Nasty Mouth? Dried Cranberries Can Help

[Marilee]

My hubby has been dealing with a nasty taste in his mouth (sometimes he calls it metallic), and I read somewhere online that the cause could be a build up of ammonia. It ruins the taste of water & food, and often triggers nausea (especially upon rising from the bed).

Ammonia is a base substance (its Ph is really high), so I reasoned that acids might help. I tried several things (lemon, lime, tangerine), but what has worked best for him is dried cranberries! We can keep a container of 'em bedside and he can nibble on a few any time, and the nasty taste is neutralized. He says the cranberries actually taste sweet rather than tart. It has allowed him to enjoy meals and water again!

We shared this tip at the PD Clinic today and the nutritionist had no objections, so I'm passing it along here .

[PrimeTimer]

So nice to see you back on here, Marilee! Love your suggestion for the dried cranberries. They are also good in muffins. I think there is a renal recipe on the Davita or Fresenius site. A dry mouth can be terrible for anybody but especially for our loved ones on dialysis. My husband likes cinnamon Altoid mints. They are super strong. He also sucks on frozen Outshine Lime Bars. They are very tart and really help the mouth to water. We'll see if he's allowed cranberries. We both love them but I think it might depend on meds you take.

[Marilee]

Love your suggestion for the dried cranberries. They are also good in muffins.

Mercy, yes they are! So are fresh or frozen cranberries. I built a phosphorus-friendly recipe for cranberry quick bread that's so nummy, I gave a loaf to the folks at the Renal Clinic for the holidays. Hmmm... Maybe I should post the recipe...

[Marilee]

A dry mouth can be terrible for anybody but especially for our loved ones on dialysis. My husband likes cinnamon Altoid mints. They are super strong. He also sucks on frozen Outshine Lime Bars. They are very tart and really help the mouth to water. [/endquote]
Thanks for those ideas, too! I think the Lime Bars will be especially great in the summertime.

[Charlie B53]

Love your suggestion for the dried cranberries. They are also good in muffins.

Mercy, yes they are! So are fresh or frozen cranberries. I built a phosphorus-friendly recipe for cranberry quick bread that's so nummy, I gave a loaf to the folks at the Renal Clinic for the holidays. Hmmm... Maybe I should post the recipe...

Please ddo!

I've had a small bag of dried berries in the refrigerator for the longerst time.  Not sure what to do with them

Wife had a huge bag in the garage reefer but when it died and stuff molded I tossed everything.  They may have still been good inside that zip lock but I wasn't about to mess with anything.  Dumped everything.

[Marilee]

Love your suggestion for the dried cranberries. They are also good in muffins.

Mercy, yes they are! So are fresh or frozen cranberries. I built a phosphorus-friendly recipe for cranberry quick bread that's so nummy, I gave a loaf to the folks at the Renal Clinic for the holidays. Hmmm... Maybe I should post the recipe...

Please ddo!

I've had a small bag of dried berries in the refrigerator for the longerst time.  Not sure what to do with them

Wife had a huge bag in the garage reefer but when it died and stuff molded I tossed everything.  They may have still been good inside that zip lock but I wasn't about to mess with anything.  Dumped everything.

OK, here it is: https://mylowphosdiet.wordpress.com/recipes/ppr-cranberry-bread/
I didn't do all the arithmetic for milligrams of phosphorus and such yet, but it compares pretty much the same as the blueberry muffins. I haven't tried it yet with dried cranberries, but I believe it'll work quite well with them. It calls for about 1 1/2 cups of fresh, and I suspect 1 cup of dried will be a good substitute.
If you use a sugar substitute (such as Whey Low Gold https://www.wheylow.com/Whey-Low-Gold-brown-sugar-baking-sweetener-p/1031.htm or Swerve Brown https://swervesweet.com/products/brown-swerve there's a note in the bottom of the recipe to add a bit of Cream of Tartar because these brown sugar substitutes don't have molasses in them, and molasses contributes to the leavening in this recipe by providing some acid for the baking soda to bubble up with.