variety of foods in your diet. If you diet is limited you may need to take certain vitamins and minerals. You must only take the vitamins and minerals your doctor prescribes for you. Certain ones can be harmful for people with kidney disease 4 0800 KIDNEY / 0800 543 639 www.kidneys.co.nz REDUCING YOUR SALT INTAKE This guide is intended for people with health problems, where salt restriction is an important part of their treatment. Salt restriction is often prescribed for people with high blood pressure, heart, kidney or liver disease, and diabetes. Where Does Salt Come From In Our Diet? • 10% comes from salt naturally occurring in foods (meats, fish, milk and certain vegetables) • 15% comes from salt used in cooking and added to food at the table • 75% of our salt comes from processed and packaged foods bought from the supermarket and from fast food outlets. How to Reduce Your Salt Intake • Minimise high salt processed foods and takeaway foods. • Choose foods canned and packet foods containing 450mg or less of sodium (salt) per 100g. • Use up to a pinch of salt in cooking • Avoid adding salt to foods at the table Helpful Hints • Always use iodised salt, as iodine is an important trace element for health • Salt substitutes are not always suitable to use in place of salt. • Use onions, garlic, fresh/dried herbs, spices, pepper, vinegars, and lemon juice to flavour food. • Steaming vegetables helps to retain their flavour. Other Names for Salt NaCl sodium chloride Sodium rock salt Na Monosodium glutamate (MSG) Sea salt Flavoured salts, eg garlic, lemon Kelp BACK 0800 KIDNEY / 0800 543 639 www.kidneys.co.nz FOOD GROUP SUITABLE MINIMISE FISH Fresh fish Fish canned in spring water Canned salmon with no added salt Smoked fish, Canned fish in brine or sauce eg herrings in tomato sauce. Fish paste, Shellfish, prawns, shrimps, Ready-made fish dishes MEAT & POULTRY Fresh beef, mince, lamb, pork, chicken, offal meats Tinned, processed or smoked meats – bacon, ham, corned beef, sausage meats, sausages, smoked chicken Mince pies, pasties. Ready made meat dishes MILK Milk, all types, Cream, Butter, margarines (salt reduced types), Yoghurts, Cheese, (not more than 20g/ day), Cottage, edam and Gruyere cheeses are lower in salt Cheese based dishes, eg macaroni cheese, Quiche, Pizza, Cheese sauce EGGS Eggs VEGETABLES Potatoes- baked, boiled, mashed, and roasted. All vegetables (fresh and frozen) Instant potato, croquettes, Salted fries and chips. Canned vegetables, unless labelled “No Added Salt” or “reduced salt”. Baked beans in tomato sauce Dehydrated vegetables SOUPS Home made soups using stock made from vegetables and meats and adding only a pinch of salt Tinned packet or instant soups Homemade soup with stock cubes or powder SAUCES & PICKLES Beetroot, home- made fresh salsas Worcester sauce (1tsp), Home made savoury sauces. Tomato puree Prepared dried mustard. “Lite” bottled sauces, Mayonnaise Stock cubes Marmite or Vegemite, Soya sauce, Regular tomato sauces, relishes and pickles including pickled onions, olives and gherkins Packet and canned instant sauces How to reduce your salt intake 0800 KIDNEY / 0800 543 639 www.kidneys.co.nz CEREALS & BISCUITS All breakfast cereals All types of breads Pasta, rice Sweet and semi sweet biscuits Salted porridge Tinned pasta e.g. spaghetti, ravioli, macaroni cheese Salted cracker biscuits PUDDINGS All puddings FRUIT All fresh, tinned, dried, frozen DRINKS Water Hot drinks including tea, coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate Fruit juices, squashes and cordials Fizzy drinks Stock broth Tomato juice Mineral waters and sports drinks TAKEAWAYS & SNACKS Unsalted nuts Unsalted crisps Unsalted popcorn Most takeaways Salted nuts, dry roasted nuts, crisps and packet savoury snacks Dehydrated meals instant noodles and rice Nutrition Services Christchurch Hospital, P O Box 4710, Christchurch Tel: (03) 364 0630, Fax (03) 364 0636 G/common/resources/Renal/How to reduce salt intake This resource was written by New Zealand Registered Dietitians, Christchurch Hospital Review Date: 2009 BACK FOOD GROUP LOW POTASSIUM FOODS HIGH POTASSIUM FOODS Fruit & Vegetables Aim for 5 serves of fruit and vegetables a day e.g. 2 serves of fruit & 3 of vegetables Cut, boil & drain your vegetables to reduce the potassium. Apple, berries, canned fruit (drain the juice), feijoas, passionfruit, pear, persimmon, plum, tangelo. All dried fruit, apricots, avocado, banana, coconut flesh, grapefruit, grapes, kiwifruit, mango, melon, nectarine, oranges, peach, pineapple (fresh), rhubarb. Asparagus, beans – green, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, carrot, celery, corn, cucumber, lettuce, peas, mixed vegetables, puha, watercress. Broccoli, courgette, leek, okra, parsnip, pumpkin, silverbeet, spinach, taro leaves, tomato. Carbohydrate (Starchy) Foods Keep to one ‘fist’ sized serve of boiled potato, taro, cassava or yam each day. You may need to ‘top up’ your plate with other low potassium carbohydrates such as rice or pasta. Couscous, dumplings, noodles, pasta, rice, rice noodles, vermicelli, potato, taro, cassava, yam. Green banana, hot chips, kumara. Bread, cabin bread, chapatti, Chinese steamed bun, crackers – plain, Maori bread, pita bread. Bread that contains dried fruit. Breakfast Cereals Frosties, Special K Forest Berries, Honey Puffs, Just Right