A Little Pleasure - Kidney Friendly Cookbook (PDF)

Dialysis took a lot. It doesn't get to take dinner too.

I was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease in 2018 and told myself I'd deal with it later. Later came fast. I was rushed to the ER, thrown onto a bed, and woke up attached to a machine with my blood being pulled out of me. I've been on dialysis ever since — three bouts of peritonitis, one blood infection, and a whole lot of meals that tasted like a punishment.

I wrote this book because the food options we get with CKD suck, and I can't stand them. I'm not selling you a cure. I'm not some online guy with a supplement. I'm a guy on peritoneal dialysis who wanted one good meal, and then wanted seventy-seven of them.

112 pages. 77 recipes. Nothing beige.

Smash burgers with real crust. Birria tacos you can dip. Dan dan noodles, jerk chicken, gambas al ajillo, pistachio cream cups, and a homemade cola with none of the phosphoric acid in it. Food you'd want even if your kidneys were fine.

Every single recipe lists calories, protein, sodium, potassium and phosphorus per serving, plus a plain-English note on why it works and what to watch. Hand it to your dietitian. Have the conversation without the argument.

Inside:

• 70 recipes across 9 chapters, plus 7 clean drinks
• A dedicated Ultra-Clean section for Stage 5 CKD + diabetes, carb-counted with the shortest possible ingredient lists
• The five numbers that run your life, explained like a person explaining them
• How to spot phosphate additives on any label in five seconds
• What changes at each stage — pre-dialysis, hemodialysis, PD, transplant, diabetes
• Eight ways to build flavor without salt, plus four salt-free seasoning blends
• A swap chart, a pantry list, a seven-day menu, and a nutrition table for all 77 recipes
• How to cook on the days you can't, and how to eat out without wrecking your labs

It's bad enough we have to do dialysis. It's bad enough we have so many things to watch out for that most people will never think about once. We need a little pleasure in our lives.

Delivered as a PDF. Read it on your phone in the chair, or print it and keep it in the kitchen.

This book is educational and is not medical advice. Nutritional needs in kidney disease vary by stage, dialysis type, lab values and other conditions such as diabetes. Nutrition figures are approximate. Always review dietary changes with your nephrologist and a registered renal dietitian.