This is for everyone and even though it's copyrighted anyone may share it or reproduce it because I believe information should be free:

Nutrient values listed in my upcoming, free-to-everyone, cookbook come primarily from the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and/or product distributors, manufacturers, and grocers, including my local grocer Hy-Vee®, Inc.

Daily values for stages 1-3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) recommended by the NIH are 800-1200 mg phosphorus, 1500-2700 mg potassium, 2000-3000 mg sodium, and 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Some recommend even less phosphorus, 700-800 mg a day, others less protein, as little as 35 grams daily, perhaps perhaps lower. The American Heart Association suggests using less sodium, 1500 mg or 1.5 grams a day.

Ingredient values found in the cookbook can be changed by cooking, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Because manufacturers also can change ingredients or amounts which then alter values from what someone previously might have read on product packages, it’s good to check labels before each purchase, maybe even to contact the company. At present food producers are not required to list phosphorus content on labels and many do not. But while some don’t assay phosphorus, quite a few do know how much an item has and usually will share that information with the consumer when asked.

Also, try to find out how certain ingredients are processed. If a label says vegan and is made with unbleached flour, it may very well be vegan but white flour sometimes is bleached using bone char. One brand of refrigerated pie crust claims to be “vegetable” yet whey from processing cheese is listed among the ingredients. A certain kind of tortilla the manufacturer says is vegan contains enzymes which could be either plant or animal derived. The only way to learn which is to inquire.

Soaking in water at least 2 hours before actual cooking pulls potassium, some sodium, perhaps even phosphorus, out of food, which should be drained again. Peel, wash, cut large or dense raw vegetables into thin slices, rinse well in warm water then soak in 10 times more warm water than vegetables for 2 hours, perhaps overnight & changing water every 4 hours. Drain, rinse again in warm water, cook in 5 times more water than volume of ingredients then drain once more. Boiling high-potassium foods (like peeled potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash, and rutabagas) then draining again is said to leach up to 41% of the potassium as well as some sodium and phosphorus. Mushrooms, cauliflower, and frozen greens, which most people with kidney disease are told to eat sparingly as well (if at all,) can be processed this way, too. But some items might become quite soft, even mushy – fine for soups if not on fluid restriction but not so good for stir fry. According to quite a few experts, yes, you can have potatoes and potato products BUT in VERY SMALL amounts and ONLY OCCASIONALLY and leach them first if they have not already been leached by the manufacturer in processing.

If you have additional information or want to make any corrections, please share with me.

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