When you’re on dialysis, following a high-protein, low-sodium, and low-phosphorus diet can help you avoid complications like bone disease, heart disease, and infections. A healthy diet designed for your body’s needs during this time can help you live longer, feel better, and enjoy a better quality of life. Here, renal dietitian Tara Bzdok shares some dialysis-friendly breakfast meal suggestions to help you achieve those goals.*

Three tips

While dialysis is a life-saving process, it can take a heavy toll on your body, sapping your energy and leaving it depleted of important nutrients. To craft a healthy breakfast, Bzdok makes these suggestions:

• Eat protein, especially eggs. If you can’t eat eggs, a protein shake or protein bar will do. Protein is “essential,” Bzdok says, to “prevent and fight infections.”
• Avoid processed meats, particularly sausage and bacon, as they are high in salt and phosphorus.
• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables at every meal, including breakfast. They provide fiber and micronutrients, reduce inflammation, and regulate bowel movements, all of which support a better experience during dialysis. 

“If you have been prescribed a phosphate binder,” she cautions, “make sure to take it with all meals to capture any phosphorus that might linger in even your healthy meals.”

Recommended recipes

Two easy-to-make, well-balanced, dialysis-friendly recipes Bzdok suggests are:

Spicy scrambled egg wrap. The ingredients include: 

• Eggs (x3)
• Onion 
• Bell pepper
• Jalapeno 
• Avocado oil 
• Pepper
• Salt-free seasoning such as Mrs. Dash

Cooked like a veggie omelet, this meal contains 211 calories, and 17 g of protein, but only 187 mg of sodium and 283 mg of potassium. 

Cocoa grape smoothie. This recipe involves blending together:

• 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder
• ½ cup frozen grapes
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk

This smoothie has 161 calories and 21 g of protein, with only 121 mg of sodium and 339 mg of potassium. 

Diet is an important piece of your treatment regimen. Every individual’s medical and dietary needs are different, however, so speak with your own renal dietitian for customized food options and guidance.

*Bzdok, T. (2023). Breakfast Ideas for Your Best Life on Dialysis [Blog Post]. Satellite Healthcare. https://www.satellitehealthcare.com/blog/breakfast-ideas-for-your-best-life-on-dialysis 

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