Hitting a mental roadblock to changing your diet because you're worried about cost?
While changing your diet is sometimes expensive, it doesn't have to be. Use the following strategies and resources to reduce the cost of eating the kidney diet.
Ways to stretch your kidney diet budget
To eat a healthy diet for kidney disease, no fancy foods are required. Try these simple tips and swaps to stretch your food budget, even when you have a special diet to follow.
Reduce your intake of animal foods
Animal proteins are generally more expensive than plant proteins, so consider reducing your intake of meat, fish, and dairy. If you're not ready to give up meat and fish, reducing your portion sizes can help you save money. Most people eat much bigger portions of protein at their meals than they need.
Aim for a serving size of meat or thicker fish the size of a deck of cards, which is about 3-4 ounces. For thinner fish, the serving size is about the size of a checkbook.
You can also replace some animal proteins with plant-based choices to lower costs. As an added benefit, inexpensive plant proteins such as beans, tofu, lentils, and tempeh, when eaten in moderation, help control phosphorus levels because less phosphorus is absorbed than from animal proteins.
Love dairy products, like milk, cheese, yogurt, or ice cream? Your medical team may recommend limiting intake to about one serving per day, as it's high in both phosphorus and potassium. Dairy can be pricey, so sticking to this limit can help with your food budget.
Try canned, frozen, or dried foods
While canning and freezing can sometimes change a food's texture, you can still find delicious, nutritious options in the preserved foods sections of the grocery store. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are often picked at the peak of ripeness, so they sometimes have more nutrients than what you find in the fresh produce aisle, but at a fraction of the price.
If you're picking up canned vegetables, choose low or reduced-sodium versions. You can also drain and rinse the vegetables or legumes when you get home to reduce the sodium content further. Avoid the terms "seasoned" or "seasoning," as items such as seasoned beans often contain more sodium than people on a kidney diet should consume.
Eat what's in season
Eating seasonally can often save you money. When crops or garden items are ripening quickly and are abundant, they're generally sold at lower prices. Check for local in-season fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets or farm stands. You could also grow some of your own herbs in a small garden or pots on a windowsill to flavor your food at little cost.
Swap out sugary drinks and bottled beverages
Sugary drinks such as soda, sweetened tea, energy drinks, and artificial juices contain few vitamins and minerals. While tasty, they don't provide much nutritional value and are often pricey. Save money (and sugar) by drinking water, brewing coffee and tea at home, or adding flavoring to water with fruit or a sugar-free drink packet. Alcohol is expensive and also not good for us, so reduce alcohol intake as much as possible to make more room in your budget for nutritious foods.
Do a little extra prep work
Instead of buying pre-cut fruits and vegetables, spend some time chopping and preparing your own produce. Pre-cut items are usually much more expensive than those you chop and clean yourself.
Dried beans and lentils are cheap, high-quality protein sources that store well in your pantry. They take time and a little bit of effort to prepare, but if you cook them from dried, you control the sodium and can adjust the flavor and doneness however you like.
Make a simple food plan for the week and try to stick to it. Challenge yourself to use up most of the groceries in your refrigerator before buying more, since food spoilage tends to occur when your fridge is cluttered, and you don't have a plan for how to use what you bought.
Make simple kidney-friendly recipes at home
Cooking at home doesn't have to be fancy to be delicious. Simple meals such as chicken, rice, and vegetables are delicious when cooked well. Try a different spice blend, fresh garlic, or a new-to-you cooking technique. Skip bottled sauces and dressings in favor of your own blends, which will help reduce sodium and save you money.
Find some new recipes that fit your budget to help you cook at home more. If you need inspiration, check out recipes from the National Kidney Foundation. Although not specific to people with kidney disease, Budget Bytes is another helpful recipe website that lists the cost of each ingredient and the prepared recipe. When using recipes for the general population, remember to consider your personal dietary restrictions, as not all recipes are suitable for the kidney diet.
Food resources and financial help
Sometimes we need more help affording our groceries than money-saving strategies. Consider checking out one of these resources to see if you qualify.
- Food Banks and Pantries
- Hawaiʻi Food Bank (Oahu)
- Maui Food Bank (Maui)
- The Food Basket (Hawaiʻi County)
- 'Ohana Produce Plus (Oahu): a mobile food distribution program
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): a federal program that provides monthly assistance for food and groceries to people who qualify
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): a program for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum mothers, babies, and children under five. Participants must meet income guidelines and have a medical or nutritional risk
- Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program: grants provide seniors with eligible foods, including fruits and vegetables, from farmers, farmers' markets, and roadside stands from April 1 to October 31
Bottom Line
Changing your diet is important when you have kidney disease, but it doesn't have to be super expensive. You may need to adjust your food budget, but some of the above swaps can save you money. If you're struggling to make ends meet, food banks and other assistance programs are there to help.
