Many years ago there were not a lot of options for canned and bottled beverage choices. Typically the beverage choices were: water, home brewed iced tea or Kool-Aid®. Coca cola®, aka Coke® was an occasional treat.
Fast forward to our current environment, some bottle water is enhanced with vitamins and minerals, including phosphorus; tea is available in pre-made cans and bottles, some brands with phosphate additives; Kool-Aid® powder no longer gets clumpy, thanks to the calcium-phosphate additive. All are red flags for kidney patients who are following a kidney diet and avoiding phosphate additives.
Product Information
Over ten years ago Kraft created Kool-Aid® Liquid Drink Mix which does not contain calcium-phosphate additives and is sugar-free. Each 1.67 ounce container about 20 servings of a liquid Kool-Aid concentrate you squirt into a bottle or glass of chilled water. Approximately 1/2 teaspoon makes an 8-ounce serving of Kool-Aid with zero calories, carbohydrate and phosphorus. Sodium is low at 0 to 10 mg a cup. Potassium is not provided but it is in the product since it contains acesulfame potassium (sweetener) and potassium sorbate (preservative).
Potassium Additives
Let’s address the potassium additives. Noting that the label notes this drink is "Not a Significant Source" of potassium. According to labeling guidelines, this means it contains less than 2% of the RDI for potassium.1 Which would be anything less than 94mg. Since it does not give a number because of the lower levels, keep this in mind when planning your day and considering potassium.
This liquid drink mix is an acceptable alternative to powdered and pre-mixed Kool-Aid drinks that typically contain phosphorus additives.
Recipes
DaVita.com offers several Kool-Aid beverage recipes, now revised with the new phosphate–free Kool-Aid® liquid drink mix. (Of course you can always use the powdered, sweetened mix if you need the calories and you are not restricting phosphorus in your diet.)
What’s your favorite Kool-Aid flavor?
Reference:
