How do I eat less phosphorus?
Too much phosphorus can cause changes that pull calcium out of your bones, making them weak. It can also cause calcium to build up in your blood vessels, heart, and muscles. This can lead to heart and blood vessel disease. High phosphorus foods include meats, poultry, fish, nuts, beans, and dairy products. You can also:
- Use non-dairy creamers in place of milk in cereals, coffee, and many sauces.
- Know that your body absorbs phosphorus from animal foods (meat, milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt) more easily than plant foods (vegetables, grains, legumes, fruit).
- Avoid foods with phosphorus additives (usually found in fast foods, ready-to-eat foods, canned and bottle beverages, enhanced meats, and most processed foods). Your body absorbs it completely.
- Check the nutrition label for "PHOS" or any of the following:
- Dicalcium phosphate
- Disodium phosphate
- Monosodium phosphate
- Phosphoric acid
- Sodium hexameta-phosphate
- Trisodium phosphate
- Sodium tripolyphosphate
- Tetrasodium pyrophosphate