Eddoes and Potassium content

terlywerly

Hi, I was hoping maybe someone on here may have information on Eddoes. Basically, my grandmother is in the later stages of chronic kidney failure, and very close to going on dialysis. As with all kidney patients, too much potassium in a diet can be very dangerous, and as a result she has been told to pretty much avoid potatoes, especially new potatoes. I got a flyer in the door this morning from SuperValu and there were Eddoes on it. I'd never heard of them, and when I tried looking them up I can't really get any solid nutritional data on them, and I wouldn't even dream of suggesting them as an alternative unless I was sure about their potassium content.
Can anyone on here help me out, or know of anywhere I could contact to find out? My grandmother is set in her ways and loves her potato and its killing her not to be able to eat it, anything I could do to make it a bit easier for her would be so great.

EileenG

I came across some information about "leaching" potatoes to reduce the potassium content. Try this http://www.davita.com/recipes/meats-and-seafood/slow-cooker-pot-roast-with-low-potassium-potatoes/a/250

terlywerly

EileenG wrote: »

I came across some information about "leaching" potatoes to reduce the potassium content. Try this http://www.davita.com/recipes/meats-and-seafood/slow-cooker-pot-roast-with-low-potassium-potatoes/a/250

The odd time she would chance potatoes she had been leaching them, but her renal nurse told her at her last appointment that the potassium levels were still too high and she'd have to give them up. We've been trying to get a potato-like substitute for her, as she doesn't consider a dinner truly a dinner unless it has something like potato on the plate. Unfortunately, most things that seemed like options before we checked nutritional information have all been high potassium. Cheers Eileen for the link though!!

EileenG

Really, you need to ask her nurse or someone similar. All I can do is look up potassium values on the net, and I'm sure you've done that yourself.

terlywerly

EileenG wrote: »

Really, you need to ask her nurse or someone similar. All I can do is look up potassium values on the net, and I'm sure you've done that yourself.

We asked her renal nurse, but she'd never heard of eddoes either and she was the one who suggested I ask online to see if anyone had any info. My grandmother has tried pretty much all the alternatives that the nurse has given her such as pasta and rice but she doesn't really like them. As you can imagine, it isn't easy to get a woman in her 80's to change an eating pattern she's had all her life up until the last few months. She told one of my cousins that eating pasta was like eating soggy newspaper! I think its the texture of the potatoes that she's missing, rather than the actual specific taste.

El_Dangeroso

Eddoes have high potassium. All tubers do unfortunately. Apparently raw soaking and then double-boiling reduces it but that's not gonna be good enough for someone with kidney issues.

How low in potassium does she have to stay? Is she given a daily allowance? Even low potassium fruit and veg has some and it can build up over the course of a day.

There is 303mg of Potassium per 100 grams of Cauliflower (535mg per 100g potato)which can be mashed with butter for a potato-like texture. You could probably double-boil it to reduce it even more.

I wouldn't go introducing anything new into the diet without running it past the nurse or doctor first though.

terlywerly

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Eddoes have high potassium. All tubers do unfortunately. Apparently raw soaking and then double-boiling reduces it but that's not gonna be good enough for someone with kidney issues.

How low in potassium does she have to stay? Is she given a daily allowance? Even low potassium fruit and veg has some and it can build up over the course of a day.

There is 303mg of Potassium per 100 grams of Cauliflower (535mg per 100g potato)which can be mashed with butter for a potato-like texture. You could probably double-boil it to reduce it even more.

I wouldn't go introducing anything new into the diet without running it past the nurse or doctor first though.

She was never given a specific allowance for potassium as her situation is unusual in the sense that she has only a very small piece of kidney that is technically healthy, but has to do all the work for her body. So over the last few years the % function has been decreasing and they are monitoring her every 2 weeks with bloods etc and assessing her on how she feels in herself as well as the bloods.
From what I know (but I'll check with her renal nurse) cauliflower is ok to have, and I'd never have thought of mashing it with butter, so I'll give her a ring on Monday to double check, and if it gets the all clear I'll let her know.
Thanks a million for that Temple!