Everyone has different nutritional needs. Do not change or adjust your diet before speaking with a kidney dietitian or a healthcare provider first.
Phosphorus is an essential mineral for your body. If you have kidney disease, it's important to monitor how much you're getting since your kidneys might not effectively remove excess phosphorus. Knowledge is power–knowing the phosphorus content in different foods can help you make better dietary choices. Keep reading for a list of foods and their phosphorus levels to help you manage your intake.
Key Takeaways
High phosphorus levels can harm the bones and heart.
The body absorbs more phosphorus from animal-based foods.
Check food labels for phosphorus additives to limit intake.
Understanding Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a mineral in your bones that helps keep them strong, and it also supports other parts of your body.
There are two forms:
Organic: Naturally occurring phosphate in animal and plant-based foods
Inorganic: Phosphates added to foods during processing
Typically, your kidneys remove extra phosphorus from your blood. With kidney disease, your kidneys can't do this as well.
High levels of phosphorus can weaken your bones by pulling calcium out of them and can lead to harmful calcium deposits in your blood vessels, lungs, eyes, and heart. Over time, this can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, or even death. High levels of serum phosphorus are also directly linked to a risk of mortality in people on dialysis.
Treatment options include medications like phosphate binders and following a low-phosphorus diet.
Phosphorus Absorption
The body absorbs phosphorus differently depending on its source.
Organic phosphorus has an absorption rate of 40% to 70%. Animal sources of phosphorus have a higher absorption rate than plant-based. Phosphate additives have absorption rates greater than 90%.
Phosphate additives to watch for:
Dicalcium phosphate
Disodium phosphate
Monosodium phosphate
Phosphoric acid
Sodium hexameta-phosphate
Trisodium phosphate
Sodium tripolyphosphate
Tetrasodium pyrophosphate
Need help creating your kidney diet? Find a kidney dietitian near you.
Phosphorus in Dairy, Meat, and Plant-Based Foods
While many fruits, vegetables, and grains are full of phosphorus, these are essential aspects of a kidney disease diet. It's best to choose whole foods that nourish your body and have lower absorption rates.
Dairy Products
Food | Serving Size | Phosphorus mg |
American cheese spread | 1 cup diced | 1225 |
Part-skim low moisture mozzarella cheese | 1 cup | 723 |
Provolone cheese | 1 cup | 655 |
Grated parmesan cheese | 1 cup | 627 |
Queso chihuahua | 1 cup | 583 |
Crumbled feta | 1 cup | 506 |
2% milk | 1 cup | 276 |
Plain low fat yogurt | 6 ounce | 245 |
Meat Products
Food | Serving Size | Phosphorus mg |
Cured ham with natural juice, heated or roasted | 1 slice | 447 |
Flounder or sole, cooked or dry | 1 filet | 392 |
Canned pink salmon, drained | 3 oz | 322 |
Deer, top round lean, 1” steak | 1 steak, (134.9 g raw) | 277 |
Ribeye, lean meat, trimmed to 0” fat | 4 oz (raw) | 263 |
Chicken, dark meat | 1 cup | 262 |
Atlantic Salmon, cooked | 3 oz | 253 |
90% lean beef patty, broiled | 3 oz | 172 |
Hard boiled egg, large | 1 egg | 86 |
Plant-Based Products
Food | Serving Size | Phosphorus mg |
Sunflower seeds, toasted, no salt | 1 cup | 1552 |
Pumpkin and squash seeds, roasted | 1 cup | 1385 |
Enriched white cornmeal, self-rising, with wheat flour added | 1 cup | 1107 |
Pink beans, raw | 1 cup | 872 |
Black beans, raw | 1 cup | 683 |
Roasted almonds, no salt | 1 cup | 650 |
Brown rice flour | 1 cup | 532 |
Dry roasted peanut, no salt | 1 cup | 530 |
Raw green soybeans | 1 cup | 497 |
Barley flour or meal | 1 cup | 438 |
Brown long grain rice, cooked | ½ cup | 102 |
Oatmeal, cooked in water | ½ cup | 90 |
Whole wheat bread | 1 slice | 60 |
Boiled lentils | ½ cup | 178 |
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