Yes, you can.
Being a patient with chronic kidney disease or acute kidney disease doesn’t mean you have to stay on carbohydrates only, it doesn’t mean you have to stop eating vegetables as a whole or protein.
As a nutritionist, I am happy to announce to you that you can have protein and also your vegetables. However, I won’t lie to you that there would be modifications in your diet and preparation. Restricted diets may also differ depending on the state of your kidney disease.
The major nutrients to avoid as a kidney patient include;
- Sodium (salt); Just as I mentioned in one of my articles, “Co-Existence Of Obesity With Heart Disease, Kidney Disease and Diabetes,” heart disease and CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease). As much as Sodium is restricted from a Hypertensive patient, it is also done in Chronic Kidney patients, not only because it can lead to heart disease, but also because it can lead to fluid retention.
- Potassium; This is the major nutrient available in our vegetables that causes restriction to certain fruit and vegetables, such as Banana, Avocados, Spinach, and Tomatoes.
- Phosphorus; Another micronutrient that is hazardous to the health of a Kidney patient, it weakens the bones and is found in whole grains (brown rice, oats, buckwheat), Beans.
- Fluids
- Added Sugars
- Protein
In Kidney Patient Nutrition Therapy, as much as the knowledge of nutrients that may be harmful to your system is essential, do note that portion size and preparation method are also another significant knowledge to have in correspondence with your stage of Kidney Disease.
A patient with late-stage kidney disease does have protein cut out from their diet as it may lead to strain on the kidney, and there is also an amount of fluid consumed (specific amount of water is given to you per day to avoid excess intake and swelling as the kidney can no longer remove fluids properly).
One cannot compare the meal of a late-stage kidney disease patient to an acute kidney disease patient. At the onset of kidney disease, protein consumption can be reduced instead of being wiped out totally (Instead of eating plant protein, you can have animal protein, note that there are moderation to every food, types of protein that can be consumed; egg whites, skinless lean meat, lean fishes like cod or tilapia).
Patients on dialysis are required to have increased intake of protein to replace protein treatment, while pre-dialysis CKD is advised to limit Protein intake.
For more understanding and effective treatment. Please meet with a dietitian for consultation.
