Wondering about the best breakfasts for a Renal Diet? If you’re on dialysis or are not following a very low protein diet, scrambled eggs are a great option! Adding vegetables to your scramble is a great way to add more nutrients and fiber. If you’re avoiding eggs, read on to learn about some great plant-based egg substitutions!
The Secret of Super Scrambled Eggs
Want to know the secret of taking a kidney friendly breakfast from boring and bland to absolutely lovable? AND still nourish your kidney health?
Good! I’d LOVE to tell you. It’s simple – add veggies and fresh herbs (and for me loads of garlic). There are lots of different egg-vegetable combinations you can do a great renal diet breakfast, but this is one of my favorites!
Why is spinach always on the “limit” list for the renal diet?
First to clarify about spinach because I know the question is coming! Spinach often shows up on the “Do NOT” or “limit” renal diet list although it shouldn’t. Here is why: COOKED spinach has a lot of potassium per cup. Fresh spinach is actually okay as far as potassium goes. This is because spinach becomes very concentrated as it cooks. We used fresh spinach for this renal diet breakfast recipe!
Other low potassium vegetables for a renal diet breakfast
I also used cauliflower – which I like sauteed or roasted (boiled not as much), yellow peppers, onions, and garlic. Yum!
A note on the potassium content of cauliflower: using frozen cauliflower instead of fresh cauliflower allows you to save time and reduce potassium.
Not everyone with kidney disease needs to cut potassium, but if you do, we recommend using frozen instead of fresh cauliflower.
A tip to keep your flavor-enhancing herbs fresh
One last tip. Fresh herbs are one of the best ways to take any meal in your renal diet and make it go from blah to hurrah. Fresh cilantro and parsley are pretty inexpensive. I buy a bunch of each every single week.
To store any fresh herb, I clip the stems and put them in a glass jar in my fridge (kind of like a bouquet). They stay PERFECT all week and I clip off what I need for different recipes. There are loads of health benefits to fresh herbs, but I especially love them because of the flavor they add to any recipe.
Special considerations for those following a low-protein or very low protein diet:
If you have CKD but are not on dialysis and following a low or very low protein diet to protect your kidney, you might be taking a plant-based approach. If so, you can easily swap the eggs for scrambled tofu, like our vegan breakfast scramble or even chickpea scrambled eggs!
Renal Diet Breakfast: Loaded Veggie Eggs
A versatile renal diet breakfast recipe to increase your intake of low potassium vegetables.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Low Calorie, Low Carb, Low Phosphorus, Low Sodium
Diet Type: CKD, Dialysis
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 240kcal
Author: The KidneyRD Team
Ingredients
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil of choice coconut or avocado oil is good for high heat
- fresh parsley and spring onion for garnish
- *optional tomatoes on side if no potassium restriction
Instructions
Beat eggs with pepper until light and fluffy, set aside.
Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet.
Add onions and peppers to skillet and sauté until peppers are translucent and golden.
Add garlic, stirring quickly to combine and immediately adding cauliflower and spinach.
Sauté vegetables, turn heat to medium-low and cover for 5 minutes.
Add eggs, stirring to combine with vegetables.
When the eggs are cooked thoroughly, top with fresh parsley or spring onions. If no potassium restriction feel free to serve with a side of bright fresh tomatoes topped with cracker black pepper. A touch of feta or a strong sharp cheese would also be delicious with these
Notes
This is a great basic recipe for increasing your vegetable intake! Other spices/herbs that would be delicious with this include herbs de provence, red pepper flakes, extra garlic, and basil. I also like a little of lemon juice with my eggs to bring out the flavors rather than using salt.
To reduce phosphorus further you can you 8 egg whites instead of egg yolks.
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 372mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5345IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @KNI_Care or tag #KNIrecipes!
KidneyRD Verdict:
Yes – this is a great simple recipe! There are many ways to diversify it with different vegetables or spices. Other vegetables you could include would be corn, eggplant, leeks, spaghetti squash, other peppers, broccoli and sauteed radishes. I also like a touch of lemon and red pepper flakes on my eggs to enhance flavor without adding loads of salt.
Other egg recipes we love!
Want to make your renal diet LIVABLE and LOVABLE?
Want to find out more how to make your renal diet livable and lovable? Schedule a time to meet with me! I’m here to end the overwhelm and confusion so you can be confident with your meals and keep progression of kidney disease at bay.
