7-Day Meal Plan For Kidney Disease: Free PDF!

Are you on the hunt for a renal diet meal plan? Download our FREE 7-day meal plan for kidney disease!

My name is Candace Mooney and I’m a registered dietitian and board certified specialist in renal nutrition. I’ve put together a practical 7-day meal plan for you focusing on kidney health, along with daily tips for kidney disease. 

Let’s get started!

Why choose meal planning for kidney disease?

Being intentional about what you are preparing for your meals will help you create a kidney conscious meal plan and help you follow through with your renal diet goals. 

For example, you can create a balanced plate at each meal that includes carbohydrates, fiber, plant-based protein, and a fruit and/or vegetable.

Meal planning is a great way to save time while you support your kidney disease goals. Pick one or two days a week for meal prepping to save time for each meal. Meal prepping can include chopping fruits and vegetables, cooking meals ahead of time, and storing your prepped food to use later.

Using a renal diet meal plan can give you a grocery list to follow when shopping to save money, too. Utilizing leftovers in your meal plan can save you both money and time!

Renal diet meal planning can help with impulse food selections, portion control, and food waste. It is much easier to follow through with your goals when you know what you are going to be eating and have already prepared it.

Let’s move on to our FREE 7 day meal plan for kidney disease!

7 Day Meal Plan for Kidney Disease

This generic, medium potassium meal plan was created with the following nutrition parameters in mind. 

• Calories: 1600-2100 calories per day.
• Protein: 45-65 grams per day.
• Potassium: 1500-3000 mg per day.
• Sodium: <2300 mg per day.
• Added sugar: < 25 grams per day.
• Fiber: >20 grams per day. 

It provides a full 7 day meal plan with 17 easy-to-make recipes. Each recipes is listed with nutrition information so you can personalize the plan for you, as needed. You’ll also get the complete grocery list for the week and nutrition information listed for each day. See some examples in the pictures below.

Download the FREE PDF with everything included below!

Day 1: 

Breakfast: Saucy Berry Citrus Oatmeal

Lunch:  Sweet Potato + Black Bean Salad

Dinner: Stacked Veggie Sandwich

Snacks: Strawberry + Blueberry Parfait and Peanut Butter + Pretzels

Daily Tip: Stay hydrated throughout the day to support your kidney function. I recommend aiming for 48-64 ounces of fluid per day if you don’t have a fluid restriction placed by your doctor or renal dietitian. 

Day 2: 

Breakfast: Saucy Berry Citrus Oatmeal

Lunch: Sweet Potato + Black Bean Salad

Dinner: Whole Wheat Chickpea Wraps

Snacks:  Peanut Butter + Pretzels and Strawberry + Blueberry Parfait

Daily Tip: Monitor your sodium intake. Choose low-sodium options whenever possible. The recommended daily intake of sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) for kidney disease. (1, 2) If you eat three meals a day, you are aiming for roughly 800 mg of sodium per meal. 

Day 3: 

Breakfast: PB + J Energy Balls

Lunch: Whole Wheat Chickpea Wraps

Dinner: Creamy Spinach Penne 

Snacks: Crackers + Hummus and Strawberry + Blueberry Parfait

Daily Tip: Pay attention to portion sizes of your vegetables and fruits. Aim for 2 servings of fruit per day and 3 servings of vegetables per day. Here is a visual on what your plate should look like! 

Day 4:

Breakfast: PB English Muffin + Berries

Lunch: Creamy Spinach Penne

Dinner: One Pan Chickpea Fajitas

Snacks: PB + J Energy Balls and Hummus + Olive English Muffin

Daily Tip: Pay attention to your Potential Renal Acid Load and choose plant-based options over animal proteins. 

Check out our blog post HERE for everything you to know about PRAL!

Day 5:

Breakfast: PB English Muffin + Berries

Lunch: One Pan Chickpea Fajitas

Dinner: Greek Pasta Mason Jar Salad

Snacks: Hummus + Olive English Muffin and PB + J Energy Balls

Daily Tip: The type of potassium matters far more than the total amount of potassium in the food. Foods that have higher fiber and are minimally processed like raw tomatoes are better choices than foods with potassium additives and heavily processed foods like low-sodium ketchup (3).

Day 6:

Breakfast: Flax Pancakes with Clementine

Lunch: Greek Pasta Mason Jar Salad

Dinner: Vegan Minestrone Soup 

Snacks: Peach Raspberry Smoothie and Clementines + Macadamia Nuts

Daily Tip: Plan your meals ahead of time to ensure a well-balanced and kidney-friendly diet. This approach can also help you save time and money!

Day 7:

Breakfast: Flax Pancakes with Clementine

Lunch: Vegan Minestrone Soup

Dinner: Greek Pasta Mason Jar Salad 

Snacks: Clementines + Macadamia Nuts and Peach Raspberry Smoothie

Daily Tip: Work with a renal dietitian if you want the extra support that you deserve. You can work with me or other qualified renal dietitians.

Final Thoughts

Don’t forget to download the accompanying FREE PDF with the recipes, grocery list, and nutrition information. 

I am so proud of you for taking the time to learn about how to adopt a kidney-friendly lifestyle that includes meal planning! 

You’re doing great!

This article was co-written by dietetic student and digital marketing intern Eva McIntosh & reviewed, edited, and co-written by Candace Mooney, MS RDN CSR.