Haemodialysis and Diet 

This leaflet provides information for people who are new to Haemodialysis with first line dietary advice. 

The Kidney Dietitians are a reliable source for information, a telephone appointment with the Kidney Dietitians will be arranged after you have started haemodialysis to discuss how your diet can be individualised to suit you. 

If you do not receive an appointment with a kidney dietitian within the first few weeks of starting dialysis, please contact the kidney dietitians using the number at the bottom of this leaflet. 

Key points for patients starting dialysis 

1. Eat regular meals – it helps to pack a meal or snacks to bring with you to haemodialysis.  

2. If you have a poor appetite having small regular meals and snacks can help. If you are struggling with your appetite and have not received a telephone appointment with the dietitians, please call the number at the end of this information sheet. 

3. Dialysis removes protein from the blood. This means that you need to eat plenty each day to replace what is removed.  With each meal (including any meal you bring to dialysis) include a palm-sized amount of protein. Good sources of protein include milk, cheese, yoghurt, meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils and pulses, tofu, soya, eggs 

4. All patients should follow a ‘no added salt diet’ by:

• limiting salt in cooking to the vegetable or potato water 
• avoiding using salt at the table 
• trying to cook using fresh ingredients as much as possible 
• not swapping to reduced sodium alternatives (e.g. Lo-Salt, or use any alternatives such as pink salt, Celtic salt, iodised salt etc.) as they are likely to be high in potassium 

5. Potassium: Some people on dialysis need to follow a low potassium diet, but not everyone needs to. This will be assessed by the dietitian.  You should not try to follow a low potassium diet unless advised to by your dietitian.  A lot of foods that naturally contain potassium, such as fruit and vegetables, provide other important nutrients.  It may be a good idea to limit processed fruit, such as dried fruits and fruit/vegetable juices and smoothies – These contain a lot of sugar and fewer of the vitamins and minerals, and fibre found in fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Foods and supplements to avoid 

• Starfruit contains a chemical which can be dangerous for people with kidney problems. It is therefore recommended that you avoid this.  
• Multi-vitamin supplements from the supermarket/chemist are not suitable when you have kidney disease. These are likely to have too much of some vitamins, and not enough of others.  (You should be prescribed Renavit, which is a supplement designed specifically for patients receiving haemodialysis. This should be taken daily before bed. 

Where can I find more information? 

The internet can be a good source of information; it is important to remember that the quality of information is not always reliable.   

Below is a list of a few reliable websites for information on kidney disease, diet, fluid and exercise. 

Kidney Care UK:  www.kidneycareuk.org  

National Kidney Federation (UK):  www.kidney.org.uk  

Kidney Kitchen: www.kidneycareuk.org/get-support/healthy-diet-support/kidney-kitchen

Renal Dietitians Telephone number: 01305 255377  

About this leaflet: 

Author(s): Kidney Dietitians  

Written: March 2026  

Approved: August 2026  

Review date: August 2029  

If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email dch.patientinformation.leaflets@nhs.net