Christmas is fast approaching and you're wondering what kind of Christmas dinner is best to put on the table? How do roast meat, pork and cheese get along with dialysis? Let's take a look at that.
During the Christmas holidays, the focus is often on food. In many households, a menu often contains several dishes. But are there things you need to consider when reaching for plate of Christmassy goodness? Which foods are particularly good for your Christmas dinner if you are currently on dialysis?
What should I keep in mind for the holiday meal in general?
Basically, the same guidelines apply to your Christmas meal as on the other days of the year. So make sure to eat rather little salt (sodium), potassium and phosphate. On the other hand, you can have a bit more protein.
It's definitely worth taking a look at the Mizu app. The food diary and the food search function help you to keep track of your diet, even at Christmas. If you're also looking for inspiration for Christmas dinner, you can easily take a look at the recipes for dialysis.
Now, let's take a look at a few tips and tricks that can help you cut down on phosphate, sodium and potassium, especially during the Christmas season.
Tips & tricks for a dialysis-friendly holiday meal
There are many little tricks you can use to reduce to make your holiday meals more dialysis-friendly. Below you can find a summary of these tips and tricks:
1. Use fresh herbs instead of salt
Instead of salt and stock cubes, you can refine your dishes with fresh herbs and various spices to give them even more pizzazz. Christmas spices such as cloves, cardamom or anise also taste great.
2. Using bread rolls for stuffing
Ground meat is often used in stuffing. If you replace some of it with bread rolls, then you can significantly reduce the amount of phosphate and potassium.
3. Canned fruit
For dessert, for example, you can use canned fruit (without liquid). It contains less potassium than fresh and frozen products.
4. Preparation of potato dumplings
If you use cooked potatoes for the dumplings instead of raw potatoes, you can also save a little potassium. If you cut the potatoes into small pieces before preparing the dumplings, put them in at least 4-5 times the amount of water and let them soak for a few hours, some of the potassium will be removed from the potatoes. When cooking the potatoes afterwards, be sure to change the water once again.
You can achieve even better results if you pour boiling water over the potatoes and soak them at room temperature - not in the refrigerator - for a few hours (e.g. overnight). Here, too, you should replace the cooking water of the potatoes beforehand.
5. Bread dumplings instead of potato dumplings
Have you also tried bread dumplings? They contain significantly less phosphate than potato dumplings and also taste great with meat dishes. If you prepare them with a water-cream mixture instead of milk, they also contain less potassium. For 100 ml of milk, you can use 35 ml of cream and 65 ml of water.
6. Braising meat dishes
For meat dishes, it is better to braise for a long time in the oven than to sear briefly. But why is that? Long braising causes the potassium contained in the meat to escape together with the juices. This is only partially the case with short searing. That is why braised meat is much better for dialysis. However, you should only use a little of the juices and discard most.
7. Cured meat & fish
When buying fish and meat, make sure to buy uncured products. Curing is a process in which food is preserved longer with the help of salt. And as you already know, you should avoid too much salt on dialysis, as it binds water in your vessels and thus places an additional burden on your cardiovascular system.
With these little tricks you can enjoy your Christmas meal without many restrictions. If you are invited to dinner with friends or relatives, share these tips with them beforehand. They will certainly try their best to conjure up a menu that is also optimally suited for you and your body!
