Phosphorus is a necessary mineral found in many foods, but excessive consumption can pose health risks. Low-phosphorus substitutes include non-dairy dairy products, refined grains, and hard candy. Excess phosphorus can lead to kidney disease and reduced bone mass.
Phosphorus is a chemical element that occurs naturally in rocks and soil, as well as in the bodies of living things. It is a mineral that humans require in the diet, just like iron and calcium, but if consumed in excess, it can pose some health risks. Low-phosphorus foods include almond or rice milk, cream or cottage cheese, and refined grains. Since the kidneys remove phosphorus from the body, this is where the excess is deposited. People with kidney failure or reduced kidney function may want to reduce their phosphorus intake by avoiding dairy, hard cheeses, whole grains, cola, and processed foods and substituting foods low in phosphorus.
When choosing low-phosphorus foods, it’s often not about eliminating entire food groups, but about substituting a low-phosphorus food in a given group with a high-phosphorus food. Many dairy products like milk, yogurt, ice cream, and hard cheeses, for example, are high in phosphorus. Acceptable substitutes include non-dairy dairy products, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and popsicles or sherbet. Potatoes can be eaten instead of corn, and refined grains can be chosen over whole grains, although many nutrition experts prefer to replace processed foods before eliminating whole grains from the diet. Finally, low-phosphorus substitutes for high-phosphorous sweets like chocolate and cola include hard candy and ginger ale or sparkling water.
A difficult mineral to avoid, phosphorus occurs naturally in most foods humans eat and is also used to make many processed foods and beverages. In the body, it is stored primarily in bone and cell membranes, and is found in the bloodstream, where it is known as serum phosphate. Since phosphorus is necessary for many metabolic functions, several countries have established a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) to maintain serum phosphate at desirable levels. Adults in the United States, for example, are told to consume 700 milligrams of phosphorus per day.
However, in many countries, particularly Western countries, adults consume at least twice this amount of phosphorus, often in the form of processed foods and drinks. Corn and often soybeans are high-phosphorus foods, used to make the sweeteners and preservatives found in nearly all packaged foods, soft drinks, baked goods, and snack foods.
Those who suffer from kidney disease whose organs may not be functioning at full capacity may have difficulty removing excess phosphorus, leading to a buildup that can cause bone disease and other disorders. In many cases, even in the absence of kidney disease, it may be advisable to reduce the intake of these particular foods in favor of foods low in phosphorus, as excess phosphorus in the diet can lead to kidney stones and reduce the bone mass .
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