News Releases

NephCure Kidney International and Nemours Children’s Health System have published Eating Well with Kidney Disease, a collection of kidney-friendly recipes and dietary guidelines aimed at helping children and families eat well at home, at school and on the go. When a child has kidney disease, families have to juggle doctor and hospital visits, medications, lab tests and following a strict diet. For many, this can be challenging amidst busy schedules and the lure of convenience foods.

• "Eating Well with Kidney Disease was created to not only educate families and offer practical advice about shopping and cooking, but also to encourage them to make healthy food choices," said Lauren Lee, NephCure National Director for Research and Education. "Good management of the diet preserves kidney function, boosts energy and promotes physical well-being."
• Several families treated at Nemours contributed recipes to the book. They become experts at finding ways to make flavorful meals and snacks without adding too much sodium, potassium or phosphorus. "It has to taste good for kids to eat it, so families get creative with spices, seasonings and substitutes," said Megan O’Neill, RD, clinical dietitian for the nephrology program at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. 
• The hospital held a tasting day so staff and visitors could try some of the recipes submitted by families and vote for their favorites. The winner by a healthy margin was Pineapple Salsa, a low calorie, no sodium version of salsa that is bright, zesty and delicious.
• "The book offers lots of ideas for preparing foods that taste really good and have strong nutritional value with low or no potassium, phosphorus or sodium" said O’Neill. "We also made sure the recipes were easy to prepare so kids could help in the kitchen." 
• The cookbook was funded in part by NephCure Kidney International. Recipes can be found on the Nemours website here.