Why are the dietary needs of children different?
Everyone living with CKD is unique and will have slightly different dietary needs. What sets children apart is that they are still growing, so the foods that they eat need to support this important process. This means dietary advice you receive from your child's kidney dietitian will be tailored to their individual needs, and, importantly, it may change over time as they grow.
Helping your child with CKD grow
Children and young people need the right balance of nutrition for growth and bone health. Energy, protein, calcium, phosphate and other nutrients all play a role. Children may need extra support to help them grow well.
- Energy and protein are vital for growing children, so include healthy fats such as olive oil or avocado, carbohydrates such as rice, pasta and bread, and protein from lean meat or plant-based options, like beans and lentils.
- Managing phosphate is key, so limit processed foods and choose fresh, home-cooked meals instead.
Looking after bones and the heart
Keeping minerals such as calcium and phosphate balanced will help support healthy bones and good heart health. This is something your kidney team will monitor and advise on.
Extra nutrition when needed
If eating enough is difficult, extra support such as nourishing drinks, or, in some cases, tube feeding, may be recommended to help meet nutritional needs.
Supporting growth
If growth is slower than expected, doctors may talk to you about treatments such as growth hormone. This is always carefully considered and tailored to each child’s individual needs.
A team approach
Dietitians, doctors and nurses work closely together to support your child’s growth, health and wellbeing – and to support you as a family. With the right care and nutrition, children can grow and enjoy a full life.
Does serving size really matter for children who are still growing?
Yes, serving size does matter, but it will not be the same for every child. Children and young people have different appetites – some may naturally eat more, and others less. This means the serving size you offer your child may need to be adjusted to suit your child’s usual intake. Kidney Kitchen serving sizes are based on average adult portions, then adapted to give suggested child and young person portions:
- Toddler (age 1-4): ¼
- Young child (age 5-9): ½
- Older child (age 10-13): ¾
- Teenager (14+): 1
Note: Before giving larger portions, please check with your child’s kidney dietitian. Bigger servings can change how much potassium or phosphate your child eats, and their dietitian can help you decide what is right for them.
What if my child needs to gain or lose weight? How do I adjust their food intake?
If you have been advised that your child needs to gain weight, or has a smaller appetite, you might want to use the 'tips to add energy' on Family Favourites recipes. For example, adding a little sesame oil, olive oil, or butter can help boost the energy (calories) in a dish without increasing the portion size too much.
If you have been advised that your child needs to lose weight, just follow the recipe without the energy-boosting suggestions.
Your child’s dietitian will let you know which approach is best for their needs. If you’re not sure what to do, your kidney dietitian can help you.
Cooking for different stages of CKD
In the early stages of kidney disease, you may not need to make any significant changes to what a child eats and drinks.
All our Kidney Kitchen recipes help everyone in your family eat a healthier diet to support good kidney health; they will also encourage bone and heart health. We never add salt to our recipes, but use herbs and spices to flavour dishes instead.
If you are trying to reduce the amount of sugar or fat your family eats, try our suggestions for healthier options.
Making healthy changes to your diet can slow down the progression of kidney disease and strengthen bones, which is important at all stages of life.
At this stage, most children and young people can can continue to eat a healthy, balanced diet and do not need to make changes, unless advised to by a kidney dietitian or doctor. As kidney function changes over time, your kidney dietitian may suggest adjustments to certain foods, and this advice will always be tailored to an individual’s needs.
At later stages, common areas of focus may include managing phosphate and potassium, depending on blood results.
- This often involves reducing phosphate additives (found in ultra-processed foods), as these are absorbed more easily by the body than phosphate found naturally in foods.
- Choosing fresh, home-cooked meals can help limit these additives and support kidney health.
- If potassium needs to be adjusted this can usually be done by adjusting portion sizes, selecting foods without potassium additives, and cooking from scratch using whole foods.
All Kidney Kitchen recipes have been created to support this more flexible approach to eating well with kidney disease.
We now know so much more about how the body processes food, especially fruit and vegetables. This means that much of the more restrictive diet advice people were once given has now been replaced based on this updated science.
If you do receive dietary advice, don’t worry – Kidney Kitchen recipes make it easier to choose meals that fit within the guidance you’ve been given. Your kidney dietitian will support you in making any necessary changes to your child's diet.
At this stage, a kidney dietitian will have talked with you about the types of food and drink that may be most helpful for your child or young person with CKD. This guidance is personal and based on what each person needs to stay well while having dialysis treatment.
Dietary advice at this stage of kidney disease has moved on in recent years, in line with improved understanding of how the body processes different food groups. This means people can often enjoy a wider range of meals than they might expect.
Having kidney disease does not mean your family has to stop enjoying food together. Far from it – following your kidney dietitian’s advice will help you select Kidney Kitchen recipes that not only best meet individual needs, but taste delicious, too!
One common focus at later stages of kidney disease can be reducing phosphate additives, which are often found in ultra-processed foods and are absorbed more easily by the body than phosphate found naturally in foods. Choosing fresh, home-cooked meals can help limit these additives and support kidney health.
At this stage, most children and young people can continue to eat a healthy, balanced diet and do not need to make changes unless advised to by a kidney dietitian or doctor.
As kidney function changes over time, your kidney dietitian may suggest adjustments to certain foods. This advice will always be tailored to individual needs.
Eating well after a kidney or kidney and pancreas transplant is an important part of looking after your health and enjoying food. Because transplant recipients take medicines that lower their immune system, food hygiene becomes especially important to help reduce the risk of food-related infections. Simple everyday steps – such as washing hands well, storing raw and cooked foods separately, cooking food thoroughly – can make a real difference. Your kidney team may also give you more personalised advice, so it’s important to follow any guidance that is specific to your child or young person.
If you do receive dietary advice from your kidney team, there’s no need to worry – Kidney Kitchen recipes make it easier to choose meals that fit within the guidance you’ve been given to ensure your child remains as healthy as possible with kidney disease.
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