As we know, diet plays an important role in kidney disease patients, which
can help reduce the kidney burden and protect the kidney function. then what
kind of diet should be followed by kidney disease patients? and why kidney
disease patients should keep a kidney-friendly diet? in the following article,
we will get the answer.
Kidney Diet Purpose
The purpose of a Kidney Diet is to ensure that an individual maintains a
balance of minerals, fluids and electrolytes. Especially with dialysis, a
special diet is important for individuals since dialysis alone does not
effectively remove every waste product. Furthermore, waste products may also
build up between each dialysis treatment.
Since most dialysis patients do not urinate very much, if at all, fluid
restriction between treatments can be very important. For those that do not
urinate normally, fluid can build up in the body and lead to excess fluid in the
body in areas of the heart, lungs, and ankles.
Kidney Diet Recommendations from the NIH
The National Institute of Healthy recommends asking for a referral to a
registered dietitian. A registered dietician is licensed to provide diet
information about kidney disease. And, there are some dietitians that actually
specialize in kidney diets. Your dietitian can work with you to design a
personalized diet to fit your specific needs.
The NIH recommends that a person’s daily calorie intake needs be high enough
to keep a person healthy and prevent the breakdown of their bodily tissue. That
is why it is important for a person’s doctor and/or dietitian to identify what
their ideal weight should be.
Specific NIH Recommendations for Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Minerals
Dairy and Fluids
1. CARBOHYDRATES
If a person is overweight or has diabetes, they may need to limit the amount
of carbohydrates they eat. Always speak to your doctor or dietitian about
this.
Normally, carbohydrates are an excellent source of energy for the body. If an
individual’s health care provider has recommended a low-protein diet and that
individual is searching for foods to eat, they may replace calories from protein
with foods such as:
Vegetables, fruits, breads and grains. These foods provide fiber, minerals,
and vitamins as well as energy.
If needed, individuals can even eat desserts as long as they limit desserts
made with dairy, chocolate, nuts, or bananas. If diabetes or blood sugar
problems are present, then speaking with your doctor or dietician would be
advisable before eating sugar or carbohydrate rich foods.
2. FATS
Fats can be an excellent source of calories, but the NIH suggest that you
make sure to use monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (olive oil, canola
oil, safflower oil) in order to protect your arteries. It is always recommended
that you speak with your doctor, nurse, or dietitian about how cholesterol and
fats can increase your risks for heart problems.
3. PROTEIN
Low-protein diets may be beneficial before dialysis treatments. An
individual’s doctor or dietitian may recommend a diet low in protein like 1 gram
of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
Once an individual begins dialysis, they will need more protein. Doctors will
often recommend their patients eat a diet high in protein from poultry, fish,
eggs or pork. This can help the person replace muscles and other tissues that
they may have loss before dialysis.
The NIH suggest that people on dialysis should eat at least 8 – 10 ounces of
high-protein foods each day. Your doctor, dietitian, and/or nurse may suggest
adding egg whites, egg white powder, or protein powder as well.
4. MINERALS
A) Calcium and Phosphorous
Calcium and phosphorous are two very important minerals in the body and are
monitored closely by a person’s kidney doctor. It is important to note that
phosphorous levels in the blood can become too high even in the early stages of
chronic renal disease and this can cause low calcium. Low calcium problems can
cause the body to pull calcium from your bones to compensate which can make your
bones weaker and prone to breaks.
Some people may need to take calcium dietary supplements to prevent bone
loss, bone disease, and use vitamin D to control the balance of calcium and
phosphorous in the body. Ask your doctor, nurse, or dietitian for specific
recommendations.
As for Phosphorous, fruits and vegetables are often recommended since they
contain only small amounts of phosphorous. If dietary changes to lower
phosphorous are not enough, your doctor, dietician or nurse may recommend
“phosphorous binders.”
B) Sodium (or Salt)
Doctors will often recommend their patients reduce their sodium intake to not
only help control high blood pressure, but also to prevent individuals from
becoming thirsty as well as preventing the body from holding onto extra
fluid.
The NIH recommends choosing foods that contain these words on their food
labels: low-sodium, sodium-free, sodium reduced, unsalted, or no salt added. It
is also suggested to always check all labels to see what the level of sodium is
contained in each food serving as well as avoiding foods that list salt near the
top of the ingredient list. Consider products with less than 100mg of sodium per
serving.
Another recommendation is to not use salt when cooking and remove the salt
shaker away from the table. Most other herbs are considered safe, and you can
use them to flavor your food instead of sodium (salt).
Since many salt substitutes contain potassium, they recommend that you do not
use salt substitutes. Individuals with chronic kidney disease often need to
limit their potassium intake.
C) Potassium
Normal potassium levels in the blood are important for maintaining a steady
heart beat. However, when kidney function is impaired, too much potassium can
build in the body and Dangerous heart rhythms can result.
The essential mineral “Potassium” can be found in many different food groups
including fruits and vegetables. Since certain fruits and vegetables contain
more or less potassium than others, it is important to know which ones are low
in potassium.
Fruits that contain lower amounts of potassium include berries, plums,
apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, watermelon and pears. Vegetables that
contain low amounts include broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber,
peppers, watercress, zucchini and lettuce.
Fruits and Vegetables that contain higher levels of potassium include
bananas, raisins, kiwis, dried fruit, cantaloupe, prunes, oranges, nectarines,
asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkin, avocado and cooked spinach.
D) Iron
Doctors will often educate their patients with advanced kidney failure to the
fact they usually need extra iron.
Food that contain higher levels of iron include beef, pork, chicken, liver,
kidney beans and any foods that have been fortified with iron like some cereals.
Always speak to your doctor, dietician or nurse for your specific
recommendations.
5. DAIRY
The NIH recommends that an individual limits the amount of dairy foods that
they eat like milk, ice cream, yogurt, butter and cheese due to higher levels of
phosphorous in these foods. It is important to note that some dairy foods can
contain lower phosphorous amounts such as butter, cream cheese, sherbet, ricotta
cheese, and brie cheese.
6. FLUIDS
Most people do not have to limit the amount of fluids they drink in the early
stages of chronic kidney disease. But, as a person’s kidney disease becomes
worse or if they are on dialysis, they will need to limit the amount of fluids
they drink since fluid can build up in the body in between dialysis
treatments.
An individual’s doctor and/or dialysis nurse will let them know just how much
fluids should be consumed every day. Often times, foods that contain a lot of
water are not recommended such as Jell-O, popsicles, ice cream, grapes, melons,
lettuce, tomatoes, and celery.
Effective tips that keep a person from becoming thirsty can include:
Avoiding salty foods
Freezing juice in ice cube trays and eating them like popsicles
Staying cool on hot days
Above are the diet suggestions for kidney disease patients, which will be
helpful for the illness condition of patients. Since the specific illness
condition will be different from case to case, so kidney disease patients need
to keep a well planed diet depending on their own illness condition.
没有评论:
发表评论