What can you eat on a renal diet?
A renal diet may include lower-sodium foods and moderate protein for stage 3–4 kidney disease. Potassium and phosphorus needs are individualized, so set those targets with your care team based on your labs.
Why it's different from other meal plans
Accurate per-serving numbers you can trust, so every meal is one less thing to second-guess.
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You see the numbers that matter, per serving, and they are accurate.
Sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and protein for every meal, calculated from USDA and other published food databases for each ingredient, not estimated or copied from a blog.
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Only recipes that pass the criteria make it in.
Each meal is measured against published guidelines (KDOQI, KDIGO) and included only when it clears the thresholds for lower-sodium, moderate-protein eating.
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It fits more than one condition at once.
Lower sodium and moderate protein handled together, so kidney and blood pressure needs are met in the same meal. A diabetes-inclusive version is available.
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Guidance, not just recipes.
Portion sizes, timing, and plain-language notes on why each meal fits.
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Cross-referenced with the research.
Cited references behind the choices in the plan.
Sample day, worked out in full
A day by the numbers
Here is Day 1, exactly as it appears in the plan: every meal with sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and calories for the portion you eat, added up into one day.
Breakfast
1.5 servings
Rice and Soft Egg Breakfast Bowl
- Sodium
- 186.9 mg
- Potassium
- 271.0 mg
- Phosphorus
- 331.6 mg
- Protein
- 20.1 g
- Calories
- 684.8
Lunch
1.0 serving
Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad
- Sodium
- 179.3 mg
- Potassium
- 315.7 mg
- Phosphorus
- 186.9 mg
- Protein
- 15.1 g
- Calories
- 337.4
Dinner
1.0 serving
Creamy Garlic Shrimp Rice
- Sodium
- 351.5 mg
- Potassium
- 206.3 mg
- Phosphorus
- 252.7 mg
- Protein
- 13.3 g
- Calories
- 345.2
Snack
1.0 serving
Zucchini and Corn Fritters
- Sodium
- 248.2 mg
- Potassium
- 485.1 mg
- Phosphorus
- 209.8 mg
- Protein
- 9.5 g
- Calories
- 219.4
Day 1 total
all 4 meals
- Sodium
- 0 mg
- Potassium
- 0 mg
- Phosphorus
- 0 mg
- Protein
- 0 g
- Calories
- 0
Every one of the 7 days is calculated the same way, meal by meal, so the whole week adds up like this one does.
Information, not medical advice.
What can you eat on a stage 3-4 renal diet?
Lower-sodium, moderate-protein meals, with potassium and phosphorus kept in check. Here is where every day of this plan lands:
- Sodium stays under 2,000 mg every day (weekly range 882 to 1,999 mg).
- Potassium stays under 2,000 mg every day (1,278 to 1,983 mg).
- Phosphorus stays under 1,000 mg every day (780 to 999 mg).
- Protein is moderate at 50 to 58 g a day, about 0.8 g/kg for a 70 kg adult.
- Calories run 1,409 to 1,587 a day across the week.
KDOQI 2020 (National Kidney Foundation) sets a sodium target under 2,300 mg a day for kidney disease. It does not set a single potassium or phosphorus number, so this plan uses practical ceilings of 2,000 mg potassium and 1,000 mg phosphorus and shows the per-serving figures, so you and your renal dietitian can adjust to your own labs. Nutrition is calculated for each ingredient from USDA and other published food databases.
How is this different from a free meal plan?
Most free renal meal plans skip the numbers that matter. This one calculates them for every meal.
| This plan | A typical free meal plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium, potassium, phosphorus | Shown per serving for every meal | Usually missing or estimated |
| How numbers are sourced | Per ingredient from USDA and other published databases | Copied from a blog, if shown at all |
| Recipes | 28 distinct meals, no repeats across the week | Often repeated or generic |
| Guidance | Portion sizes, timing, cited KDOQI and KDIGO evidence | Little or none |
| Format | 76-page illustrated PDF, yours to keep | A blog post or thin printable |
Standard or vegetarian: which kidney meal plan should you pick?
Both are built for stage 3-4 kidney disease, not dialysis, and hit the same lower-sodium, moderate-protein targets. The difference is the protein source.
Standard plan (you are here)
Pick this if you eat meat and fish. Includes lean poultry, eggs, and fish in renal-appropriate portions, 50 to 58 g protein a day.
View the standard plan →Vegetarian plan
Pick this if you avoid meat and fish. All plant-based, 46 to 55 g protein a day.
View the vegetarian plan →Dialysis and diabetes-inclusive kidney plans are coming.
Ungated preview
See exactly what's inside
Download the free sample PDF
Enter your email for the sample download. No account or password.
What's inside the 7-day kidney disease meal plan?
- 7 days of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, no repeats
- Every recipe about 35 minutes or less, with everyday supermarket ingredients
- An aisle-by-aisle grocery list with a weekly budget estimate
- A Sunday prep plan and storage tips to make the week easy
- Plain-language notes on why each meal fits, with cited evidence
What people are saying
This is a comprehensive website! Recipes look great and represent a variety of cuisines. You have emphasized the appropriate nutrients. Guidance tips are helpful. Science tab provides evidence-based references and are appropriate for the diseases addressed. Links to Drugs.com, WebMD & Medline are nice. As a registered dietitian, I feel comfortable recommending MedMenu.
Susan G. Rodder, MS, RDN, LD
Registered Dietitian
MedMenu offers all the data you need to plan meals based on specific dietary needs. There are lot of great recipes from a variety of cuisines to choose from, or you can test your own recipe to see how well it fits into your dietary guidelines.
Valerie B.
MedMenu user
Diabetically Speaking with SmartMove360
Common questions
Is this medical advice?
No. MedMenu is an information tool, not medical or nutritional advice. Your nephrologist and renal dietitian set your personal targets from your labs, so use this plan alongside their guidance.
What exactly do I get?
A downloadable PDF you keep forever, built for a full week of stage 3 to 4 kidney-friendly eating. Here is everything inside:
- 7 full days of meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, with no repeated recipes
- Every recipe with an ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, prep and cook times, and servings
- Per-serving numbers that matter for kidney health: sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and protein, plus calories
- A short plain-language note on why each meal fits a lower-sodium, moderate-protein pattern
- A full-color photo for every recipe
- A week-at-a-glance planner so you see the whole week at once
- One aisle-by-aisle grocery list for the entire week, with an estimated weekly budget
- A make-ahead prep plan, plus storage and reheating tips
- Simple ingredient swaps for foods you cannot get or would rather skip
- Cited references from published kidney guidelines and research
- Instant download after checkout, readable on your phone or printed at home
How do I get it?
You get an instant download right after checkout, plus a link emailed to you that is good for 30 days.
I'm on dialysis, can I use this?
This plan is designed for stage 3–4 and not for people on dialysis. Dialysis nutrition is different, it generally calls for more protein, so a separate dialysis plan is coming.
Free reading on kidney-friendly eating
Get your 7-day plan
Instant download after checkout, plus a link emailed to you, good for 30 days.
Endorsed by a Registered Dietitian · one-time purchase · keep forever.