Sodium and Fluid Restriction for Children with Kidney Failure
A low-sodium diet or salt restriction may be used to help prevent or reduce fluid retention in your child's body. The amount of sodium or salt allowed in your child's diet depends on your child's health condition. Your child's healthcare provider or dietitian will figure out the amount of sodium allowed in your child's diet. It is often expressed in milligrams (mg) per day. Some common sodium restrictions include 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 mg per day. With most sodium-restricted diets, high-sodium foods are limited. And salt is not allowed when making food or at the table.
Foods high in sodium
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Canned foods (vegetables, meats, pasta meals)
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Processed foods (meats, such as bologna, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs, sausage)
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Cheese
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Dried pasta and rice mixes
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Soups (canned and dried)
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Snack foods (chips, popcorn, pretzels, cheese puffs, salted nuts)
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Dips, sauces, and salad dressings
Foods low in sodium
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Plain breads, cereals, rice, and pasta
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Vegetables and fruits (fresh or frozen)
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Meats (fresh cuts, not processed meats)
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Milk and yogurt (these tend to be moderate in sodium)
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Drinks, such as juices, tea, fruit drink or fruit punch, soda, and sports drinks have sodium so these may need to be limited
Low-sodium seasonings
The following low-sodium seasonings may be used more freely than those that are high in sodium:
Allspice Basil Bay leaf Chili powder Chives Cinnamon Cloves Curry powder Dill Dry mustard Extracts (vanilla) |
Garlic (fresh) Garlic powder Ginger Horseradish sauce Lemon juice Lime juice Mace Marjoram Nutmeg |
Onion (fresh) Onion powder Oregano Paprika Pepper Rosemary Sage Tabasco Tarragon Thyme Vinegar |
The following seasonings are high in sodium, but they can be used in limited amounts.
Limit to 1 tablespoon per meal:
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Barbecue sauce
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Cocktail sauce
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Ketchup
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Mustard
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Hot sauce
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Low-calorie salad dressing
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Steak sauce
How to reduce your child's salt intake
The following recommendations may help to reduce the amount of salt in your child's diet:
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Don't use salt when cooking or at the table.
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Cook with herbs and spices. Or if your child's healthcare provider allows it, use salt substitutes.
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Seasonings with the word salt in the name, such as garlic salt, are high in sodium. When seasoning foods use fresh garlic or garlic powder. Use onion powder instead of onion salt. And try celery seed rather than celery salt.
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Eat homemade meals using fresh ingredients. Don't eat canned, frozen, or packaged meals. When eating out, ask for dressings and sauces on the side. Ask the chef to hold the salt in food preparation.
Type of food | Allowed | Stay away from these foods |
Milk, yogurt, cheese |
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Meat, fish, poultry |
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Fruits |
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Vegetables |
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Starches, breads, cereals |
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Miscellaneous |
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Fats |
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Sample plan for 3,000 mg sodium restriction
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
Orange juice (1/2 cup) Dry cereal (1/2 cup) Toast (1 slice) Margarine (1 tsp) Jelly (1 tbsp) Low-fat milk (1 cup) |
Beef patty (3 oz) Hamburger bun (1) Mustard (1 tbsp) Ketchup (1 tbsp) Sliced tomato and lettuce Low-fat milk (1 cup) |
Baked, breaded chicken strips, homemade (3 oz) Oven-baked French fries, homemade (1/2 cup) Green beans (1/2 cup) Dinner roll (1) Margarine (1 tsp) Apple juice (1 cup) Frozen yogurt (1/2 cup) |
Morning snack | Afternoon snack |
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Banana Cereal fruit bar |
Oatmeal cookies (2) Lemonade |
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Definitions for sodium claims on food labels
The food label reads | What this means |
Sodium-free |
Less than 5 mg sodium per serving |
Salt-free |
Meets requirements for sodium-free |
Low sodium |
140 mg sodium or less per serving |
Very low sodium |
35 mg sodium or less per serving |
Reduced sodium |
At least 25% less sodium compared with the same product without reduced sodium |
Light in sodium |
50% less sodium per serving compared with foods with more than 40 calories per serving or more than 3 gm of fat per serving |
Unsalted, no added salt, or without added salt |
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