Kidney Friendly Tortillas

Tortillas are a very versatile food and can be used to make a variety of different dishes – tacos, wraps, and – my favorite – quesadillas! Finding the best tortilla for kidney disease can be tricky, but this guide will help you understand what to look for in a kidney friendly tortilla and where to find them.

Are flour tortillas bad for kidney disease?

Flour tortillas tend to be very high in phosphorus additives and sodium, which makes them less than ideal for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Phosphorus additives can raise your blood phosphorus levels, which over time may contribute to vascular calcification and cardiovascular disease. Too much sodium can cause fluid retention and high blood pressure.

To clarify, we’re talking here about standard wheat flour tortillas. There are a handful of other types of flour tortillas – such as cassava flour tortillas – that typically do not contain phosphorus additives. Many of these gluten-free versions are surprisingly good and worth a try (even if you don’t usually enjoy gluten-free foods).

There is one wheat-based flour tortilla brand on the market that doesn’t contain phosphorus additives, but it’s a “ready-to-cook” tortilla that must be cooked before using. It only takes a few seconds to cook each side, and many people find that they taste better than pre-cooked tortillas. If you can’t find that brand and still want to stick to traditional flour tortillas, your best option may be to make them from scratch at home.

Tips for Making Kidney-Friendly Flour Tortillas

When preparing homemade tortillas, make a few small adjustments to lower phosphorus and sodium:

• Replace baking powder – Most tortilla recipes call for baking powder, which often contains phosphorus (sometimes nearly 100% phosphate!). Instead, make your own kidney-friendly version using 1 part baking soda and 2 parts cream of tartar.
• Cut back on added salt – Reducing sodium may make the tortilla itself a bit blander, but remember that the flavor should come from your fillings, not the tortilla base.

A typical store-bought flour tortilla can contain 80–100 mg of phosphorus additives, so making your own can make a big difference.

Are corn tortillas good for kidney disease?

Corn tortillas can be an excellent choice for people with kidney disease. Corn tortillas are typically quite low in sodium (some contain no added salt at all), and it’s relatively easy to find corn tortillas without added phosphorus. They’re also gluten free, which can be helpful for people who need or prefer to avoid gluten.

Are corn tortillas high in potassium?

Corn tortillas are considered a low potassium food. Foods with less than 200 mg potassium per serving are classified as low potassium, and I consider foods “very low” when they have fewer milligrams of potassium than calories. For example, two La Banderita corn tortillas (shown below) contain only 52mg of potassium, well below this threshold..

It often surprises people that corn tortillas are low in potassium, since whole corn is often considered a high potassium food. However, the way that foods are processed can have a big impact on their final nutrition. In the case of corn tortillas, it seems that a significant amount of potassium is lost during the manufacturing process.

Still a bit concerned about potassium and want to avoid worrying about potassium in foods? We offer a free 5-day email course to teach you about 5 strategies you can use to control your potassium levels without avoiding high potassium foods. You can sign up here or below.

Are corn tortillas high in phosphorus?

Corn tortillas are not considered a high phosphorus food. Two corn tortillas would contain an estimated 150mg of phosphorus, and that phosphorus would have very low bioavailability. For plant based foods like corn tortillas, your body may only absorb an estimated 20% of this phosphorus, so they would only have approximately 30mg of phosphorus that is actually absorbed, which is quite low.

What to look for in a kidney friendly tortilla

When choosing a store-bought tortilla, keep these two main nutrients in mind:

Phosphorus

Most tortillas—especially flour tortillas—contain phosphorus additives. In flour versions, these are often added as leavening agents. In our analysis of the USDA FoodData Central database, we found no ready-to-eat wheat flour tortillas without additives, though a few sprouted wheat or ready-to-cook options exist, along with several alternative-flour tortillas. We include these in our list of kidney friendly tortillas you can buy below.

Some corn tortillas also contain additives, but many brands remain additive-free (we highlight some common ones in the list below).

Sodium

Many tortillas are surprisingly high in sodium. Too much sodium contributes to high blood pressure and can cause uncomfortable swelling and water retention. An ideal kidney friendly tortilla would more calories than sodium. While there are several brands of tortillas on the market that meet this criteria, you really need to read food labels to be sure that you are not choosing a high sodium tortilla.

Are tortillas okay if I have CKD and Diabetes?

Tortillas are a high-carbohydrate food, so they can raise blood sugar levels. If you include tortillas in a meal, count them as your starch for that meal and limit other carbohydrate foods such as rice, or chips.

Keep in mind that some of the most kidney-friendly tortillas (low sodium and phosphate-free) are also lower in fiber, so try to fill your tortillas with high-fiber foods like non-starchy vegetables and beans.

Also, many of the tortilla options that are low in sodium and contain no added phosphorus tend to be lower in fiber, so be sure that you are filling your tortillas with high fiber foods like non-starchy vegetables and beans.. Some tortilla brands will advertise that they are low carb, but these all contain phosphorus additives, unfortunately. There is at least one high fiber option below, however.

Be cautious with “low-carb” or “high-fiber” branded tortillas—most of these contain phosphorus additives. However, there are a few high-fiber, additive-free options available, which I highlight below.

Kidney Friendly Tortillas you can buy

Whole Foods Cassava Flour Tortillas

• Calories: 160
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 34g
• Fat: 2g
• Sodium: 80mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 100mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 1g

These kidney friendly tortillas are low in sodium and protein, and contain no phosphorus additives. These are also considered gluten-free.

Food for Life Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Flax Tortillas

• Calories: 150
• Protein: 7g
• Carbohydrate: 25g
• Fat: 3.5g
• Sodium: 115mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 164mg
• Calcium: 24mg
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 1g

These kidney friendly tortillas are low in sodium, however they are higher in protein compared ot the cassava-based tortillas. The protein content is comparable to whole wheat bread, so these can still be included in a CKD diet if they are paired with some lower protein foods or if you have high protein needs, such as with diabetes. They also make sprouted whole grain tortillas and taco sized tortillas with similar nutrient profile that are low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives. They also make a low sodium tortilla with zero miligrams of sodium! Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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La Banderita Corn Tortillas

• Calories: 100
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 19g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 52mg
• Calcium: 18mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 1g

These kidney friendly tortillas are gluten free and widely available at many retailers. They also come in a kidney friendly white corn and street style flavor. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Mi Rancho Corn Tortillas

• Calories: 70
• Protein: 2g
• Carbohydrate: 15g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 0mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Calcium: 188mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 0g

This kidney friendly tortilla is gluten free and contains zero added sodium. Note that is does contain added calcium in the form of lime (calcium hydroxide), so this tortilla is a bit higher in calcium compared to others. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Tortilla Land Read to Cook Tortilla

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 23g
• Fat: 4g
• Sodium: 210mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 30mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

These low phosphorus flour tortillas are NOT considered low sodium tortillas, but they are the only flour tortilla on the market that I have been able to find that contains no phosphorus additives. With a bit of planning, many people can still include these in a low sodium diet. These tortillas are not cooked, so you do have to cook them before you use them, but it only takes a few seconds. You will find them in the refrigerator section of grocery stores.

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Can’t find one of these kidney friendly tortillas?

1. Find a recipe and make it from scratch. Just be sure to substitute kidney friendly baking powder (1 part baking soda + 2 parts cream of tartar) instead of regular baking powder in the recipe. You can also consider adjusting the amount of salt called for in the recipe to make it more kidney friendly.
2. Ask your grocery store to stock this product. Many grocery stores are willing to stock a particular item. You’ll never know until you ask!
3. Email food companies! This is not a quick solution, but if we all started to advocate more for what we want and need with food companies, I think they would eventually listen. A LARGE percentage of the US population has kidney disease, and I don’t think food companies even realize that some minor tweaks to recipes would make their products more appealing. I don’t think anyone reads a food label and says “Ew, they didn’t use monocalcium phosphate. I refuse to eat this!”, but we know there are a lot of people with kidney disease who see the “phos” and refuse to buy the item (rightfully so!). If this is something you are willing to do, just search for the product manufacturer’s website, go to their contact message, and send them a message. It can be as simple as “Hi – I have kidney disease and would love to buy your [INSERT PRODUCT NAME] product, but unfortunately it has phosphate additives. I really wish you would consider making this product without phosphorus additives so me and the 40 million other people with kidney disease could enjoy it. Thanks!“

A kidney diet that limits or avoids phosphorus additives and keeps sodium less than 2300 mg per day is recommended.