Call it the potassium tomato problem. For people on renal diets, finding a replacement for tomatoes is probably the most irritating – and sometimes downright infuriating - part of the diet. It’s the one food item that is so common in so many different types of dishes, particularly stews and sauces, that you would think it was harmless. And yet...
What to do? As always, it is best to confirm with a doctor whether a particular substitute – even if you read it here - is right for you. Depending on your kidney condition, you may get away with some substitutes and not with others. For instance, fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes has less than 50% of potassium content compared to tomato puree and less than a quarter of the content in tomato paste. If your condition is more phosphorus sensitive and less about potassium, you could get by safely with small helpings of fresh tomato in your food.
If, however, even a small amount of potassium is a no-go area for your condition, you have to get a lot more creative.
Creativity of Substituting Tomatoes in a Renal Diet
The bad news is that there is no direct or simple substitute to tomatoes. What you have instead is a variety of safe options that are not exactly tomato-like but which can be used to spice up your meal and make the absence of tomatoes more bearable. Think compensation, not substitution. That is in fact the main thrust of dealing with the potassium tomato problem. You want to replace not replicate the tomato effect.
The leading possible tomato compensator food items are onions, bell peppers, garlic and small quantities of mushrooms. Some types of vegetables are also low in potassium and may be safely thrown into the mix. In this second list are beet greens, kale, turnip greens and cucumbers. But, be aware that there is still some debate over the potassium content of some vegetables with some authorities for instance including spinach while others place it in the high potassium category.
But, even after knowing the possible alternatives to tomatoes, the real task – and where creativity comes in – is in how you use your chosen tomato compensator to spice your meal.
One of the more interesting suggestions is making a smooth sauce for pasta or some other safe main course with roasted bell peppers. You could then embellish the sauce with sautéed garlic in one meal and minced onion, virgin olive oil or maybe some fresh herbs in another meal.
Of course, these might be the food items that you were previously used to having with a generous splash of tomato sauce. Having them without the tomatoes might therefore be just another stark reminder of the absence of tomatoes.
The good news is that you can use that fact to your advantage. Chances are that you miss tomatoes in meals that you were most used to. Meaning that if you now take meals that are a departure from your ‘usual’ types, your palate will probably not miss tomatoes because it has no idea what that would taste like. The palate is usefully adaptive – or usefully dumb – that way. If, for example you like a particular meal with plenty of tomato sauce and fried onions, you could trick you palate with the same meal only now spiced with minced onions and garlic or maybe roasted bell peppers and some mushrooms. Tomatoes or not, it will be a delicious meal and, when you think about it, that’s all you really want.
One point needs repeating: It is best to keep in mind that you are never going to get an exact or perfect substitute for tomatoes. The idea is therefore to teach your system to adapt to alternatives. It will not be the same but it can be just as good – and quite possibly, even better. Keep experimenting until you get it right.
