Nephronline's publishers have produced a dialysis-diet recipe book with food everyone can enjoy.

Called Food with Thought, the book has been funded by Nephronline's sponsors Amgen to allow patients on dialysis to enjoy cordon bleu standard food every day. All the dishes are ideal for patients, their families and friends.

Renal dietitians from all round the country were invited to submit their favourite kidney-kind recipes for inclusion in the book.

Every recipe has been analysed three times to check its fat, protein, phosphorous, potassium and sodium content. These values are listed in an easy-to-use table so patients can check each meal against their daily allowances.

Recipes range from Lite Bites for lunch or starters, through main courses derived from a variety of cultures, to imaginative desserts.

The book has already received applause from both patients and health professionals.

Britain's longest-surviving dialysis patient Brian Tocher said: "Thanks to this book, restrictions in salt, potassium, phosphate and protein no longer have to mean a bland diet for renal patients. Food with Thought presents an imaginative range of recipes with the renal patient in mind."

Jean Aplin, Chairman of the National Kidney Federation (NKF) said that the book offered "Tasty meals for kidney patients and their fellow diners to look forward to."

President of the British Renal Society Dr Donal O'Donoghue was equally enthusiastic: "I congratulate all those involved, including Amgen, on this 'real' recipe book with its interesting and varied selection of recipes.

"What an advance from those photocopied sheets! All the family will enjoy these dishes."

Food with Thought majors on everyday recipes and choices include Rice fishcakes, Shepherd's pie and Lemon delight. But some recipes would be suitable for special occasions: patients and their friends could enjoy Garlic and basil bruschetta with asparagus, followed by Lemon sole with ginger and lime, with Creme brulee to finish. And to make selecting a special-occasion meal easier, the book has a photograph-based menu selector.

The book is the brainchild of Annabel Harman, senior dietitian at the St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, with the support of the NKF and Amgen.

Amgen Senior Product Manager Dave Allmond told Nephronline: "There are recipe books around which kidney patients can use to cook for special occasions but we wanted to produce one which catered more for everyday meals. We have deliberately chosen easy-to-prepare recipes.

"We also created a section on Lite Bites, which includes dishes you can have at any time.

"Special occasions happen perhaps once a week whereas with this book you can eat well every day of the week."

Despite the fact it is an everyday recipe book, both its meal and production values are to cordon bleu standard, he explained.

"Putting it all together was like doing an article for a food magazine. We had a cordon bleu chef prepare all the recipes and, as they were ready, they were photographed over a three-day photoshoot.

"Food with Thought is going to make the lives of patients on dialysis -- and their families' -- easier because now they've got a resource of 30 everyday recipes to hand," he concluded. Through our 'Life in Full' series Amgen are committed to improving Kidney patient's lives with our products and our educational initiatives.

Copies of Food with Thought can be obtained from the National Kidney Federation by sending your name, address and £1 for p&p to: The National Kidney Federation, 6 Stanley Street, Worksop, Notts, S81 7HX.

Click here to see examples of recipes from the Food with Thought recipe book.