Kidney Disease: Eating a Safe Amount of Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a mineral found in many foods. When your kidneys stop working, phosphorus can build up in the blood and cause damage to your body. High phosphorus levels in the blood can cause your body to pull calcium from your bones, making your bones weak. If your body continues to pull calcium from your bones you can develop renal bone disease. Eating a low phosphorus diet and taking phosphorus binders as prescribed is the best way to protect your bones. A low phosphorus diet contains about 800-1000 mg of phosphorus a day.
Many packaged foods have added phosphorus in order to preserve foods. This synthetic source of phosphorus is absorbed in higher amounts than naturally occurring sources of phosphorus from plant and animals. Try to limit or avoid ingredients with "PHOS". It may come in forms such as Calcium phosphate, Disodium phosphate, Phosphoric acid, Monopotassium phosphate, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Sodium tripolyphosphate, etc., which may be found in the food's ingredient list.
Use this food list as a guide to help you pick low phosphorus foods.
Phosphorus content in some foods
Food Item
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Low Phosphorus Foods (0-100 mg)
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Medium Phosphorus Foods(100-200 mg)
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High Phosphorus Foods(more than 200 mg)
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Milk / Dairy Choices
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Cream Cheese: Regular or Light (2 Tbsp)
Feta cheese (1 oz)
Non-dairy creamer (1/2 cup)
Lactaid (1/2 cup)
Almond Milk (1/2 cup)
Pudding Pop (1 each)
Sherbet (1 cup)
Sour Cream (2 Tbsp)
Soy Milk (1/2 cup)
Parmesan cheese (1 Tbsp)
Ice Cream (1/2 cup) (vanilla)
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Buttermilk (1/2 cup)
Cheeses: cheddar, colby, swiss, gouda, monterey jack, blue cheese (1 oz, 1 slice, or 1/4 cup)
Chocolate Milk (1/2 cup)
Cottage cheese, low fat, (1/2 cup)
Sweet potatoes (1/2 cup)
Milk (nonfat, low fat,
whole; ½ cup)
Ice Milk (1/2 cup)
Yogurt (1/2 cup)
|
Carnation Instant Breakfast (1pkg with 1 cup milk)
Cheeses: romano, American (1oz)
Box Macaroni & Cheese (1 cup)
Pizza (1 slice)
Condensed milk (1/2 cup)
Evaporated Milk (1/2 cup)
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Meat & Meat Substitutes
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Chicken Drumstick
Beef (1 oz)
Fish (1 oz)
Poultry (1 oz)
Lima beans (1/2 cup)
Veal (1 oz)
Egg substitute (1/4 cup)
Egg (1 each)
Boneless, skinless chicken (1 oz)
|
Beans: black, lentils, navy, refried,
northern, pinto, yellow (1/2 cup)
Chicken, fried (thigh)
Nuts: almonds, cashews,
mixed nuts, peanuts (1oz)
Peanut butter (2 Tbsp)
Other nut butters (2 Tbsp)
Sardines (1 oz)
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Chicken, fried (1/2 breast)
Chicken, fried (leg)
Soybeans, boiled (1 cup)
Soybean nuts (1/2 cup)
Tofu, raw (1cup)
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Starch Choices
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Breads: French, Raisin Pumpernickel, Rye, White (1 slice)
Cereals: Corn Chex, Cornflakes, Puffed Rice, Puffed Wheat, Sugar Pops (1 cup); Cheerios, Golden Grahams (3/4 cup)
Oatmeal (1/2 cup)
English muffin (1)
Corn tortilla/flour tortilla (6 inches)
|
Biscuit (1 small)
Bran muffin (1 small)
Cereals: Bran Flakes,
Raisin Bran (3/4 cup)
Cornbread (2x2 inch piece)
Pancake (1)
Waffle (1)
|
Cereals:
All Bran (1/3 cup)
Bran Chex (2/3 cup)
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Fat
Choices
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Butter
Margarine Mayonnaise
Salad dressings
Vegetable oils
|
|
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Beverages
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Tea (8 oz)
Soft drinks (12 oz), (light soda)
Lemonade (8oz)
Kool-Aid (8 oz)
Coffee
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Tang (8 oz)
Hot Chocolate (1 pk)
Beer (12 oz)
|
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Dessert Choices
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Angel food cake slice
Animal crackers (10)
Apple pie slice
Chocolate chip cookies (2 each)
Small Fig bar (1)
Gingerbread (1 piece)
Gingersnaps (2)
Graham crackers (2 squares)
Jell-O (1 1/2 cup)
Pound cake (1 piece)
Sponge cake (1 piece)
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Tapioca pudding (1/2 cup)
Pumpkin pie slice
Pecan pie slice
Egg custard (1/2 cup)
Frozen yogurt (1 cup)
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Chocolate pudding
Vanilla pudding (1/2 cup), instant
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Dessert Choices (cont.)
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Sweet potato pie slice
Rice pudding (1/2 cup)
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|
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Snacks
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Corn Chips (1 oz.)
Low sodium crackers (5)
Ritz Cheese Bits or
Peanut butter bits (6)
Snackwell pepper or Wheat
crackers (5)
Sun Chips (12)
Triscuits (7)
Unsalted popcorn (1 cup)
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Special note for eating fast food and processed food
Fast foods and processed foods may contain large amounts of phosphorus.