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
      1. Home
      2. Recipes & Nutrition
      3. Dialysis Diet Planning
      4. Holiday Diet Tips

      Kidney-Friendly Eating Tips for the Winter Holidays

      Share:
      The biggest challenge around holiday eating is finding kidney-friendly foods that won’t shatter your sensible eating habits. Finding foods that are not too salty and with no phosphate additives can be tough. Take a look at the tips below for some practical suggestions.

      Plan Ahead

      • Eat a high protein breakfast. This helps control your hunger and portion sizes at your holiday meal.  
      • When attending a social gathering, bring a dish to share that will be healthy for you, and great for everyone. 
      • Plan your holiday meal using renal friendly recipes. Use the recipe links below to help you make your shopping list. 

      Shopping For Your Kidney-Friendly Holiday Meal

      • Choose apple cider instead of eggnog to keep your beverage choice renal friendly.
      • When grocery shopping, look for a fresh turkey. Frozen turkeys may be injected with sodium phosphates. If you see the letters “p h o s” in the ingredient list, beware! That means phosphates are added. Look for a turkey with no added phosphates.
      • Cranberry sauce is a great choice for a lower potassium fruit, and it makes a colorful addition to your holiday meal.
      • Use a non-dairy whipped topping or aerosol whipped cream instead of ice cream to make your dessert festive. Non-dairy whipped toppings may contain phosphate additives; if you see the letters “p h o s” on the ingredient list, look for another brand without phosphate additives. 
      • Select fresh ingredients when possible. For example: Fresh or frozen green beans are better than canned. If you prefer canned, choose no added salt or a low sodium version. 
      • Purchase the ingredients to make your dressing or stuffing yourself! Boxed dressing and stuffing mixes are easy to prepare, but tough on salt and phosphorus control.

      Kidney-Friendly Holiday Meal Preparation

      • Make your own gravy using drippings from the turkey; it will be less salty than gravy from mixes and jars. You can never beat the taste of a fresh homemade turkey gravy!
      • Double boil potatoes and other vegetables to reduce potassium and make them a healthier choice for your holiday meal.
      • Reduce or cut out the salt from any recipe to make it more “renal friendly”. Start by reducing the amount in half.

      Enjoying your Holiday Meal

      • Protein first! Aim for a healthy intake of protein - 4 to 5 ounces, whether it’s turkey or another protein food.
      • Stick to 1, eight-ounce drink and sip slowly to help limit fluids.
      • Just say “NO” to salt and salty foods.
      • Remember to have your phosphorus binders with you at your holiday meal.
      • Use a smaller plate to help control portion sizes.
      • Select a small slice of a lower potassium fruit pie instead pumpkin, sweet potato or nut pies.
      • Do you want second helpings? Wait 10 minutes and if still hungry, go back for more turkey and vegetables.
      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
      Get your free kidney-friendly cookbooks

      GET YOUR FREE COOKBOOKS

      Looking for cooking inspiration? Find delicious, kidney-friendly recipes in our downloadable cookbook collection.

      Sign up now

      Holiday Recipes

      Maple-roasted Sweet Potatoes
      Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
      Slow-Cooked Cranberry Port Roast
      Classic Lasagna
      Heavenly Deviled Eggs
      Zucchini Fritters with Dill Yogurt
      Garlic-Parmesan Hassleback Zucchini
      Slow-Cooked Bavarian Post Roast
      Herb-Crusted Roast Leg of Lamb
      Crunchy Green Bean Casserole
      Very Berry Bread Pudding
      Festive Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
      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.