Eating well on haemodialysis
Date issued: June 2026
Review date: January 2028
Leaflet section: Renal
PDF: Eating well on haemodialysis.pdf [pdf] 155KB
Kidney Dietitians
Introduction
Dialysis is used to help remove waste products from your blood, but it is less effective than healthy kidneys at removing them completely. You will be advised on whether you need to make some changes to your diet to help keep the wastes (such as potassium and phosphate) in your blood at a safe level.
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Potassium: If you are following a low potassium diet your dietitian will advise you on whether it is safe to relax this now you have started dialysis.
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Phosphate: You may already be following a low phosphate diet or take a phosphate binder (e.g. Calcichew, Sevelamer, Renacet) to help control your phosphate level.
Your diet may need to change as your kidney function, blood results or medications change. Remember that every patient is different and the advice you are given is individual to you.
Eating well on haemodialysis can:
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Help you maintain a healthy weight and keep well
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Replace protein that is lost during dialysis
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Reduce the risk of becoming fluid overloaded
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Help keep the levels of waste products within a safe range
Your blood results
Your blood results are usually checked at least once per month on haemodialysis, and you can ask one of the haemodialysis nurses or the dietitian about your potassium and phosphate levels.
You can monitor your blood results using “Patients Know Best” (PKB) via the NHS app. Once you have registered, email the renal secretaries on plh-tr.renaladmin@nhs.net who will add your data onto your PKB account.
How can I eat well on haemodialysis?
1. Eat regular meals
Dialysis is a tiring process. Eating regularly will help keep your energy levels up and keep you feeling well. If your appetite is poor, try eating small meals/snacks throughout the day and choose high calorie foods.
2. Eat enough protein
Protein is needed for muscle growth, wound healing and fighting off infections. Unfortunately, a small amount of protein is lost from your blood during haemodialysis and so it is important to include enough protein rich foods in your diet as follows:
Try to include a source of protein at each meal:
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Meat
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Poultry
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Fish
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Eggs
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Cheese
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Lentils, reduced salt baked beans, pulses
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Tofu, soya, Quorn®
Choose high protein snacks:
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Hummus
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Unsalted nuts, nut butter
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Cheese portions
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Boiled eggs
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Yoghurts
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Cereal bars or flapjacks with added protein
For example, a sandwich or egg/cheese/fish on toast for lunch will be much higher in protein than a soup and slice of bread.
Try to select more fresh foods rather than processed varieties, which tend to be high in salt and additives.
3. Reduce your fluid intake
When you first start dialysis, you may be passing plenty of urine. However, over time you may pass less or stop passing urine altogether.
The less urine you pass, the smaller the volume of fluid you will be able to drink without becoming fluid overloaded.
Being fluid overloaded may result in damage to your heart and lungs and can cause the following side effects:
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Shortness of breath
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Raised blood pressure
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Swollen ankles and feet
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Puffy eyelids and face
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Rapid increases in weight
You will be given a target “dry” weight and will be weighed before and after each dialysis session. This will help the haemodialysis nurses know how much fluid to remove to bring you back to your dry weight. Large volumes of fluid removals on haemodialysis can cause nausea, dizziness and cramps.
If you are gaining more than 2 kg between dialysis sessions, you will need to reduce the amount fluid you drink
4. Reduce your salt intake
Too much salt in your diet can make you thirsty, and so it will be more difficult to keep your fluid intake down. You can reduce your salt intake by limiting salt in cooking, not adding salt at the table and swapping to lower salt foods:
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High in salt |
Lower salt alternative |
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Cured, smoked or tinned meat and fish e.g. bacon, ham, anchovies, tinned fish in brine |
Fresh, unprocessed meat and fish Tinned fish in oil or spring water |
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Cook-in sauces Seasonings and marinades Table sauces e.g. soy, ketchup |
Vinegar, lemon juice Herbs and spices Tomato puree |
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Salted or roasted nuts, crisps and cheese flavoured snacks |
Unsalted popcorn and nuts, rice cakes, plain breadsticks |
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Tinned foods Ready meals |
Check traffic light labels for “green” or “amber” options |
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Stock cubes and gravy granules
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Choose “reduced salt” varieties |
Salt substitutes, such as “Lo-Salt®” or “Saxa So Low®” should be avoided as these are high in potassium.
5. Take your RENAVIT vitamin supplement daily
Haemodialysis can also remove vitamins from your blood. Renavit is a vitamin supplement designed specifically for haemodialysis patients and should be taken every evening. Your dietitian will arrange for this to be prescribed by your GP.
It is not advisable for people with kidney disease to take over the counter multivitamins.
Other formats
If you need this leaflet in another format such as Braille, large print, high contrast, British Sign Language or translated into another language, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS):
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01752 439694
