More renal diet................

It's good to be back Kidney Warriors! I had a relaxing week off and I'm ready to get back to sharing with you.  I hope you had an enjoyable Forth of July holiday weekend and were able to keep to a kidney friendly diet. I want to remind everyone in the Albany area the Northeast Kidney's "Kidney Club" will be this Sunday July 14th. The Kidney Club is a great way to connect to other patients and family members who are also dealing with kidney health  issues. Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living CKD for a long time you will learn something new or just connect with someone who is in the same shoes as you. I also want to thank Kathe LeBeau, from Northeast Kidney, for being a guest blogger on Friday.

I want to continue our journey with the renal diet. I think we have covered sodium, phosphorus, and potassium well. And no matter what stage of kidney disease your in, it will be important to start monitoring  these. I also want to talk about those who are pre~dialysis and on a transplant diet. The major difference between  a pre~dialysis and dialysis diet is the amount of protein. Protein metabolism is hard on your kidneys, and so it's important for your doctor to set your protein intake to preserve your kidney function. Based on your lab values, your doctor will determine how much protein you should be eating. A low protein diet reduces the work load on your kidneys. It can also reduce the of symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and loss of appetite which are associated with too much protein in a pre~dialysis diet. 

The transplant diet is far more forgiving then pre~dialysis or dialysis diet but its important to have a balanced diet of fats and proteins. You learn about higher phosphorus and potassium foods. It will be important to adhere to a low sodium diet though especially if you have high blood pressure. Or if you have diabetes you will still have to monitor your glucose level. Although the transplant diet is much less restrictive, its still important to eat healthy to maintain your new kidney and to reduce the chances of infection and complications. I can remember after my transplant when I was encouraged to eat a banana on a daily basis. My new kidney was working so well that I actually needed the extra potassium.  For a change, potassium was no longer my enemy and it was such a pleasure!

Two other minerals important to those suffering from CKD are calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and is needed to form healthy bone and teeth and help muscles contract and relax. We receive most of our calcium from the food we eat. Most foods that are high in calcium are usually high in phosphorus like diary items. Vitamin D and PTH hormones are both used to regulate how much calcium is absorbed by the body and how much is eliminated by the kidneys .Healthy kidneys turn vitamin D into an active hormone called calcitriol and helps increase calcium absorption from the intestines into the blood.  As your kidneys lose function they are unable to produce these hormones and therefore cannot regulate calcium. When your calcium or PTH levels are too high it can cause bone damage and weaken your bones. That is why as a kidney patient your doctor will do regular blood to monitor these levels.

So as you can see no matter what stage of kidney disease your in your diet will play a major role in your overall health. That is why it's so important to maintain healthy levels of protein, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium. Be a self advocate and educate yourself! Although much of renal failure is out of your control, managing your diet and what you eat is in your own hands. Make the best choices for yourself because its the one thing you have 100% control over.

I want to thank you for joining me on this journey, I look forward to your comments, questions and concerns.  

Keep on fighting all you Kidney Warriors.

~Kidney Blogger