Bread and the renal diet
Many of my clients ask me what is the best bread for the renal diet. Bread is one of life’s wonderful pleasures, is a staple in most Australian households and celebrated on many tables around the world.
Many factors influence why we choose certain breads. Things like taste, satiety, cost, particular nutrient composition, if you are on a low sodium diet, are on dialysis, culture/ religious reasons and whether the kids will eat it are just a few factors people consider when purchasing their breads.
Bread contains salt as its main preservative and some breads do contain added phosphate. Let your dietitian know if you are on a low potassium and/or phosphate diet.
Check out my comparison table of sodium in some popular breads. Copy and paste this link
Generally breads with 400mg of sodium or less per 100g is a pretty good choice. Cross compare your favourites and see what you come up with.
So what’s the bottom line, which bread is best?
From the sodium point of view most are pretty good choices from this comparison table. White or wholemeal breads are good options for renal disease. If you have high potassium or phosphate levels in your blood you may want to discuss this with your renal dietitian as to whether you can have grain bread.
Kirilee is a specialist dietitian with experience in renal disease. She sees clients on the North Shore and Northern Beaches of Sydney. If you need help navigating a low sodium or renal diet please get in touch.
