How does food impact kidney health?
Diabetes, Hypertension, heart disease & obesity are the most common causes of chronic kidney disease, each contributing to the damage that causes your kidneys to fail. Urinary tract issues & inflammation in different parts of the kidney can also lead to long-term functional decline. These primary causes of kidney disease or failure are commonly known as lifestyle disorders. Such disorders develop due to poor lifestyles, bad habits and predominantly due to the food you eat and how you eat it.
The food you eat on a regular basis dictates the health and function of your kidneys. Your kidneys filter over 200 litres of blood each day, discarding waste & excess water. The more food you consume, the more work your kidneys have. Hence, both the quality and quantity of food impact your kidneys on a daily basis. If you do not consume the right food, you are at an increased risk of kidney disease, which is difficult to detect in its early stages.
At NephroPlus, we provide dialysis treatment & care for those with kidney failure or End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), so you can live a normal life even when your kidneys aren’t.
The impact & importance of diet during dialysis
While undergoing hemodialysis, you may experience many changes in your daily lifestyle, mainly with your diet and eating habits.
How well you feel will depend on eating the right type & amounts of food.
Your diet is an important part of your treatment because your kidneys can no longer remove waste products & fluids from your blood. Therefore, you will need to regulate the intake of fluids and certain foods in your diet. Most renal diets focus on eliminating wastes and toxins in the blood. Therefore, while on dialysis, your doctor is likely to recommend limiting the intakes of sodium, potassium, phosphorus & fluids.
During hemodialysis treatment, your dietary preferences can impact your treatment and how you feel after undergoing it. Between your dialysis sessions, waste and toxins can accumulate in your blood, making you feel sick. However, a proper renal diet will help you keep this under control. You can balance your diet with what dialysis tends to remove from your blood, preventing waste & fluid buildup.
At NephroPlus, we work with experienced renal dieticians to understand & plan customised diets for each dialysis guest based on their biochemical parameters monthly.
Food that are good for you while on dialysis
Protein:
Renal dieticians recommend a diet rich in protein for those on dialysis. Recommendation of 1.2g/kg of ideal body weight is done. It is essential to maintain healthy blood protein levels in order to compensate losses made during dialysis and ensure your not losing on dry weight.
Grains/Cereals/Bread:
Some individuals might need to limit their calorie intake for weight loss or blood sugar control. If you do not fall under this category, you may eat as you desire from this food group. Grains, cereals, and breads are a good source of calories.However, unlike normal individuals who are recommended to consume whole grains and cereals, dialysis patients are advised to take refined products like maida, white bread etc inorder to minimise potassium and phosphorus content
Vegetables/Salads:
All vegetables contain potassium, but certain vegetables have more than others and should be limited or totally avoided. Limiting potassium intake protects your heart. Vegetables high on potassium should definitely be leached before consuming. Leaching in water eliminates potassium to upto 70-80% only and not completely hence, be cautious while consuming foods high on potassium such as potatoes, greens, cauliflower, brinjal etc. Instead you can choose from a variety of ingredients such as capsicum, gourd vegetables, cabbage etc.
Fruits/juices:
Fruits are high sources of potassium however, fruits like pineapple (2 slices), papaya(2 thin slices), apple/pear/guava/strawberries/blueberries (4 pieces) can be consumed safely on non-dialysis days. It is imperative to understand that any one of the fruit in recommended quantities should be consumed.
The following important tips can be helpful with your diet:
– Use only freshly cut leached vegetables for cooking and avoid pre-cut/stored vegetables
– Dals/Legumes needs to be leached before cooking
– Egg white is purest form of albumin and 2-3 can be consumed freely everyday
– Vegetarian protein is high on potassium and phosphorus however, leached legumes and paneer weekly twice should be fine.
– Rice and almond milk are low in phosphorus and can be used in place of milk.
– To help you avoid salt, many herbs and spices can be used to make your diet more interesting. Check with your renal dietitian for a list.
Most people on dialysis feel that the diet and fluid restrictions are the most frustrating part of their treatment, apart from the dialysis session itself. However, it does not have to be so difficult. The truth is that there is almost nothing you cannot eat or drink by incorporating a simple workaround in your daily life, provided you are receiving the best quality dialysis treatment, which we strive to provide each day. The tip is to understand the time and quantity of food you are consuming. Plan your meals well with your dietician to understand your bodily needs.