CKD food list by nutrient: where common foods sit on each number
Most food lists sort by food group. This one sorts by nutrient. For potassium, phosphorus, sodium and protein you see the 10 lowest and 10 highest of 123 comparable foods per serving, next to what the guidelines say about that nutrient.
Comparable foods only. To keep per-serving comparisons fair, rankings use foods with a serving of at least 28 g, and leave out drinks and the fats, sauces and sweeteners group. All 155 foods are on the food list by group.
Potassium
What the sources say. NKF: 200 mg or more per serving is generally considered high potassium; NKF gives no daily target. KDOQI 6.4.1: adjust potassium to keep serum potassium in the normal range, with no fixed number.
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Potassium (mg) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swiss cheese | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 20 | 171251 |
| 2 | Cheddar cheese | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 22 | 173414 |
| 3 | Pasta, cooked, enriched, no salt | 1/2 cup, spaghetti not packed (62 g) | 27 | 169737 |
| 4 | White rice, cooked | 1/2 cup (79 g) | 28 | 168878 |
| 5 | Corn flakes cereal | 1 cup, (1 NLEA serving) (28 g) | 30 | 174648 |
| 6 | White bread | 1 slice (28 g) | 36 | 167532 |
| 7 | Dill pickles | 1 spear, small (35 g) | 41 | 168558 |
| 8 | Cranberries, raw | 1/2 cup, chopped (55 g) | 44 | 171722 |
| 9 | Couscous, cooked | 1/2 cup, cooked (78.5 g) | 46 | 169700 |
| 10 | Pancakes, plain | 1 pancake (4" dia) (38 g) | 50 | 175009 |
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Potassium (mg) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Potato, baked, flesh and skin | 1 potato medium (173 g) | 926 | 170093 |
| 2 | Apricots, dried | 1/2 cup, halves (65 g) | 755 | 173941 |
| 3 | French fries, fast food | medium order (117 g) | 677 | 170698 |
| 4 | Sweet potato, baked in skin | 1 medium (114 g) | 542 | 168483 |
| 5 | Tomato juice, canned, no salt added | 1 cup (243 g) | 527 | 170545 |
| 6 | Orange juice, raw | 1 cup (248 g) | 496 | 169098 |
| 7 | Banana, raw | 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) (118 g) | 422 | 173944 |
| 8 | Hamburger, single patty | 1 sandwich (171 g) | 385 | 170710 |
| 9 | Skim milk | 1 cup (245 g) | 382 | 171269 |
| 10 | Plain whole-milk yogurt | 1 cup, (8 fl oz) (245 g) | 380 | 171284 |
Phosphorus
What the sources say. NKF gives no per-serving threshold and no daily mg target. KDOQI 6.3.1: adjust phosphorus to keep serum phosphate in the normal range; 6.3.2: consider the bioavailability of animal, vegetable and additive sources.
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Phosphorus (mg) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egg white, raw | 1 large (33 g) | 5 | 172183 |
| 2 | Dill pickles | 1 spear, small (35 g) | 6 | 168558 |
| 3 | Cranberries, raw | 1/2 cup, chopped (55 g) | 6 | 171722 |
| 4 | Applesauce, unsweetened | 1/2 cup (122 g) | 6 | 171695 |
| 5 | Pineapple, raw | 1/2 cup, chunks (82.5 g) | 7 | 169124 |
| 6 | Watermelon, raw | 1/2 cup, balls (77 g) | 8 | 167765 |
| 7 | Blueberries, raw | 1/2 cup (74 g) | 9 | 171711 |
| 8 | Corn flakes cereal | 1 cup, (1 NLEA serving) (28 g) | 9 | 174648 |
| 9 | Honeydew melon, raw | 1/2 cup, diced (approx 20 pieces per cup) (85 g) | 9 | 169911 |
| 10 | Eggplant, raw | 1/2 cup, cubes (41 g) | 10 | 169228 |
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Phosphorus (mg) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheese pizza, frozen, baked | 1 serving (1/3 of a 15.1 oz frozen pizza) (151 g) | 270 | 170317 |
| 2 | Shrimp, cooked | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 260 | 171971 |
| 3 | Skim milk | 1 cup (245 g) | 247 | 171269 |
| 4 | Chia seeds | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 244 | 170554 |
| 5 | Plain whole-milk yogurt | 1 cup, (8 fl oz) (245 g) | 233 | 171284 |
| 6 | Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 6 oz container (170 g) | 230 | 170894 |
| 7 | 2% milk | 1 cup (244 g) | 224 | 171267 |
| 8 | Atlantic salmon, farmed, cooked | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 214 | 175168 |
| 9 | Turkey breast, sliced deli | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 212 | 172941 |
| 10 | Hamburger, single patty | 1 sandwich (171 g) | 207 | 170710 |
Sodium
What the sources say. KDOQI 6.5.1: sodium under 100 mmol/day (under 2.3 g/day) for CKD stages 3 to 5, 5D (dialysis) and kidney transplant.
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Sodium (mg) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherries, sweet, raw | 1/2 cup, with pits, yields (69 g) | 0 | 171719 |
| 2 | Grapefruit, raw | 1/2 medium (128 g) | 0 | 173033 |
| 3 | Orange, raw | 1 fruit (2-5/8" dia) (131 g) | 0 | 169097 |
| 4 | Peach, raw | 1 medium (2-2/3" dia) (150 g) | 0 | 169928 |
| 5 | Plum, raw | 1 fruit (2-1/8" dia) (66 g) | 0 | 169949 |
| 6 | Almonds | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 0 | 170567 |
| 7 | Walnuts, English | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 1 | 170187 |
| 8 | Pumpkin, raw | 1/2 cup, (1" cubes) (58 g) | 1 | 168448 |
| 9 | Raspberries, raw | 1/2 cup (61.5 g) | 1 | 167755 |
| 10 | Pasta, cooked, enriched, no salt | 1/2 cup, spaghetti not packed (62 g) | 1 | 169737 |
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Sodium (mg) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken noodle soup, canned | 1 cup (248 g) | 831 | 172909 |
| 2 | Shrimp, cooked | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 805 | 171971 |
| 3 | Turkey breast, sliced deli | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 764 | 172941 |
| 4 | Ham, sliced, regular | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 692 | 173864 |
| 5 | Cheese pizza, frozen, baked | 1 serving (1/3 of a 15.1 oz frozen pizza) (151 g) | 675 | 170317 |
| 6 | Hamburger, single patty | 1 sandwich (171 g) | 640 | 170710 |
| 7 | Plain bagel | 1 medium bagel (105 g) | 561 | 175049 |
| 8 | Pork sausage, turkey, fresh | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 504 | 174617 |
| 9 | Beef frankfurter, heated | 1 frankfurter (48 g) | 409 | 174614 |
| 10 | Flour tortilla | 1 tortilla (48 g) | 353 | 175037 |
Protein
What the sources say. KDOQI 3.0.1: for CKD stages 3 to 5, 0.55 to 0.60 g/kg/day is described only under close clinical supervision. 3.0.3: for people on dialysis, 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg/day is described. KDOQI describes different protein ranges by stage and dialysis status, which is why both ends are shown.
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Protein (g) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dill pickles | 1 spear, small (35 g) | 0.2 | 168558 |
| 2 | Applesauce, unsweetened | 1/2 cup (122 g) | 0.2 | 171695 |
| 3 | Apple juice, unsweetened | 1 cup (248 g) | 0.2 | 173933 |
| 4 | Cranberries, raw | 1/2 cup, chopped (55 g) | 0.3 | 171722 |
| 5 | Cucumber, with peel, raw | 1/2 cup, slices (52 g) | 0.3 | 168409 |
| 6 | Celery, raw | 1/2 cup, chopped (50.5 g) | 0.3 | 169988 |
| 7 | Radishes, raw | 1/2 cup, slices (58 g) | 0.4 | 169276 |
| 8 | Eggplant, raw | 1/2 cup, cubes (41 g) | 0.4 | 169228 |
| 9 | Pineapple, raw | 1/2 cup, chunks (82.5 g) | 0.4 | 169124 |
| 10 | Honeydew melon, raw | 1/2 cup, diced (approx 20 pieces per cup) (85 g) | 0.5 | 169911 |
| Rank | Food | Serving (USDA) | Protein (g) | USDA FDC id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamburger, single patty | 1 sandwich (171 g) | 26.8 | 170710 |
| 2 | Chicken breast, roasted | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 26.4 | 171477 |
| 3 | Pork loin, roasted | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 23.0 | 167821 |
| 4 | Ground beef 85% lean, broiled | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 22.1 | 174032 |
| 5 | Chicken thigh, roasted | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 21.1 | 172388 |
| 6 | Cod, Atlantic, cooked | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 19.4 | 171956 |
| 7 | Shrimp, cooked | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 19.4 | 171971 |
| 8 | Atlantic salmon, farmed, cooked | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 18.8 | 175168 |
| 9 | Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 6 oz container (170 g) | 17.3 | 170894 |
| 10 | Tilapia, raw | 3 oz (85.05 g) | 17.1 | 175176 |
How we calculated this
Each value is nutrient per 100 g x serving grams / 100 from Foundation Foods 2026-04-30 and SR Legacy 2018-04, rounded for display. Order uses the unrounded value and
breaks ties by name. Guideline statements are quoted from KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Nutrition in CKD: 2020 Update (Ikizler TA et al. Am J Kidney Dis 2020;76(3 Suppl 1):S1-S107. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.05.006), NKF on potassium
and NKF on phosphorus; see sources.
Frequently asked questions
Why show both the lowest and the highest foods?
The KDOQI 2020 guideline has separate statements for sodium, potassium, phosphorus and protein, and its protein ranges differ between CKD stages 3 to 5 and dialysis. Showing both ends lets you see where a food sits without suggesting that lower or higher is right for you.
Which foods are in these rankings?
123 of the 155 common foods: those with a serving of at least 28 g (about 1 oz), excluding drinks and the fats, sauces and sweeteners group, where a serving is often a teaspoon or a glass of water. Every excluded food still has its own page with its numbers.
What does KDOQI say about sodium?
KDOQI 2020 statement 6.5.1 describes sodium intake under 100 mmol/day (under 2.3 g/day) for CKD stages 3 to 5, 5D (dialysis) and kidney transplant. Your own sodium limit is set by your care team.
Are these numbers for the whole day?
No. They are per serving. Daily limits come from your care team, and the app adds up your servings against the limits you enter.