How To Adapt A Recipe For PKD: 4 Steps To Success

Adapting recipes for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By focusing on a few key nutrients and making thoughtful adjustments, you can enjoy delicious meals that support your kidney health. Whether you’re working on one area of your PKD diet or managing lower kidney function, these tips will help you create kidney-friendly recipes with ease. 

Here is how to get started in 4 easy steps!  You will learn how to adjust recipes and what nutrients to pay attention to. Think of it as a bit of "reduce, replace, or add" for your meals.

Step 1: Look At Protein

When it comes to protein and PKD both the type of protein and how much matter.  Protein is an essential nutrient but consumed in excess and too much can overwork your kidneys, add stressors, and cause damage.  The first thing you want to do is look at your recipe's protein source, is it animal or plant-based?

Start by identifying the type and amount of protein in your recipe. Is it meat-based, or plant-based?

If your answer is "meat-based"...

• Consider swapping it with a plant-based protein source.
• If you are keeping the meat [and that's ok!] you want to look at how much is in the recipe and what that means per serving. 
• A good rule of thumb is to aim for about 3 ounces of meat per serving, which is roughly 20 grams of protein.

If your answer is "plant-based"...

• Look at if the portions per person are reasonable.  It is pretty hard to overdo plant protein.

If you have a lower kidney function, you will likely need to reduce proteins further to align with your kidney-friendly intake.  Your best course of action is to get an individualized protein recommendation from your Dietitian.  

Recipe Makeover Example

Consider a classic chicken soup recipe that's made with broth, vegetables, and calls for one pound (1 lb) of chicken.  The recipe makes 4 servings.  Let's break it down.  One pound (1 lb) of chicken equals 16 ounces, which comes out to four, 4-ounce servings.

Two modifications to adapt the recipe are to 1) increase the servings to 5 or 2) reduce the total chicken to 3/4 of a pound.  Both change the individual portions to about 3 ounces a serving.  A PKD kidney-friendly modification.  

At The Table Adjustment

What about if you aren't cooking or are having a meal out?  You can adjust your protein at the table to easily customize portions to meet your individual goals.  A good rule of thumb that many of my clients use is to have 1/2 of the served restaurant portion of meat.  Restaurants tend to serve 6-10 ounce portions of meat.  Another way to "eyeball" the protein portion served is to compare it to a deck of cards.  That's what a single 3 oz portion should look like!

Your recommended PKD-friend protein intake depends on factors like your weight, weight, kidney function, activity level, other conditions, and labs.  The point is, that recommendations need to be tailored to YOUR needs.  

Step 2: Slash The Sodium 

Step two for adapting a recipe for PKD kidney health starts in the grocery store! Most of the salt we consume (over 70%) is already in our food before it even gets to us as pre-packaged, processed, or prepared food.  Take some time and look at how much sodium is in common products you purchase.  If the amounts are high, see if there is another option with lower levels!  

Sodium Guidelines

• Aim for 1,500–2,000 milligrams of sodium per day.
• Try to keep meals under 500 mg per serving. 
• This can be harder when eating out as most meals are sodium bombs, a typical restaurant meal has over 1400 mg!  If a meal out has less 650 mg or less of sodium I consider this pretty darn good.  
• Salt is an acquired taste, so give your taste buds six to eight weeks to adjust to a lower-sodium dietary intake.  

How To Reduce Sodium

I find most recipes these days call for 1 teaspoon (tsp) or more of salt.  If you add 1 teaspoon to our chicken soup recipe example, assuming the broth is low-sodium, each serving will contain over 575 mg of sodium.  Look at your recipes and adjust sodium accordingly.  I find that adjusting to 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) or less usually works out well with flavor and the amount of sodium per serving.

Here is how different measurements break down into sodium, based on a recipe with 4 servings.

Sodium Measurements

• 1 tsp = 2300 mg, 575 mg per serving
• ¾ tsp = 1725 mg, 430 mg per serving
• ½ tsp = 1150 mg, 290 mg per serving
• ¼ tsp = 575 mg, 145 mg per serving

Remember, no salt isn’t better than low salt. Salt is an essential mineral, meaning you have to have some in your diet.  Your goal isn't to try and eliminate sodium, BTW that isn't possible because whole food naturally has some in it.  

Step 3: Check On Oxalates

You want to take a look at what vegetables are in your recipe.  The goal is to identify any that are HIGH in oxalates.  Think almonds, spinach, rhubarb, or beets.  If your recipe contains vegetables that are oxalate bombs, consider swapping that vegetable for a lower oxalate option or reducing how much you add. 

Check out 10 of the best low oxalate greens for PKD for some greens inspiration!

Why do you want to look at oxalates? High levels of oxalates in urine can lead to crystal formation, potentially form calcium oxalate stones, can cause damage to kidney cells, and are known to trigger PKD Pathways that cyst growth.  

Oxalate Questions To Ask

Ask yourself this question when adapting your recipes: Are there any high-oxalate ingredients?

If your answer is yes, use my  "3 Rs" of oxalate management".

1. Can you remove the high oxalate ingredient?
2. Can you replace it with a lower oxalate option?
3. Can you reduce the amount?

If you keep higher oxalate ingredients in your recipe, make sure there is a good calcium source with your meal. Calcium will help bind up that oxalate in your gut and make sure it doesn't get filtered through your kidneys. 

Recipe Makeover Example

Let's look at plant-based soup now! The recipe calls for cannellini beans and spinach.

• Remove the spinach and replace it with shredded kale.
• Reduce the navy beans to ⅓ cup and add red kidney beans.
• Sprinkle shaved parmesan on top for a flavorful calcium boost.

Step 4: Focus On Fat

First off, "fat-free" isn’t a good thing when it comes to food where the fat has been removed.  That is not a good goal to have or shop for. It’s OK to use full-fat products.  The majority of the time when fat is removed they replace it with salt and/or sugar.  No, this doesn’t mean to add layers and layers of cheese or to drown your veggies in ranch.  

Don’t be afraid to add some good fat if there isn’t in a recipe. That can mean when you are roasting, sautee, or finishing with a drizzle.  The goal is to use healthy fat sources, not heavily processed and inflammatory ones.  Of course, whole food with natural fat is an option too. 

Look at the recipe and notice what the fat source is, ask yourself...

• What oil is being used, if it is a heavily processed one swap it out for EVOO or avocado oil.
• Are there "fat-free" recommendations? Swap them out for versions of that item that is closest to its natural form. 

Fat is an important component of diet and helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins and some fats are essential nutrients, think Omega-3 fatty acids. Dietary fats are essential for good health. Fat provides energy, supports cell growth, and aids in nutrient absorption. Including healthy fats in your diet is crucial for maintaining these functions.

Summary

How To Adapt A Recipe for PKD, Your 4 Steps to Success:

1. Look At Protein
2. Slash The Sodium
3. Check On Oxalates
4. Focus On Fat

Follow these steps, ask yourself the questions, and before you know it you will be a pro at adapting recipes to be more PKD-friendly. Know this, you won't have to do all of the steps for all of your recipes! 

Get Your Printable Guide 

Click to get your downloadable guide!  4-STEP GUIDE: ADAPT A RECIPE FOR PKD

Happy and Healthy Eating, 

Diana, The PKD Dietitian