Best Kidney-Friendly Breakfasts On-the-Go

Benefits of breakfast for those with kidney disease

Why is breakfast important? According to experts, eating breakfast can have many benefits. For example, it gets your metabolism going & delivers much needed sugar & nutrients to your brain & muscles.

Eating breakfast has also been linked to improved energy, focus & memory.  In addition, it may lower the risk of or help manage chronic conditions such as heart disease & diabetes. 

All of the above benefits of breakfast apply to those with chronic kidney disease (CKD).  In addition, those with CKD are particularly susceptible to protein-energy & muscle wasting, which has been linked to an increased risk of illness & mortality.  Eating breakfast is a great way to ensure adequate nutrition to help prevent this.    

In addition, in my experience working with those with kidney disease who have higher protein needs (such as those on dialysis), I have observed that eating breakfast is an ideal way to sneak in some extra protein!  Likewise, skipping breakfast is certainly a missed opportunity to do so! 

Jump to:

• Benefits of breakfast for those with kidney disease
• Convenient Kidney-friendly breakfasts on-the-go
• But isn’t homemade better than pre-packaged?  
• Criteria for kidney-friendly breakfasts on the go
•  A word about nuts & dairy
• Ideas for ready-to-eat kidney-friendly breakfasts
• Combining single ready-to-eat breakfast items for a meal
• Wrap up

Convenient Kidney-friendly breakfasts on-the-go

So, we’ve talked about the benefits of eating breakfast.  But just knowing why it’s important isn’t enough!  You need real solutions that will truly fit into your busy everyday life!

Well, lucky for you, easy & kidney-friendly food options are our specialty here at The Everyday Kidney Cook!  In this article, I'll share my favorite ideas for kidney-friendly breakfasts on-the-go! 

You can also check out our complete Kidney-Friendly Recipe Collection here!

When doing research for this article, I scoured the internet & grocery store shelves to find tasty, convenient kidney-friendly breakfast options. I have even sought input from my renal dietitian colleagues so that I was sure to offer a comprehensive list!

But isn’t homemade better than pre-packaged?  

I do want to mention that, of course, making everything from scratch will produce a breakfast that could be considered more “kidney-friendly”.  But the point of this article is to give ideas for kidney-friendly breakfasts for when you’re short on time, energy or motivation. Or for when you’re on-the-go. 

The foods listed in this article will definitely fit into a kidney-friendly diet & could help prevent you from grabbing convenience foods or swinging by drive thru to get food which could be waaaayyyyy worse nutrition-wise!

If you do find yourself needing a quick fast-food meal (for breakfast or otherwise), be sure to check out our article: Kidney-Friendly & Low Sodium McDonald’s Options [Free PDF].

Or, if you would prefer to make your own easy, low sodium & kidney friendly breakfast, try out our recipes for The Ultimate Low Sodium Pancakes or Easy Low Sodium Sausage.

Criteria for kidney-friendly breakfasts on the go

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I’d like to explain what factors were considered to determine if a food was worthy of being on this list. 

As I’ve mentioned in other articles, there really isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” renal diet.  For example, not everyone with CKD needs to limit potassium & phosphorus--especially those in the earlier stages of kidney disease. 

However, I wanted to make sure the suggested food & products in this article would be safe for most people with kidney disease.  The on-the-go kidney-friendly breakfasts/breakfast foods featured in this article are:

• Ready-to-eat with no or very little preparation required (i.e., able to be made in a few minutes MAX!)
• Lower in potassium
• Lower in sodium
• Able to accommodate different protein needs
• Without phosphate additives & do not contain excessive phosphorus in general

Note: Since it's not required by law in the U.S., the phosphorus content is often not listed on a product's label.  However, I do provide an estimate of the phosphorus content based on the ingredients, portion size & nutrition information listed for similar products on the USDA FoodData Central website.  Please remember this is an ESTIMATE only!

As always, please be sure to consult your renal dietitian or doctor for the nutrition recommendations that are right for you!

 A word about nuts & dairy

Full disclosure!  Several of the options in this article contain dairy & nuts!  You might be concerned that they may be too high in potassium & phosphorus.  There's a few points I’d like make about this:

1. Portion size matters!  When used in the portion sizes specified, these foods absolutely CAN fit into a diet that is low in potassium & phosphorus!  So please don’t automatically rule out a breakfast idea on the list if you see it contains nuts, nut butter, cheese or dairy!
2. Avoiding nuts on a renal diet is an out-of-date recommendation! The old-school way of thinking was to avoid or severely limit nuts on a renal diet.  And to be honest, that’s what I was taught when studying to become a dietitian over 25 years ago! 

Thankfully, research & science has evolved & we now know that the natural sources of phosphorus &, to some extent potassium, are more poorly absorbed by the body than artificial sources.  Therefore, the natural sources don’t affect the blood levels nearly as much as additives. 

You can learn more about the difference in absorption between natural sources of phosphorus vs. phosphate additives in this article by The Kidney Foundation™️. This publication by the Journal of Renal Nutrition provides similar information on naturally occurring potassium and potassium additives.

However, I do highly recommend that if you are prescribed a phosphate binder by your doctor that you be sure to take it with the breakfast foods listed in this article. Just like you would for any meal!

Ideas for ready-to-eat kidney-friendly breakfasts

Now it's time to get to the good stuff! Some of the products listed below are hearty enough to be a full meal. Others may not be substantial enough alone & would need to be combined with other kidney-friendly foods for a more complete breakfast.

Ideas for combining single ready-to-eat food items to make a complete breakfast are provided at the end of this article!

Bob’s Red Mill®️ Oatmeal Cups

Bob’s Red Mill ®️Oatmeal Cups are a great option!  In fact, this is a favorite recommendation of renal dietitian Kate Zalewski RDN, CSR, LDN at Your Kidney Dietitian - www.yourkidneydietitian.com! 

A few points about this product:

• Great source of whole grains & contains flax & chia seeds, making it a good source of fiber & heart-healthy omega 3’s.
• Comes in plain (unflavored) & a wide variety of flavors.
• Just add water & microwave!  Or, make your own overnight oats by adding your favorite plant milk & refrigerate overnight! (Just be sure your plant milk does not contain phosphate additives!).
• Nutrition Profile for one cup: Calories: 220-280; Potassium: 213-313, Sodium: 210-310 mg, Phosphorus: ~ 150 mg (amount not specified--estimated from information on the USDA Food Data Central Website), contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 7-9 grams

Smuckers®️ Uncrustables®️

These ready-made sandwiches are a surprisingly solid option for those on a renal diet!  Here's the details:

• Available in various combinations of white or wheat bread, peanut butter or hazelnut spread, & jam, jelly or honey.  My favorite is the Reduced sugar peanut butter & strawberry spread sandwich on wheat (pictured below!)
• They come frozen, so just thaw & eat (it doesn’t take long to thaw!)
• Nutrition profile for one sandwich:  Calories: 190-210, Potassium: 129-155 mg, Sodium: 160-240 mg, Phosphorus: ~ 94 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website), contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 4-8 grams

Oats Overnight®️ Shake

This product involves adding your preferred milk to the pre-packaged flavored oatmeal, refrigerating overnight & then it’s ready to eat!  It can be made spoon-able or in the consistency of a shake (my personal fav!).  Other things to know:

• Comes in 20+ really fun flavors! (Think Coconut Cream Pie, Fruity Cereal, & Cookies & Cream!).  All flavors are acceptable for a renal diet except those with the word “chocolate” in the name.
• Contains no artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors.  Contains heart-healthy flax & chia seeds.
• High in protein (whey & pea protein), which should be taken into consideration if needing a low protein diet. 
• Available on-line through a subscription service (which can be cancelled at anytime).  You can purchase through the website here, and will receive a free shaker bottle with convenient measurement markings.
•  A bottled version with limited flavors can be purchased in stores such as Target, Wegman’s, Kroger & Wal-Mart & on Amazon
• To keep the potassium & phosphorus down, make with a milk alternative such as almond or oat milk that does not contain phosphate additives.
• Nutrition profile of 1 oatmeal pouch or bottle, without the plant milk added (all flavors except those with chocolate): Calories: 250-300, Potassium: 150-370 mg, Sodium: <100-380 mg,  Phosphorus: <300 mg (amount not specified on label—information provided from e-mail inquiry to company), Protein: Pouch-20 grams, bottle-15 grams

Sargento®️ Balanced Breaks®️

Sargento Balanced Breaks®️ are a medley of dried fruit, nuts & cheese.  Don’t let the cheese & nuts scare you!  They're in small enough portions (~ ½ ounce of each) that they're still ok for a low potassium /or low phosphorus diet.

• Comes in 3 versions that are different combinations of cheddar or pepper jack cheese, raisins or dried cranberries & various nuts.
• Nutrition profile:  Calories: 150-190, Potassium: 60-150 mg, Sodium: 170-190 mg, Phosphorus: estimated ~160 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website), contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 7-8 grams

(Some) Frozen French Toast Sticks

Prepared frozen French toast sticks can be a good option if you’re craving something sweet for your kidney-friendly breakfast on-the-go!  Most french toast sticks don’t have added phosphates like similar products such as frozen pancakes & waffles. 

Beware, the sodium content of some brands is quite high (>500 mg), so make sure to check the label!  Or stick to the brands featured below to be safe!

Below are my brand picks for both a regular & a high protein frozen French toast sticks:  

• Kodiak Protein-Packed French Toast Sticks - Buttermilk or Cinnamon (4 sticks)--Calories: 330 , Potassium: 130 mg,  Sodium: 300-310 mg,  Phosphorus: estimated ~200 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website), No phosphate additives. Protein: 10 grams

Great Value®️ Original or Cinnamon French Toast Sticks (5 sticks)-- Calories: 310-330, Potassium: 50 mg,  Sodium: 340 mg,  Phosphorus: estimated ~119 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website), contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 5 grams

Dippin’ Stix Sliced Apples & Peanut Butter

Of course, you can slice your own apples & measure out your own peanut butter instead of using this pre-packaged product.  This would still be a pretty easy-to-prepare on-the-go kidney-friendly breakfast!

However, one benefit that this ready-to-eat option offers is portion control—particularly for the phosphorus & potassium in the peanut butter.  Not to mention, it offers great convenience!  So, you might want to keep one or two of these on hand for a kidney-friendly breakfast on-the-ready!

• Nutrient profile: Calories: 170,  Potassium: 4% DV (~ 140 mg),  Sodium: 100 mg,  Phosphorus: estimated ~85 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website), contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 5 grams

Good Food Made Simple®️ (GFMS) Spinach & Cheddar Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich

Most frozen breakfast sandwiches are either waaayy too high in sodium or are loaded with phosphate additives.  Or both! 

Renal Dietitian Lindsay Ducharme RD, CSR, LDN at Vital Kidney Nutrition (www.vitalkidneynutrition.com) recommends the GFMS®️ Spinach & Cheddar Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich because it contains a reasonable amount of sodium & no phosphate additives!

Here’s the details:

• Found at various retailers, including Target
• Contains no artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors
• Nutrient profile for one Spinach & Cheddar Flatbread: Calories: 210,  Potassium: 4% DV (~ 140 mg),  Sodium: 420 mg,  Phosphorus: estimated ~130 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website), contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 13 grams

Veggies Made Great®️ Spinach & Egg White Frittata

Here’s another grab-&-go savory breakfast item!

• Microwaves in 45 seconds
• Veggies are the #1 ingredient!
• Made with egg whites vs the whole egg, which keeps the phosphorus down
• Nutrient information below is for 1 frittata.  One could easily eat 2 frittatas & add a side such as a lower potassium fruit & still have a kidney-friendly breakfast!
• Nutrition profile (1 frittata): Calories: 70,  Potassium: 97 mg,  Sodium: 200 mg,  Phosphorus: estimated ~40 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website, contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 5 grams

Omega-3 Trail mix (most brands)

I like the Great-Value®️ brand pre-portioned packets of omega-3 trail mix.  So easy for a kidney-friendly breakfast on-the-go!  This type of trail mix:

• Tends to be unsalted!  The Great Value Brand®️ is sodium-free!
• Usually a mixture of dried fruit, seed & nuts
• Nutrition profile of one 1 ½ pre-portioned packet of Great Value®️ Brand: Calories: 240,  Potassium: 210 mg,  Sodium: 0 mg,  Phosphorus: estimated ~ 195 mg (amount not specified—estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central Website, contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 7 grams

Energy/Meal Bars

There are sooo many protein, energy & meal bars out there it’s impossible to list all the ones that are kidney-friendly.  I literally could write an article or 5 on this topic alone!  (I’ll add it to my list!). 

When deciding what bars to feature, in addition to meeting the nutrient requirements, I wanted them to meet the following criteria:

• More substantial & filling than just a snack bar
• Available in a wide variety of flavors
• Taste great!

I settled on 2 options—one high protein & one more moderate in protein for those needing a lower protein diet.  Here’s my 2 picks:

Clif Bars

• Contain a moderate amount of protein (9-11 grams) which could fit into a lower protein diet. 
• All of the many flavors are kidney-friendly, except for the cookies & cream flavor if you need to limit potassium. 
• Nutrition profile for one bar (excluding cookies & cream flavor): Calories: 250-260,  Potassium: 228-285 mg,  Sodium: 130-230 mg,  Phosphorus: 150 mg, contains no phosphate additives, Protein: 9-11 grams

One Protein Bars

• Higher in protein, so it’s a great option for those needing a high protein diet, such as those on dialysis
• Lower in carb than some protein bars, so it is a good choice for those with diabetes
• All of the many delicious flavors are appropriate
• Nutrient profile for one bar: Calories: 210-220,  Potassium: 75-220 mg,  Sodium: 115-220 mg,  Phosphorus: 106-123 mg if listed (not all flavors list mg of phosphorus, although I estimate all contain a similar amount), contains no phosphate additives,  Protein: 18-20 grams

Yogurt (Greek or coconut yogurt alternative)

Below are 2 different yogurt options.  Unless you're a small breakfast-eater, you’ll most likely need to eat something else with your yogurt. 

Greek yogurt (most brands)

There are many different brands & flavors of Greek yogurt available in the supermarket!  Here’s the details about Greek yogurt:

• Provides many digestive, bone & heart health benefits & more!  You can read more about the benefits of Greek yogurt in this article by Web MD!
• Good source of protein for those needing to be on a higher protein diet--can contain 2x or more protein than regular yogurt.
• Available in “no sugar added” varieties, if preferred.
• Nutrition profile of 5 ounces of a typical flavored nonfat yogurt:  Calories: 123, Potassium: 200 mg, Sodium: 48 mg, Phosphorus: 170 mg, no phosphate additives, Protein: 12 grams

So Delicious®️ Dairy Free Coconut Yogurt Alternative

This is a yogurt alternative made from coconut milk instead of dairy milk. To be honest, I was skeptical that a "yogurt" made with coconut milk could really taste good. Well, let me tell you, I tried the blueberry flavor, and it was delicious!

Here’s the details:

• Lower in potassium & phosphorus than regular or Greek yogurt.
• Does not contain phosphate additives (many other yogurt alternatives do).
• Contains very low to no protein--beneficial for those needing to follow a low protein diet.
• Comes in many different varieties, including plain, sweetened/flavored & plain or flavored zero added sugar.  All flavors are acceptable!
• Nutrition profile of 5-ounce portion:  Calories: 120-150, Potassium: 0-160 mg, Sodium: 10-65 mg, Phosphorus: ~48 mg (amount not listed, estimated from information on the USDA FoodData Central website, contains no phosphate additives), Protein: 0-1 grams

Ready-to eat hard-boiled eggs (any brand)

Eggs are a great way to sneak in some extra protein if that’s your goal.  At the same time, they’re low enough in protein that they can still be worked into a low protein diet.  

• Nutrient profile (can vary slightly depending on brand): Calories: 70,  Potassium: 60mg,  Sodium: 55 mg,  Phosphorus: 90 mg, no phosphate additives,  Protein: 7-9 grams

Fruit cups & applesauce cups or pouch (any brand)

Fruit cups & applesauce are great to have around as part of a kidney-friendly breakfast on-the-run!  Here’s some points to know:

• All types are acceptable for a kidney-friendly diet (peaches, pears, fruit cocktail, pineapple, mandarin orange, tropical fruit, applesauce).  I personally love the squeezable applesauce pouches! (No spoon needed!).
• Naturally sodium-free or very low sodium
• Nutrient profile (4 oz cup/pouch, fruit packed in juice): Calories: 60-70,  Potassium: 60-120 mg,  Sodium: 0-5mg,  Phosphorus: 20 mg, no phosphate additives,  Protein: <1 grams

Combining single ready-to-eat breakfast items for a meal

Below are some combinations of the single prepackaged food items that could be put together to make a more complete meal.  Or, mix-&-match as you wish!

All combinations listed below have appropriate amounts of sodium, potassium & phosphorus. However, because those with kidney disease have different protein needs, it is noted whether the combination is high protein (12 or more grams), moderate in protein (6 to 11 grams), or low in protein (5 grams or less).

• 2 Veggies Made Great®️ Spinach & Egg White Frittatas + fruit cup (moderate protein)
• 1 packet of Omega-3 Trail Mix + applesauce (moderate protein)
• Dippin Stix Sliced Apples & Peanut Butter + one hard-boiled egg (high protein)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs + fruit cup (high protein)
• So Delicious®️ coconut yogurt alternative + Omega-3 Trail mix (moderate protein)
• So Delicious®️ coconut yogurt alternative + fruit (low protein)
• Greek yogurt + fruit cup (high protein)
• 1 Veggies Made Great®️ Spinach Frittata, So Delicious®️ coconut yogurt alternative & applesauce pouch (moderate protein)

Wrap up

If you have CKD, eating breakfast regularly may help you meet your energy, protein, vitamin & mineral needs. You could even notice an improvement in energy and focus! In addition, you may have less muscle loss, be healthier & live longer.

By keeping your kitchen stocked with some of the ready-to eat products listed in this article, you’ll never be without a kidney-friendly breakfast!

What's your favorite kidney-friendly breakfast on-the-go? Let us know in the comments!  

ENJOY!