A fluid-restricted diet is a necessary and effective tool in the fight against advanced stage kidney disease, some types of heart disease and when on dialysis. This special diet prevents fluids from building up in your system, making you more comfortable and preventing unhealthy complications. To restrict fluids in your diet, you must be aware of the liquid content of the foods you eat.
Clear and Full Liquids
It is easy to identify a glass of water as a fluid, but it require more expertise to recognize some foods as liquid. Clear and full liquids are those food items that are solid when refrigerated but melt at room temperature, or are gelatinous at any time. Gelatin, pudding, ice cream, fruit ices and sherbets are more obviously liquids than custard, oatmeal and yogurt. A half cup of pudding or a packet of instant cooked cereal provides about 110 g of fluid, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database.
Fluid-Filled Foods
Some complex and delicious foods are filling, require you to chew, are nutritious and retain their form at room temperature, but are made almost entirely of fluid. For example, one head of iceberg lettuce weighing 539 g contains 515 g of water. A cucumber gets 286 of its 301 g from water weight. An Asian pear is made up almost entirely of water, with 242 g of water in a 275 g pear. A cup of raw celery weighs only 120 g yet provides 114 g of fluid.
Liquid in One Meal
Cleveland Clinic suggests people with heart failure restrict fluid intake to just 2 liters, or 2,000 g, of liquid each day to relieve congestion and reduce the need for diuretics. It is easy to let fluid add up in one meal. A cup of egg noodles has 108 g of moisture. Add a cup of tomato sauce for an additional 223 g of liquid and another 55 g in half a chicken breast. You might serve up a cup of squash, one pear and an iceberg lettuce salad for a well-balanced meal, but it contains more than 1 liter of fluid, possibly half of your recommended intake.
Fruits
Fruits are sweet, juicy and delicious, bursting with flavorful liquid. A cup of raspberries has 105 g of fluid and half of a white grapefruit contributes 107. A cup of raw apples, without the skin, has 95 g of water. A banana adds 88 g and a peach adds 87 g.
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