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It’s that time of year! From pumpkin-spiced lattes to pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin-flavored everything is being offered at many coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants. It’s the quintessential fall ingredient. Many people say that pumpkin is off limits when you have CKD, but is it really? Let’s find out.
Eating Pumpkin with CKD Basics
Pumpkins are fruits in the squash family. They can be eaten as a savory dish or a sweet dish, making them versatile and delicious. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a kidney-friendly diet and contain beneficial vitamins and minerals. With that being said, some fruits and vegetables can be high in potassium, like pumpkin. Some people with chronic kidney disease may need to limit their potassium intake. If you need to follow a low-potassium diet for your CKD, it’s important to be mindful of your portion size of pumpkin.
There are different types of pumpkin products, and they are all used in different ways. It can be helpful to know what each type of pumpkin product contains to know how it can fit into a kidney-friendly diet. Let’s break it down:
- Canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin- This is typically a high potassium pumpkin option because the only ingredient is pumpkin itself. These are great options to use when baking or cooking.
- Pumpkin pie filling - This is typically a mixture of pumpkin puree and added sugar, milk, and/or salt. This type of pumpkin product can contain added sugars, which is something to be mindful of with CKD.
- Pumpkin flavored products - Nowadays, everything can be flavored pumpkin! Coffee syrups, coffee, cream cheese, bagels, marshmallows, you name it. Typically, these pumpkin-flavored products don’t often have large amounts of pumpkin in them, therefore they are likely not high in potassium. Be sure to always read the label and check the nutrition of any food or beverage you consume to make sure it fits into your kidney-friendly diet.
How You Can Eat Pumpkin with CKD
One cup of raw pumpkin contains:
- 30 calories
- 1 gm protein
- 8 gm carbohydrates
- 1 mg iron
- 394 mg potassium
- 1 mg sodium
One cup of canned pumpkin contains:
- 83 calories
- 2.7 gm protein
- 20 gm carbohydrates
- 3.4 mg iron
- 505 mg potassium
- 12 mg sodium
One cup of pumpkin pie filling contains:
- 281 calories
- 2.94 gm protein
- 71 gm carbohydrates
- 2.86 mg iron
- 373 mg potassium
- 562 mg sodium
Eating Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are another edible part of the pumpkin. Pumpkin seeds are rich in plant-based protein, iron, unsaturated fats, and potassium. These delicious seeds can be a great part of a kidney-friendly diet. One thing to note is that portion size is key when it comes to enjoying seeds with CKD. One ounce of pumpkin seeds contains 9 gm of protein and 223 mg of potassium. If you are following a low potassium and/or low protein diet for your CKD, you may want to stick to one ounce or one half an ounce per day.
Kidney-Friendly Pumpkin Recipes
- Low potassium pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin cookies
- No salt added pumpkin pie
- Thai pumpkin soup
- Pumpkin spice meringues
- Low sodium roasted pumpkin seeds
The Bottom Line of Eating Pumpkin Safely with CKD
If you have chronic kidney disease, you can still enjoy pumpkin and/or pumpkin-flavored products! It’s important to keep in mind that pumpkin is high in potassium. If you need to follow a low-potassium diet for your CKD, you may want to use a smaller portion size of pumpkin. Happy eating!
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