Mail order meal plans

[BecBoo02]

I am stage 3B, and I'm unfortunately very low income so I use SNAP benefits to buy my groceries. The problem is that I'm flummoxed by the fact that all of the prepared microwave type meals at the store are all high in the ingredients we can't have as renal patients. I'm hoping someone knows of or can tell me of a mail order meal plan like Factor, MealPro Medical Meals, Mom’s Meals, or HelloFresh that accept SNAP benefits? I'm a great cook, but I'm not very good at eating the right foods for renal patients, plus most of the time I'm either too busy or not feeling well enough to cook an actual meal. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 🤗

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Package foods are never going to not have additives in them. My suggestions is to spend one afternoon, make a bunch of food yourself and freeze them into smaller meals. Also, for salad, wash real lettuce, and store in a container with paper towels in between. It keeps longer than you think. Cut up veggies and put into baggies. Instant salad. Soups can be put together in an instant with low sodium broth, frozen veggies and pre-cooked pasta.

[Turtlepad513]

unfortunately, I tried Mom’s meals and one other meal service and although they have renal diet options, They were still too high in sodium and had foods high in potassium etc. they didn’t really meet the guidelines and gave them away to family who don’t have to follow a renal dieg.

I am also very busy and have to carve out time on the weekend or Monday night to cook enough food to get me through when i can cook again which this week is from Monday until Friday.

[2023CKD]

it is definitely a challenge to make a drastic change in diet when you are used to eating convenient foods to needing to limit the sodium, potassium and phosphorus levels as required in a renal diet.

I too was struggling thinking that I would not be able to manage it.

The reality is that it can be done. It just takes time and commitment.

My advice start making small changes a little bit at a time.

If you are able to enlist the help of a dietitian they can help you find foods beneficial to your goal.

If not there are guides online or in books that list renal diet foods.

I picked ones that I liked and then searched for brands that offered items that were low in potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. I looked for lower protein or alternatives to animal protein. I googled to find sources. For example peanuts are a good source of protein and healthy fats I googled peanut butter and found a variety of no salt varieties. I chose one from Trader Joe’s as it was said to be a good creamy tasty option and Trader Joe’s is near me and not too expensive I like apples which is a source of fiber and vitamins. The skin has phosphorus but a low level I eat apple as, celery or carrots with peanut butter for snacks

I found eating smaller meals or snacks with easy to fix ingredients easy and manageable I just had to figure out of the things I like to eat how to come up with things that were good for my renal diet and easy to fix or add to my diet. I’m trying new things .

Items like chia seeds or flax seeds that I add to my smoothies. I found them at my grocery store for cheap . Not sure if you have discount stores where you live. I stocked up on unsalted nuts from Sam’s club where you can buy in bulk and freeze them. Various nuts have different nutritional value.

I found low salt varieties of kidney beans and made chili with lots of vegetables in my crockpot I freeze portions for a quick dinner.

I found that I can buy beans and lentils in bags for very cheap Need to soak them or cook them

I found oatmeal that has no sodium and takes minutes to fix. I by berries and fruit and add them to my oatmeal or smoothies .

Eggs are a good ingredient to make quick hard boiled eggs and make into egg salad, scrambled eggs or a frittata with lots of veggies .

I made a list of items that had nutritional rich benefits and those high in antioxidants.

Then I'm went through and picked items that I liked and could work into a meal plan.

Also now with my Cronometer app I can scan labels at the grocery store to determine if items are kidney friendly

I know it can be difficult when you are on a budget and have limited time. I’ve found that by finding a few foods at a time and finding recipes that I am slowly building a healthy diet. I try to add more veggies to my meals and found some options for animal protein but still use low fat ground Turkey I’ve found the deli sells low salt unprocessed carved turkey so I get that occasionally

Good luck. Just try one small change at a time and see what works for you then stick with what you like, incorporate one food, one meal, one snack at a time, repeat Eventually you will create a new habit and healthy lifestyle change.

Buying veggies frozen you get them without additives if they don’t have sauce. I found squeezing lemon or lime juice on them or sprinkling no salt spices is good.

I was surprised that there are low cost items and many low salt options out there. I find it easy to fix some green beans, carrots, pineapple, berries they may seem like it might be expensive but they last multiple meals.

switching from coffee or soda to water or tea is better

I know that you can find a solution that works for you .

The way I look at it is that I try to make a few changes each week. That makes it easier and more likely that you will succeed. I eliminate as many of the bad things as I can as I learn them and read the labels when shopping until I figure it all out

In my case I have been making poor diet choices for decade's so if I have a few victories by making better choices a week I am one step closer to achieving my goal .

it’s unrealistic to think that it will be an overnight fix. It’s Ok to not be perfect right away. As you substitute new food choices and eliminate poor ones eventually you will be where you need to be

Work toward a longterm fix for a lifelong problem

Best wishes

[PecanSandie]

I don't think you are going to find a meal plan service that accepts SNAP because I don't think you can buy prepared meals with the SNAP program and those would be considered prepared meals. It's tough to find prepared frozen meals in the store because they all have way too much sodium (I think the guideline to be considered low sodium is 140mg sodium per serving). I think Bassetmommer had the best idea - make your own meals and freeze them in smaller portions, especially since you are a good cook. The low sodium/no sodium items I have been finding lately in my supermarket are chicken stock, canned tomatoes and sauces, canned beans, tuna in packets (70 mg per serving!) . Doing this requires some organizational skills but the food you end up eating is so much better than prepared stuff.