Healthy Holiday Tips

Food is at the core of every holiday season and thinking about your nutrition may come second. If you have kidney disease, use these tips to feel your best and enjoy the season too.

Enjoy your holiday meal

Eat the pie, challah, and gumbo that was made with love! Just remember to watch how much you are eating. Using a small plate can help with portions.

Manage salt and potassium

Limit prepackaged foods and foods with high fat content that can contain large amounts of potassium and sodium. Make something from scratch instead so you can control the ingredients.

Choose lower sugar options

Try fresh fruit like grapes, strawberries, pineapple, and pears, for a lower sugar dessert. Or make a kidney-friendly dessert like our angel food cake with berries (see recipe below).

Keep up with exercise

Don’t forget to get in your steps. Go on a family walk, kick around a soccer ball with the kids, or dance to your favorite holiday song.

Angel food cake with berries

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of cake flour
• 1 ½ cups of superfine sugar
• 1 ¼ cups of egg whites (approximately 10 eggs)
• ⅛ tsp of salt 
• 1 tsp of cream of tartar
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• ½ tbsp of almond extract 
• Whipped cream
• Berries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F. Use an angel food cake pan (10 x 4 ½-inch with a hole in the middle).
2. Sift the cake flour and ½ cup sugar together 4 times.
3. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with salt until foamy. Beat until soft peaks form.
4. Gradually add cream of tartar and the remaining 1 cup of sugar.
5. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
6. Gently fold in cake flour mixture in 4 parts, using a large wire whisk or a spatula. Do not beat.
7. Pour batter into the angel food cake pan and bake for 1 hour at 325 °F.
8. Let the cake cool upside-down for 1 ½ hours in the pan. Then use a knife to loosen all the edges before removing from the pan.
9. Once the cake is out of the pan, serve with whipped cream and berries.

We are here to help

We are here to support you along the way. Reach out if you need help feeling your best during the holidays.

This serves only as a guide. Talk with your healthcare provider for more information based on your health needs.