Super Bowl Snack Ideas Dialysis Friendly!

Super Bowl, Food, and Dialysis

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest party events of the year – even topping New Year’s Eve! It is also a day that most Americans consume an amazing amount of calories, a runner-up only to Thanksgiving.

The most popular things to eat during the game are usually foods that are high in fat, sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. If you are on dialysis this can be tricky to navigate. Few people understand your diet restrictions and it’s hard not to want to join in and forget about the renal diet for a day.

This, however, can eventually ruin a good time. Soaring blood pressures, blood sugar spikes, huge fluid gains, and shortness of breath are only a few of the consequences that make the over-indulging not so worth it.

But, this doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all of the fun. Going in to these situations prepared will help you stress less and enjoy yourself more.

Even if you plan on just staying at home with family, it’s a perfect time to experiment and try out some new recipes or food items which are lower in potassium, sodium, and phosphorus. Below is a list of a few dialysis friendly Super Bowl snack ideas.

Super Bowl Menu

The following highlighted links and descriptions will give you the lowdown on your dialysis friendly Super Bowl snack ideas.

*Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

• Low Sodium Deviled Eggs. This recipe uses Doc’s Salt Free Hot Sauce and a no salt mustard, although you might have to use a low sodium mustard* instead as the Westbrae no salt added mustard seems to be hard to find. There’s also a link to making your own salt free mayonnaise. Of course you can use any salt free or low sodium hot sauce that you enjoy. If you like more of a kick, Dave’s Total Insanity* hot sauce is a good one. All these no salt ingredients are making these eggs more angelic!
• Veggie Tray with bell pepper, carrots, celery, and jicama with a healthier version of Ranch dressing for dip. I know this doesn’t sound very exciting, but adding some veggies and fiber to your menu is always a good thing. Try Follow Your Heart Ranch High Omega dressing. It contains 125 mg of sodium per 2 Tbsp serving versus 260 mg in Hidden Valley and better ingredients. You can also make your own (see No Salt Wings recipe below) using greek yogurt. If you’d like to try a different type of dip, I think Hope’s Roasted Red Pepper Cashew And Almond Dip is super yummy! It contains a little more potassium (76g/2 Tbsp), but is low in sodium at 125 mg/serving.
• Hummus and Homemade Pita Chips. A good hummus brand is Hope Original (130mg sodium, 34g potassium/2 Tbsp). For pita bread try Joseph’s Free From: Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Mini Pita Snacks with 6g protein, 160 mg sodium, 96 mg potassium, and 3 g fiber per serving (5 pita snacks). To make homemade pita chips try this Classic Pita Chips recipe (omitting the salt).
• Cajun Popcorn. Why settle for bland air-popped popcorn with no seasoning? This Cajun Popcorn recipe adds a little flavor and spices things up. For the vegetable oil I would use unrefined virgin coconut oil.
• No Salt Tortilla Chips with Homemade Pineapple Salsa. I recommend trying Garden of Eatin’ No Salt Blue Chips (found at Whole Foods, Walmart, Kroger). If you just can’t handle your chips not having any salt you can try Tostitos Lightly Salted (55 mg sodium/1 oz serving), although ingredients are not as high quality and the sodium adds up depending on how many chips you eat. For a spin on traditional salsa try making homemade Pineapple Salsa for less sodium and potassium.
• Vegetable Potstickers. Now making your own potstickers would be ideal, but who really has time for that? Potstickers are often filled with pork, but if you’re open to a veggie version Whole Foods Market Chinese Cuisine Vegetable Potstickers contain 250 mg sodium, 290 mg potassium per serving (3 pieces). I would stick to the serving size. While not considered low in sodium, you can still feel good that you are consuming a lot less sodium than if you ate traditional potstickers at a Chinese restaurant. Try stir frying them with a little sesame oil. For a dipping sauce try this Easy Potsticker Sauce, but instead of using traditional soy sauce use Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos* which contains 270 mg sodium per Tablespoon.
• Honey Chicken Kabobs. Grill up some kabobs with this yummy recipe. Again, instead of the soy sauce use the Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos* for a lower sodium version with all the flavor.
• Salt Free Super Bowl Wings! How awesome is that? While not entirely salt free as chicken already has some sodium in it, this recipe is much lower in sodium than traditional buffalo wings.
• No Sugar Lemonade With Mint. So refreshing! You don’t have to use the mint, but I think it’s a nice option. I am not a fan of most traditional sugar substitutes. Wholesome Yum Besti Natural Powdered Sugar Replacement* with monk fruit and allulose is a great option for this recipe. It blends well and tastes like real sugar! It can be difficult to find in stores, but it’s available on Amazon. It’s a little pricey, but I think worth it.

Halftime Recap

These are only a few dialysis friendly Super Bowl Snack Ideas, but hopefully that will give you a good start to game day. As always, portion size is key in controlling your overall sodium, potassium, and phosphorus intake.

Remembering to take your phosphorus binders is a must in order to keep your phosphorus in check. With a few adjustments and the right ingredients/products, you can still enjoy a fun and flavorful Super Bowl menu without the consequences.

Sounds like a touchdown to me!