A renal diet helps people with kidney disease or kidney failure preserve their remaining kidney function. When kidney dysfunction occurs, the kidneys cannot maintain normal levels of fluid and minerals in the body. This diet limits the consumption of some minerals and, for those with advanced renal failure, also limits the amount of liquid you consume each day. As a result, choosing soups for a renal diet presents a challenge.
Fluid Restriction
If your doctor recommends restricting the amount of liquid you consume, you have to limit all beverages and any foods that turn into liquid during digestion. This means limiting the soups, ice cream, ice pops, broth and gelatin you eat. The amount of fluid you can consume depends on your disease status, so consult your physician or dietitian to find out how much soup you can include in your diet.
Canned Soups
The renal diet restricts the amount of sodium you consume each day. People with impaired kidney function have difficulty maintaining normal sodium levels, so reducing sodium intake helps prevent dangerous levels of this mineral from building up in the blood. Canned soups have high levels of sodium in each serving, making them unsuitable for a renal diet. Instead of regular canned soups, make your own soups with fresh ingredients.
Low-Sodium Options
Making your own soups allows you to control the amount of sodium in each serving. If you make a soup with vegetables, use fresh or frozen varieties instead of canned, as the sodium content of canned vegetables differs significantly from that of fresh or frozen vegetables. One cup of frozen corn has 7 mg of sodium, while 1 cup of canned corn has 384 mg of sodium. Instead of adding salt for flavor, use sodium-free or low-sodium herbs and seasonings. Basil, dill weed, garlic, chives, sage, thyme, parsley and rosemary add flavor without adding too much sodium.
Reducing Potassium Content
People with kidney disease also have difficulty maintaining normal potassium levels. As a result, potassium builds up in the bloodstream, increasing the risk for muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest. When making your own soups, select the vegetables you use carefully, as some vegetables have high levels of potassium. Tomatoes, dried beans, dried peas and potatoes are high in potassium, so use these vegetables sparingly. Lower-potassium alternatives include green beans, zucchini, onions, snow peas, bell peppers and mushrooms.
If you want to add potatoes or other high-potassium vegetables to your soup, you can leach excess potassium from them by soaking them in water for several hours. After leaching them, rinse them with fresh water and chop, slice and dice as usual.
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