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Nutrition & Renal Diseases: Are You Eating Right?

Nutrition is very important, for treatment of any chronic disease. The question is about nutrition and renal disease; are you eating right? The challenge is much bigger when there is organ damage involved. Kidney is a very crucial organ, which plays several important functions.

Avoid renal disease

Before I discuss diet for renal disease, I wish to talk about how to avoid renal disease.

1. Drink plenty of water to avoid kidney stones
2. Avoid excess salt, processed food, keep blood pressure in check
3. Follow balanced diet and healthy lifestyle including water, exercise and sleep. This will avoid diabetes. Please note, diabetes is one of the leading causes of renal disease.
4. Manage stress, meditate, enjoy, and include recreational activities.

Renal Disease and Nutritional Problems

Diet in renal disease is based on the issues caused by the disease itself. Let’s try to understand:

1. Since kidney is unable to excrete urine, water retention in system happens. Water intake = maximum of 500 ml + amount of urine excreted per day.
2. Kidney has a system called rennin-angiotensin system which helps in maintaining blood pressure. Diseased kidney cannot handle this well. Hence, blood pressure fluctuates. For this reason, salt restriction is very important.
3. Potassium is very crucial in renal disease. Sudden increase in potassium can lead to severe consequences. Most fruits, vegetables, pulses, potatoes etc have potassium. Judicious choices are important as avoiding so many foods can cause deficiencies.
4. Erythropoietin system in kidney is responsible to maintain Red Blood Cells. Hence managing hemoglobin will require supplementation in kidney disease.  
5. Phosphorus increase causes calcium loss from bones. Phosphorus rich foods are advised to be taken judiciously for maintenance of the balance. Milk products are important source of phosphorous. They are mostly stopped by medical advisers. Milk products are important for other imp nutrients too, especially in vegetarian diet.
6. Protein restriction is most emphasized on. Please try to understand: i. Chronic disease causes excessive protein loss in human system. ii. Indians already take less protein in diet as compared to their requirement. iii. Kidney disease require protein restriction. iv. Protein Restriction is 70-80% of the person’s ideal requirement, not less than what the patient is eating. v. Protein restriction does not hold for patient on dialysis. In fact, lot of restrictions are relaxed for patients.
7. Since, renal disease related diet is very restrictive, with good precautions also deficiencies occur. Supplementation are required with the help of medical practitioners.

Renal Disease with other disease

Diet in renal disease is not very easy to frame anyways. When clubbed with other disease like blood pressure or diabetes, it becomes seriously difficult.

Simple fact, since proteins are restricted in Renal diet, carbs rich diet is ideally given for the protein sparing action. In diabetic diet, carbs are restricted according to requirement. Opposite diets – two diseases –one patient. How do we manage?

Cannot write that in blog, as I do not wish people to follow it and get more sick. Patient will have to visit a qualified dietitian, period.

Final Word

If we do not want this to happen, take care of your health. Chronic disease can be avoided with proper diet and lifestyle. Prevention is better than cure.

The black mark on your neck is not dirt it is Acanthosis Nigricans. It means insulin resistance. You are already heading towards diabetes and eventually kidney disease. STOP NOW.

Contact us and start your journey for better health.