Ready to green up your day? This Green power smoothie is full of alkalizing fruits and vegetables. Wondering why alkaline foods are a must for your kidney health? Read on to find out

Why Kale is a nutrition powerhouse for kidney health!

We know that kale is one of those love or hate kind of foods. But hear us out about the benefits of adding kale to your diet to boost your kidney health. Kale is not only one of the lowest potassium leafy greens, it is also low in oxalates and is extremely alkalizing, making it a superfood for people with CKD!

One of the reasons we love using kale is that it’s just so darn versatile. Don’t love the taste and texture of raw kale in a salad? Try chopping it up and throwing it into a soup, sauce, or smoothie! You’ll hardly notice it’s there while reaping all of the benefits!

How can an alkaline diet can help slow the progression of kidney disease?

But why is alkalinity important for kidney health? Remember the alkaline diet? While this diet has become much less popular in recent years, the general concepts of an alkaline diet are not new and are still well known to be beneficial for overall health. That’s because the most alkaline foods are fruits and vegetables!

All foods can be classified as either acidic or alkaline (basic), remember the pH scale from basic chemistry? We can’t just go by the taste of foods to determine if they are acidic. For example, citrus contains citric acid and tastes quite acidic, right? Most people would assume that this would be considered an acidic food. However, it is what happens to food during metabolism that creates more acid or base. This is known as Net Endogenous Acid Production (NEAP). Citrus may taste acidic, but don’t be fooled! It’s actually quite alkalizing.

One of the ways we can measure how much acid or base a food produces is by using a tool called Potential Renal Acid Load(PRAL) Most fruits and vegetables produce base, while protein foods produce a substantial amount of acid, specifically animal protein. Diets high in animal protein, such as the Standard American Diet (SAD) have been correlated with the progression of CKD. While diets that include more fruits and vegetables and limit animal protein are well known to slow the progression of CKD and also to be preventive against other chronic disease.

In conclusion, reducing the amount of animal protein and increasing fruits and vegetables can help improve your kidney health!

More kale recipes to love!

Looking for more ways to add more kale into your day! Check out our creamy kale stuffed vegan quesadilla, the toothsome kale and chickpea salad, or the delicious Mediterranean pasta with kale

Curious to learn more about how we use the power of nutrition to preserve kidney function?

Consider joining our monthly class or schedule a call with one of our expert Renal Dietitians.

Green Power Smoothie

Ready to green up your day? This green power smoothie is full of alkalizing fruits and vegetables!

Recipe developed by Clarissa Paimanta, RD and tested by Jessica Prohn, MS, RD, CSR, LDN.

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Course: Beverage, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Low Calorie, Low Phosphorus, Low Potassium, Low Sodium, Plant-Based

Diet Type: CKD, Dialysis, VLPD

Servings: 1 serving

Calories: 320kcal

Author: Clarissa Paimanta, RD

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
• 1 cup baby kale
• 1 apple core removed and diced
• 2-4 ice cubes
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
• Optional: 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste

Instructions

• Add all ingredients except coconut oil into the blender. Blend until smooth, adding more rice milk as needed to blend and achieve desired consistency. 
• While the blender is running, open the cap in the lid and slowly stream in your melted coconut oil. This prevents the oil from clumping. Add maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

Notes

Variations:

Higher Calorie:  Substitute coconut milk for rice milk or add ¼ of an avocado for extra calories and creaminess. Note that this will add on more potassium.

Higher Potassium Variations: Use spinach instead of kale; substitute 1 frozen banana for the ice cubes.

Higher Protein: Add chia, flax, or hemp seeds before blending.

Optional 1-2 tsp of maple syrup: 34 kcal | 0 gm fat | 0 gm protein | 9 gm carbohydrates | 0 mg phosphorus | 28 mg potassium

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 371mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @KNI_Care or tag #KNIrecipes!

KidneyRD Verdict on this Alkaline Green Power Smoothie

This Green Power Smoothie tasted so refreshing and I loved knowing that it was chock full of nutrients! I was worried that my old blender wouldn’t handle the chopped apple well but the consistency was perfect. I used a granny smith apple but any apple variety would work well. This gave it a little tartness so that I didn’t have to add any lemon. Let us know if you try this recipe in the comments below!

_{ALL information you read on KidneyRD.com is purely for informational and educational purposes. Information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.}