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Get started with some flavorful recipes.

      Kidney friendly recipes

      FIND YOUR NEW FAVORITE RECIPE

      Kidney-friendly cooking just got tastier! Get big-and-bold flavorful recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and desserts on a kidney diet.

      Get recipes

      BALANCING  POTASSIUM

      Potassium is an important mineral that’s in many foods.  Too much OR too little potassium could put your health at risk, so getting the right amount in your dialysis diet is essential.

      learn more
      Learn about salt and kidney disease.

      MORE FLAVOR, LESS SALT

      Cooking with herbs and spices instead of salt can help bring dishes to life–and make them more kidney-friendly. We’ll help you get started.

      get tasty ideas
      Learn about the importance of protein in a kidney diet.

      POWER UP ON  PROTEIN

      When you're on dialysis, it's a good habit to eat some protein for every meal and snack. Talk to dietitian about how to get the right amount of protein for you.

      learn more
      Back to Top
      1. About Us
      2. Español
      1. FAQ
      2. Resource Center
      3. Contact Us
      4. Glossary
      5. Media
      6. Careers
      1. Website Privacy Policy
      2. Terms of Use
      3. Site Map
      4. HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
      5. FreseniusKidneyCare.com Web Accessibility Statement
      6. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Data
      7. Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information
      • facebook
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • pinterest
      © 2016-2022 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved.