As the New Year begins, it’s a great time to reflect and set goals for a healthier lifestyle. For those living with PKD, embracing healthy changes can play a big role in managing kidney health. Whether you’re just starting or have been navigating PKD for years, making thoughtful dietary choices can help support kidney function and overall well-being. This blog will look at different diets for PKD, and how to choose a diet that works for you.

Why Diet Matters with PKD

A kidney-friendly diet can help:

• Control blood pressure
• Reduce waste buildup
• Ease stress on the kidneys
• Slow cyst growth

Here are some key dietary considerations for people with PKD.

1. Focus on Low-Sodium Foods

Too much sodium raises blood pressure, a common PKD complication. Managing blood pressure is critical to slowing the progression of kidney damage. This year, aim to reduce sodium by:

• Avoiding processed foods and salty snacks
• Adding less salt to your meals
• Using herbs and spices for flavour
• Checking food labels
• Limiting dining out

2. Be Mindful of Protein

Protein is essential, but too much can strain your kidneys, and not enough can lead to muscle loss and malnutrition. Consider working with a registered dietician to choose the best amount of protein for your needs. If you’re living with PKD, focusing on the type of protein you eat is also important.

• Limit animal protein to 3–4 oz per day.
• Be mindful of protein portion sizes.
• At other (non-animal protein) meals, incorporate plant-based proteins like nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, tofu or soy.

Looking to increase your plant-based proteins in 2025? Try having a plant-based lunch every day this month!

3. Eat More Whole Foods

A diet focused on whole, unprocessed foods is good for everyone, but especially if you have PKD. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats are packed with fibre and nutrients. These can reduce inflammation, support heart health, and improve digestion – all important for PKD. The new year is a great time to include more plants and nutrient-dense foods into your diet.

What About Specific Diets?

You may be wondering about different diet types like a ketogenic diet or intermittent fasting with PKD. Let’s look at some of the current recommendations.

Ketogenic Diet and PKD

The knowledge and information about the ketogenic diet for PKD continues to grow, and this diet may offer benefits like weight management and blood sugar control.

However, there are some concerns:

• Its high protein and fat content might not suit PKD. A typical ketogenic diet includes about 70-75% fat, 20-25% protein, and only 5-10% carbohydrates. What this means is that for someone who targets 2000 calories per day, they should be aiming for 100 – 125 g protein per day. Depending on your kidney function and other health conditions, this may be more than recommended for you with PKD.
• Unhealthy fats in the diet can increase heart disease risk. The diet can include unhealthy fats, like saturated and trans fats, which can raise the risk of heart disease. Individuals with PKD are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. So, protecting the heart is important.
• Sticking to it can be challenging long-term. Diets like ketogenic can be hard to stick with over time as they require diligence in planning and offer limited flexibility if your plans change.

While we continue to learn about ketogenic diets and how they may help some people with PKD (however further long-term human studies are needed), focus on these changes, and instead of cutting out carbs completely:

• Limit carbohydrates from highly processed foods with added sugar, like sugary snacks, baked goods, and pop or juice.
• Choose carbohydrates found in whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These carbs are typically high in fibre and nutrients, leading to better overall health.
• Portion size remains important. Try to reduce your portion sizes of commonly eaten foods. For example, instead of having 1 cup of rice which could have the same amount of carbohydrate as 3 slices of bread, try to reduce it to 2/3 cup.

Intermittent Fasting and PKD

Intermittent fasting is another eating pattern that alternates between time periods of eating and not eating on a regular schedule. A common eating window is 8 hours, but may vary depending on the person.

Some studies have show that intermittent fasting provides calorie restriction that may help with weight management and type 2 diabetes. For people with PKD, intermittent fasting may be helpful, depending on your other health goals. However, more research is needed to confirm benefits for PKD. Talk to your healthcare team before trying this approach.

Choosing a PKD-Friendly Diet

Taking control of your nutrition is one way that you can make a difference on your health. A kidney-friendly diet can help manage your PKD symptoms and slow disease progression, as well as give you a sense of empowerment and well-being.

As you make positive changes in your diet, remember to be patient with yourself, and celebrate small wins along the way.

The only foods you must completely avoid with PKD are:

• Starfruit (toxic for those with reduced kidney function)
• Grapefruit (if you’re taking medications like Jinarc / tolvaptan)

It’s important to talk with your pharmacist to determine if other medications you’re taking have food interactions. The rest of the foods you eat should be in moderation.

Tips to Get Started

1. Plan Your Meals: Meal planning helps you to have kidney-friendly options on hand, and reduces the temptation to grab processed foods. Try prepping kidney-friendly meals in bulk, and freezing portions for busy days. Try the Quinoa and Chickpea Greek Salad in a Jar (recipe below) for inspiration!
2. Cook at Home: Control ingredients, sodium and protein portion sizes.
3. Read Food Labels: Learn how to read food labels carefully. Watch for sodium and added phosphorus. Many packaged foods can be surprisingly high in these minerals.
4. Track Your Progress: Use a journal or app to help you stay accountable and notice areas where you might need to adjust your diet.
5. Consult a Dietitian: Working with a registered dietician who specializes in kidney health can give you personalized guidance for your needs.

Looking Ahead to a Healthier Year

The New Year is the perfect time to review your health goals and make choices that are in line with your well-being. If you are living with PKD, a well-balanced, kidney-friendly diet is one of the most powerful tools you have to protect your kidneys and manage your condition.

By focusing on nutrient-dense foods, reducing sodium, and managing your protein intake, you can support your kidney health for the long haul. Remember, speaking with your healthcare team or dietitian before making nutrition changes can help you plan an evidence-based balanced diet that you can follow for life.

Here’s to a year of making mindful, health-conscious choices that support both your physical and emotional well-being. May the New Year bring you strength, resilience, and the positive changes that will help you live your healthiest life with PKD!

Quinoa and Chickpea Greek Salad in a Jar

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 mason jars or containers
• ½ cup dry quinoa
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 can (19 oz) no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cucumber, diced
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup low-fat, low-sodium feta, crumbled
• 4 cups spinach, washed

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, and black pepper to make the dressing.
3. Divide ingredients evenly into jars in this order: dressing, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, tomato, feta, quinoa, and spinach.
4. When ready to eat, shake the jar, pour into a bowl, mix, and enjoy!

Nutrition (per serving)
608 calories, 34.8 g fat, 5.5 g saturated fat, 451 mg sodium, 19.5 g protein, 58.3 g carbs, 12.9 g fibre, 789.6 mg potassium

Optional swaps: Use couscous instead of quinoa, or arugula instead of spinach for lower potassium and oxalate levels.

About the author: Emily Campbell, RD CDE MScFN is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with a Master’s Degree in Foods and Nutrition. Emily specializes in helping those with kidney disease overcome the confusing world of nutrition to promote health. Emily and her team of dietitians can be found at kidneynutrition.ca.

More

• Looking for more information about what to eat with PKD? Check out Love Your Kidneys, a PKD cookbook and nutrition guide written especially for people with PKD.
• Watch one of Emily's webinar or PKD Summit recordings on the topic of Nutrition and PKD here, or 
• Browse through Emily's Kidney Nutrition blogs on our website.