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Providing kidney diet advice and recipes to educate and
empower people with Chronic Kidney Disease.
The Irish Kidney Diet website has been developed by CORU registered Renal Dietitians.

Any tips for someone who needs to restrict fluids but has a dry mouth?

The following tips may be useful to help manage your thirst on a fluid restriction:

 

    • Don’t eat salty and very spicy foods as they will make you thirsty and make it difficult to limit your fluids. Ask your Kidney (Renal) Dietitian for an individualised list of salty foods to avoid and other flavourings for your food.
    • Use a small cup or glass. Measure the volume and work out how many you can drink in a day.
    • If your mouth is very dry, rinse regularly. Check with your doctor if any of your medications have thirst or dry mouth as a side effect.
    • If you have diabetes and your blood sugars are high, this will make you very thirsty. Talk to your Doctor or Dietitian to see what you can do to improve your levels.
    • Sucking on an ice cube can be refreshing and last longer than a sip of water. For a change try freezing some diluted cordial in your ice cube tray. Remember to take this from your fluid allowance. 1 ice-cube = 15mls of fluid and use No Added Sugar varieties if you have Diabetes.
    • If your mouth feels fresh , it won’t feel as dry. Brush your teeth or use a mouthwash regularly or chew gum. Lip salve (balm) can also be used for dry lips.
    • Measure your daily milk allowance as part of your overall fluid intake.
    • A portion of fruit within your fruit allowance can be used to refresh your mouth.
    • Extra strong mints can help manage thirst.
    • There are pharmaceutical gels and sprays available from your local chemist which can help manage your dry mouth. Your Kidney (Renal) Dietitian or Doctor can advise you regarding specific products.