High phosphorus levels are a constant struggle for those living with chronic kidney disease, especially those who undergo dialysis. Elevated levels have been connected with higher mortality rates, so keeping phosphorus levels at a healthy range is a vital part of maintaining one’s health and kidney function. If elevated phosphorus levels are a notable problem for you, your doctor may provide you with a phosphorus binder, which is essentially just a drug which can help the body excrete excessive phosphorus via stool. Sometimes, however, phosphorus binders aren’t the optimal solution and for whatever reason can’t be taken. In these cases, there are some other natural means of lowering phosphorus levels.

Researchers in Croatia have recently found that certain cooking methods, more specifically, boiling and stewing in oil can dramatically reduce phosphorus levels in many foods without affecting protein content. Researchers deduced that boiling or stewing lowered phosphorus in vegetables from 27% to 43%, in meat from 10% to 49% and in pasta and rice by 7% and 22.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the researchers noted that with meat in particular, soaking for 1 hour in cold water, and then boiling or roasting in oil dropped phosphorous content levels by approximately 12%.

In Simple Terms, Here Is What You Should Be Doing:

• Soak meats in cold water for up to an hour before preparing. 

• Roasting meats to lower phosphorus levels. 

• Boil or stewing vegetables, along with pastas and other grains can also curb phosphorus levels.

This information further re-iterates the fact that, with kidney disease, how you prepare your food is just as important as what those food choices are. If keeping phosphorous levels low is important to you, then take a look at our supplement KidneyRestore for more information. It’s a potent probiotic that helps keep phosphorous levels low and kidneys feeling great.

And…for even more information about how to keep your kidneys in the best shape possible, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter or take a look at some of our videos on our YouTube channel.