The search for kidney friendly tacos ideas is OVER!
I’m not sure about you, but I love tacos! We have them probably once a week at our house. One thing I regularly hear from clients is that they can’t have tacos with a kidney friendly diet. This is FALSE! You can have tacos on a renal diet, we just need to look at the ingredients and make a few kidney friendly swaps for great low sodium taco choices.
Let’s start with the base…the tortilla. Flour or corn, it really doesn’t matter as long as you double check for added phosphate ingredients. Consider lightly grilling a corn tortilla for added flavor. Choose based on your preference and be sure to count the carbohydrates in the tortillas if you have diabetes.
Now on to the main ingredient. Plant based taco ingredients can pack just as much flavor as their meat containing counterparts. These roasted cauliflower tacos are delicious. Sautéed mushrooms, sweet potatoes with chili powder or quinoa with homemade taco seasoning can be other great plant based foundations to your taco. Low sodium taco seasoning or making your own taco seasoning can still pack flavor while lowering sodium!
It’s really all about the toppings
Taco toppings are what makes each one unique. If restricting potassium, a few ingredients to be mindful of the portion size for are avocado and salsa. Diced tomato or even pico de gallo have far less potassium than prepared salsa. Fun toppings can include feta, picked or raw red onion, fresh peppers, a dash of hot sauce. Fresh cilantro can be a great addition but is also polarizing so if serving for a group, consider having it on the side. Some people have a soapy flavor when tasting cilantro while others do not.
Don’t forget a source of acid with your tacos! Acidity helps to balance out all the delicious flavors! Sources of acid could be a lime wedge, pickled veggies like onion or jalapeno (be sure to check the sodium content if store bought), or hot sauce.
CKD Friendly Taco vs Traditional Taco
Old Taco:
- Tortilla
- Meat
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Salsa
- Sour cream
Kidney Friendly Taco:
- Tortilla
- Veggie base (quinoa, roasted cauliflower, mushrooms with low sodium taco seasoning)
- Shredded cabbage or lettuce
- Pico de Gallo
- Avocado slice
- Red onion
- Feta
- Cilantro
Feel free to share your favorite taco topping combinations in the comments below!
Wanting to learn more about how you can make tacos and other favorite foods fit with your current labs and health, check out how we can work together.