WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Football season is back in full swing, and Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, is once again teaming up with celebrity chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. to help dialysis patients share the excitement – and the fabulous food – that goes with America’s favorite sport. FMCNA is bringing chef McCargo to several U.S. cities this fall to demonstrate his recipes for delicious, game-time dishes that dialysis patients can enjoy, while staying within their dietary guidelines.
More than 450,000 Americans depend on regular dialysis treatments to remove waste products and extra fluids from their blood after their kidneys have failed. And because it is difficult for them to eliminate excess potassium, phosphorus, and salt, dialysis patients have to limit their consumption of many foods containing those substances – including bread, cheese, milk, nuts, tomatoes, sweets and salty snacks – while also consuming enough high-protein foods to remain healthy and strong.
Chef McCargo – host of Food Network’s “Big Daddy’s House” cooking show – will visit several FMCNA clinics in the coming weeks to share cooking tips, recipes, and food samples with dietitians and local media. He’ll talk about some of his tastiest kidney-friendly dishes, such as smoky salmon dip, spicy turkey chili, and jalapeno, lime and smoked mozzarella turkey burgers. McCargo’s fall tour will start in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 17, and continue in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 4 and 5, and in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 10.
For the past three years, McCargo has worked with FMCNA’s dietitians to develop recipes that can be enjoyed by dialysis patients and their families alike, thanks to his signature “flavor of bold” cooking style, which features fresh ingredients and flavorful seasonings such as ginger, lemon zest and cayenne pepper.
“We’re very pleased to be sponsoring chef McCargo’s football-season tour,” says Robin Russell, lead dietitian for FMCNA’s North Texas region, who has collaborated with the chef on several recipes. “Football games are a favorite time to socialize with friends and family, whether at home or at the stadium, and people living with kidney failure need to learn how they, too, can participate in the fun by preparing healthy, kidney-friendly foods.”
Chef McCargo and FMCNA offer the following ideas to enhance football season cuisine for dialysis patients and their families:
Five Ideas for a Kidney-Friendly Football Feast
1. Use a dry rub, rather than marinade, to prepare spicy chicken or turkey wings for tailgate grilling. If more seasoning is needed, serve with Weber® or other low-sodium barbecue sauce on the side. (www.ultracare-dialysis.com/RecipeCenter/DryRubbedBarbecueTurkeyWings)
2. Skip the beans, which are high in potassium, when making chili. Instead, try this delicious kidney-friendly chili recipe with turkey breast, sauteed onions, bell pepper and celery. (www.ultracare-dialysis.com/RecipeCenter/TurkeyChili)
3. Serve salmon dip with crunchie veggies, such as celery sticks or carrots, for a tasty, protein-rich chilled appetizer that’s low in sodium and phosphorus. (www.ultracare-dialysis.com/RecipeCenter/SmokySalmonDip).
4. Spice up turkey burgers with diced jalapeno peppers, lime and smoked mozzarella cheese, for a low-fat grilling alternative. (www.ultracare-dialysis.com/RecipeCenter/TurkeyBurger)
5. Opt for orzo, rather than high-sodium and phosphorus boxed pasta salads, in this appetizing fall harvest salad that also includes apples, cherries, basil, blue cheese and almonds. (www.ultracare-dialysis.com/RecipeCenter/ChefMcCargoFallHarvestOrzoSalad)
FMCNA encourages people to visit its Healthy Lifestyles website at www.ultracare-dialysis.com/HealthyLifestyles/ for more of chef McCargo’s kidney-friendly recipes and to view his online cooking demonstration videos. Dialysis patients can also find fitness tips, videos, and other information there about staying active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The media is welcome to attend McCargo’s events. To arrange interviews or photos, contact Thea Bakkar Blum, at bakkart@fullandby.co or 1-858-349-5790.
About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Through its leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis facilities in North America and vascular access centers, laboratory, pharmacy and affiliated hospitals and nephrology practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. It is also the continent’s top producer of dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals.
For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for information about patient services, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com.
About Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr.
Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. competed on and won season four of “The Next Food Network Star” in 2008, beating out thousands of culinary hopefuls for the ultimate dream job – his own Food Network show. “Big Daddy’s House” premiered in 2008 and continues to be a success. On “Big Daddy’s House,” Aaron shares his passion for big, bold flavors and fun, family cooking, bringing a down-to-earth vibe and warm smile to the kitchen. He recently published his first cookbook, “Simply Done, Well Done.” Whether cooking for his children, relatives, friends, or even himself, big food and big fun reign supreme. FMCNA and Aaron have been working together since 2011 to encourage dialysis patients to get back in the kitchen by developing dishes with big, bold flavors that they can enjoy, while still adhering to the restrictions of their dialysis diets.
