Welcome to the Kidney Transplant nutrition series.
Eating well after a kidney transplant
What you eat after your transplant is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the long term.
Steroid medications can increase your appetite and make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight.
Many people struggle with unwanted weight gain after transplant. It is important to establish healthy eating habits and include regular physical activity.
This can keep your kidney healthy and improve your wellbeing.
Following a Mediterranean style eating pattern, may reduce the risk of developing diabetes and protect your new kidney.
Include a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and pulses. For example, beans, chickpeas, lentils, split peas, & soybeans.
These foods provide a broad range of antioxidants and are high in fibre.
Where possible, reduce the amount of meat and processed foods you eat.
Eat a variety of healthy foods each day. Include plenty of fruit and vegetables, aiming for half of your plate.
Aim for a quarter of your plate to be healthy proteins and choose wholegrain foods.
Make water your drink of choice.
Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and wholegrain breads and cereals.
Aim for 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day.
Aim for a variety of colours and types of fruits and vegetables.
Choose wholegrain breads and cereals, such as oats, barley and quinoa as well as wholemeal bread, pasta, rice and couscous.
Limit intake of processed foods which contain long lists of ingredients you wouldn’t commonly find in your kitchen.
Limit takeaway foods.
Avoid grapefruit or grapefruit juice as this can interact with some medications.
To avoid overworking your new kidney, eat moderate portions of protein-rich foods. This includes pulses, fish, eggs and lean chicken.
Include legumes and pulses such as chickpeas, or kidney beans, 2 to 3 meals each week.
Include fish and seafood, 2 to 3 times each week.
Limit red meat such as kangaroo, beef, or lamb to 1 to 3 meals each week.
Limit processed or deli meats, including bacon, ham, salami and sausages.
Include healthy fats and oils.
Include nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish, olives, and their oils for cooking.
Use Extra virgin olive oil in your cooking, as a salad dressing, and drizzled over bread.
Limit butter, cream and coconut products due to saturated fats. These may increase cholesterol in your blood and increase risk of heart disease.
Use herbs and spices to flavour foods instead of salt.
Fresh is best. Add flavour through herbs and spices, such as chili, garlic, ginger, lemon and vinegar.
Most salt comes from packaged and processed foods.
Limit adding salt to meals when cooking or at the dinner table.
Fluids
Make water your main drink of choice.
Drink plenty of fluid, as advised by your kidney specialist.
Reduce sugary drinks such as soft drinks, cordial and fruit juice, and limit alcohol intake.
Protect your bones
Long term use of some immunosuppressant medications can make your bones weaker and more likely to fracture or break.
It is important to include sources of calcium daily and be physically active.
Aim for 2-3 serves of dairy or dairy alternatives daily.
Foods that contain calcium include: Dairy products such as unflavoured milk, yoghurt, or cheese.
If you have high cholesterol, choose reduced fat dairy.
Calcium fortified products including soy milk, yoghurt, cheese or cereals.
Fish with bones such as tinned salmon, sardines, or mackerel.
Nuts and seeds including unsalted Brazil nuts, almonds, or sesame seeds.
Vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and Asian greens.
Physical activity is important for maintaining good health, strength, and quality of life.
Regular exercise can improve bone health and muscle mass. The more active you are, the more you will benefit.
Aim for 30 minutes each day. Start slowly.
Include muscle-strengthening activities twice a week.
Reduce the time you spend sitting or lying down.
For more information, scan the QR code to view Australia’s physical activity guidelines.
For some ideas to get you started,
Try Body weight exercises like push-ups, squats, or lunges at home.
Gardening or housework that involves lifting, carrying, or digging.
Join a social sporting team or walking group.
For individual advice, ask your doctor about a referral to an exercise physiologist.
For balanced and nutritious meal and snack suggestions.
Try;
- Porridge: rolled oats made with milk, fruit, and nuts.
- Natural Greek style yoghurt with fresh fruit, nuts, or untoasted muesli.
- Wholegrain cereal with milk, yoghurt and fruit. Try Weet-Bix, Vita Brits, or All Bran.
- Wholegrain toast with eggs, avocado, labneh, salt reduced baked beans, or unsalted peanut butter.
- Chicken Pho made with low salt or homemade stock.
- Savoury spinach and feta omelette
For LUNCH
- Try a homemade salad with canned chickpeas, broad beans, or lentils and tinned fish. Use an olive oil dressing.
- Homemade salad sandwiches and wraps. Use wholegrain bread, rolls, wraps, or pitas. For some protein, use canned fish, cheese, hummus, or cooked/reheated chicken breast as fillings.
- Vegetarian soups or stews with no added salt canned tomatoes and mixed vegetables. Try adding cannellini beans, split peas, or lentils.
- Wrapped lettuce such as San Choy Bow. Use lean turkey or chicken mince and salt reduced soy sauce.
Dinner
- Chicken breast: stir-fried, baked or grilled in extra virgin olive oil and mixed herbs with homemade salad or cooked vegetables and wholegrain bread or rice.
- Chickpea curry using no added salt canned tomatoes, spinach, and basmati rice.
- Fish such as Cantonese steamed fish with salt reduced soy sauce, or grilled salmon served with steamed vegetables and basmati rice.
- BBQ seafood and vegetable skewers with prawns, scallops, and squid. Use fresh seafood. Use olive oil, mixed herbs and serve with salad.
- Small portion of lean beef, lamb, or bush meats such as turtle, dugong, goanna, or kangaroo. Serve with salad or cooked vegetables and wholegrain damper or basmati rice.
SNACKS
- Handful of unsalted nuts/seeds, muesli bar with nuts
- Fruit (fresh and washed, canned, or dried)
- Fresh and washed vegetable sticks with hummus, tzatziki or labneh
- Natural Greek style yoghurt, or a glass of dairy or soy milk
- Wholegrain crackers with hard cheese such as cheddar or tinned fish
- Roasted chickpeas/fava beans OR unsalted popcorn
To continue making positive lifestyle changes, set goals on a regular basis, take time to meal plan, and prepare meals and healthy recipes. Make physical activity part of your daily routine. Consider group activities or ask a friend to hold you accountable.
If you would like any additional information or if you have any questions, ask to see your Dietitian.
Pause the video to scan the QR codes below if you would like to learn more about Eating Well after your Kidney Transplant, or Australia's Physical Activity Guidelines.
Pause the video to scan the QR codes below to explore new and tasty recipes that will help you keep your new kidney healthy.
This is a consensus video from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland Kidney Transplant Service, and Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
AI has been used to create pictures and generate transcripts and voice recordings which have been checked and approved by clinical experts.