What Diet Should I Follow With Chronic Kidney Disease?

When you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), one of the most helpful actions you can take is making positive changes to your diet. The kidneys filter blood, remove waste, balance minerals and produce hormones. Kidney disease prevents an equal balance of fluids and proper waste reduction.

Why Is Diet Important for CKD?

Diet plays a pivotal role in kidney function. Good nutrition helps provide energy for daily tasks, prevents infection, avoids loss of muscle mass, helps maintain a healthy weight and slows down the progression of kidney disease.

“A well-balanced diet gives you the right amounts of protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals each day. Eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, and taking all your medicines as prescribed are all important parts to keeping you healthy and feeling well.”

Diet Options for Chronic Kidney Disease

THE RENAL DIET

A renal diet won’t cure kidney disease, but it can help reduce the risk of losing additional kidney function, slow down disease progression and keep you from having other health complications. “A renal diet is often low in sodium, phosphorus and sometimes with advanced disease, potassium and protein.”

Sodium, phosphorus and potassium are all minerals needed by the body to function well. Kidney disease causes a buildup of these minerals, along with protein, and this imbalance can cause fluid retention and further kidney damage. A renal diet is heart-healthy and doesn’t have any risks.

“If you have advanced kidney disease or other health conditions, your doctor or dietitian may have different guidelines for your renal diet. For instance, people with early kidney disease versus those on dialysis may need to restrict their protein intake. They may also need more potassium.”

In general, these are good foods for your diet:

• Veggies: cabbage, red bell peppers, cauliflower, and onions
• Fruits: apples, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and red grapes
• Proteins: lean meat, skinless poultry, eggs, and fish
• Seasonings and oils: fresh or dried herbs, spices, garlic, and olive oil
• Whole grains: barley, buckwheat, bulgur, wild rice, and unsalted popcorn

Diet tips for those with kidney disease:

• Choose fresh foods and cook from scratch as much as you can
• Avoid fast food and packaged foods as they are high in sodium
• Use spices and fresh or dried herbs instead of salt to flavor food
• Rinse canned beans and vegetables before cooking to help remove excess salt
• Consume appropriate protein serving sizes. A serving size of protein is generally 3-4 ounces of chicken, fish, or meat
• Limit alcohol to one drink a day for women and two for men

THE DASH DIET

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet has been recommended by the National Kidney Foundation. “It is rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts. It is low in salt and sodium, added sugars and sweets, fat and red meats.”

This diet can help slow the progression of kidney disease (and heart disease). This diet SHOULD NOT be used by patients on dialysis (special dietary needs should be discussed with your doctor).

Foods recommended:

• Grains: bread, cereal, rice, pasta
• Vegetables: leafy greens, cut up, raw or cooked vegetables, vegetable juice
• Fruit: fresh, dried, frozen or canned
• Fat-free or low-fat milk products: milk, yogurt, cheese
• Lean meat, chicken or fish
• Nuts, seeds, legumes: nuts, seeds, peanut butter, beans or peas