Dr. Prabhat AryaMBBS, MD (Internal Medicine) · DMC Reg. No. DMC-83759drprabhatarya.com

Reviewed by Dr. Prabhat Arya, MD (Internal Medicine) on 29 September 2026

Diet chart for kidney disease

The right food eases the load on weak kidneys. Ordinary home food works: less salt, protein in measure, and care with potassium and packet food.

½ Vegetables (boiled if report shows high potassium) ¼ Dal, curd, paneer, egg, chicken, in measure ¼ Roti, rice, poha, suji
  1. Salt: less than one teaspoon a day in all. No salt at the table, no pickle or papad. Never use "low-sodium" salt or lona.
  2. Protein in measure, not high and not too low: about two katoris of dal (or egg, chicken or fish in its place) and one katori of milk or curd a day.
  3. Water: drink to thirst, not extra. If your doctor has set a limit, keep to it. Tell your doctor if feet swell or urine lessens.

Eat more

  • Vegetables lower in potassium: lauki, tori, tinda, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, beans, cucumber
  • Fruit lower in potassium, one a day: apple, pear, papaya, pineapple
  • Roti, rice, poha, suji, daliya: enough to keep up your strength and weight
  • Fresh home-cooked food made from fresh things, not from packets
  • For taste in place of salt: lemon, jeera, ajwain, garlic, pudina, hing
  • Egg white: good protein with little phosphorus

Eat less, and measure

  • Dal, rajma, chana: one to two katoris a day in all, not at every meal
  • Milk, curd, paneer: one glass or katori a day
  • Chicken or fish: a small katori, in place of dal, not with it
  • If your blood report shows high potassium: potato, arbi, tomato, palak, banana, dry fruit. Peel, cut small, soak, boil and throw the water away
  • Nuts and dry fruit: a few only
  • Cooking oil and ghee together: 4 to 5 teaspoons per person for the whole day

Avoid

  • "Low-sodium" salt, lona or salt substitutes: full of potassium
  • Star fruit (kamrakh): harmful to kidneys and brain
  • Coconut water, fruit juice, sports drinks
  • Cola and packet foods with phosphate: processed cheese, instant noodles, ready mixes
  • Pickle, papad, namkeen, sauces, chips
  • Painkiller tablets, protein powder, herbal or desi medicines not from your doctor

A sample day

Vegetarian first; the swap is for those who eat eggs, fish or chicken.

On waking
Tea with a little milk. Water to thirst, or within your doctor's limit
Breakfast
One bowl of vegetable poha or suji upma, or two rotis with lauki sabziSwap: Omelette of two egg whites with one roti
Mid-morning
One fruit: apple, pear or papaya
Lunch
Cucumber and onion salad. A katori of boiled-and-cooked sabzi, a katori of dal, two rotis or one roti with a katori of riceSwap: A small katori of chicken or fish curry in place of dal
Evening
Tea with a little milk and a bowl of murmura bhel with onion and lemon, no salt
Dinner, by 8 pm
Sabzi, a small katori of dal or curd, two rotisSwap: One egg curry in place of dal
Bedtime
Nothing more, unless your doctor says so

Common myths

Stop all dal and protein.
Too little protein weakens the body. A measured amount is needed.
Drink lots of water to wash the kidneys.
Extra water does not help weak kidneys and can cause swelling.
Sendha namak or "low-sodium" salt is safe.
Sendha namak is still salt. Low-sodium salt is full of potassium and can be dangerous.
Coconut water cleans the kidneys.
It is full of potassium and can be dangerous in kidney disease.

Dr. Arya’s note for you

Muscle weakness, a slow or uneven heartbeat or heaviness in the chest can mean potassium is dangerously high: go to hospital at once. Never use low-sodium salt, coconut water or star fruit.

This is general advice for adults with kidney disease not on dialysis. With dialysis, diabetes or heart failure you need your own plan: ask Dr. Arya. On water and protein, follow this chart, not the stone or gout chart.