Best Kidney Friendly Granola Bars and Snack Bars

If you’re looking for an easy snack idea that is good for people with Chronic Kidney Disease, I highly recommend a serving of low protein nuts and a piece of fruit. However, there are times when you might want or need something pre-packaged, which is where kidney friendly granola bars and snack bars come into play. If you’re out and about or traveling, I would MUCH rather you have a kidney friendly snack bar on hand rather than reach for fast food.

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Some things to keep in mind when shopping for a kidney friendly snack bar:

Protein

If you have chronic kidney disease and are NOT on dialysis, then you need to be searching for a snack bar that is lower in protein (if you’re on dialysis, then skip on over to my post about Protein Bars). A lot of bars are loaded with protein, which you just don’t need. My general rule of thumb is to aim for a bar with 5g of protein or less.

Phosphorus Additives

A lot of snack bars and granola bars contain phosphorus additives, which are bad for people with kidney disease. Too much phosphorus can damage your cardiovascular system. People with kidney disease should avoid phosphorus additives whenever possible. If a bar does not contain any phosphorus additives, then it will be considered a low phosphorus snack bar. For some more detailed information about phosphorus additives, you can watch our video on YouTube.

Sodium

People with kidney disease (no matter what stage) should limit the amount of sodium that they eat to 2300mg per day or less. Too much sodium can raise blood pressure, cause you to retain fluid, and put pressure on your heart. A good rule of thumb when reading food labels is to aim for a snack bar that has less sodium than calories. If you follow this strategy with all of your food choices, then you will easily stay under the 2300mg per day.

Do I need to look for a low potassium snack bar?

This will depend on your individual circumstances. Many people with kidney disease who are not on dialysis do not need to limit the amount of potassium they eat. You should not restrict your potassium intake from foods unless your healthcare provider has told you to do so. There are many reasons why your potassium levels may be out of range that have nothing to do with the potassium content of your food. If you do need to watch your potassium intake, a good general rule is to see if there is less potassium than calories. If there is less potassium than calories, then I would consider it a low potassium food.

Also, you don’t necessarily need to avoid bars with chocolate either. Read our chocolate guide to learn more.

What kind of snack bars are good for kidney disease and diabetes?

If you have kidney disease and diabetes, you will want to select a bar that contains adequate fiber and fat. When comparing bars, I would pick the one that has the most fat and the most fiber. Both fat and fiber will help slow down how fast the carbohydrates are absorbed by your body, which will help prevent large spikes in your blood sugar. As a general rule, I would aim for at least 10g of fat and 3g of fiber in a bar. Sign up for our newsletter to get more diabetes nutrition tips sent to your inbox!

Kidney Friendly Granola Bars and Snack Bars:

Truth Bar – Dark Chocolate Raspberry Coconut

• Calories: 180
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 27g
• Fat: 12g
• Sodium: 85mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 121mg
• Calcium: 5mg
• Fiber: 8g
• Sugar: 5g

These kidney friendly bars have an excellent nutrition profile for people with chronic kidney disease. In addition to being low protein, low sodium, and containing no phosphorus additives, these bars also contain Omega-3 fatty acids AND probiotics. These bars are also high in fiber and contain a good amout of fat, so they would be appropriate for someone with diabetes. NOTE: only the Vegan flavors are appropriate for CKD. The rest are much higher in protein. Additional appropriate flavors include the Dark Chocolate Coconut and Dark Chocolate Lemon Coconut. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Blue Dinosaur Cinnamon Scroll Bar

• Calories: 220
• Protein: 4g
• Carbohydrate: 21g
• Fat: 14g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 270mg
• Calcium: 60mg
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 15g

These kidney friendly snack and energy bars come in several different flavors, all of which are low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives. The majority are also low in protein with the exception of the Apricot and Almond bar, which is a bit high in protein. Note: their website indicates that they will soon have protein bars. These would need to be avoided by people with kidney disease and not on dialysis. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Larabar Cashew Cookie Bar

• Calories: 220
• Protein: 5g
• Carbohydrate: 25g
• Fat: 12g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 300mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 15g

Larabars come in a TON of flavors (32 flavors last I checked!), most of which are great for people with Chronic Kidney Disease and not on dialysis. The Peanut and Peanut Butter Flavors tend to have a bit more protein than the other flavors. All are very low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives, which make them kidney friendly bars. The protein content ranges from 2-6g of protein per bar, so definitely browse flavors and nutrition labels if you want to find ones with the least amount of protein. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Kind Maple Glazed Pecan and Sea Salt

• Calories: 200
• Protein: 5g
• Carbohydrate: 14g
• Fat: 17g
• Sodium: 140mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 188mg
• Calcium: 50mg
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 5g

Kind makes a few different kidney friendly bars that are appropriate for people with chronic kidney disease. Most flavors would be considered too high in protein, but the Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew, Almond and Coconut, and Dark Chocolate Almond and Coconut flavors all have 10% or less of calories coming from protein, are low sodium, and contain no phosphorus additives. Most of these contain adequate fiber and fat to be appropriate for a person with diabetes as well. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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This Saves Lives – Dark Chocolate & Cherry Snack Bar

• Calories: 160
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 27g
• Fat: 7g
• Sodium: 80mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 113mg
• Calcium: 30mg
• Fiber: 6g
• Sugar: 13g

Some of these bars a bit high in protein, but the Dark Chocolate and Cherry, Madagascar Vanilla Almond Honey, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter each have less than 10% of calories from protein, are low sodium, and contain no phosphorus additives making them kidney friendly granola bars/snack bars. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Munk Pack Keto – Coconut Almond Dark Chocolate

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 17g
• Fat: 12g
• Sodium: 60mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 130mg
• Calcium: 30mg
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 1g

This is a high fiber, low protein bar that is good for people with CKD and diabetes with only 3 net carbs. Unfortunately, this is the only flavor that meets our criteria for an ideal kidney friendly granola bar for people with CKD. The other flavors have a bit too much protein. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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