Hi All. Just wanted to reach out and let you know my specific interest in working with kidneys having experienced the journey myself. Through dialysis, transplantation, back to dialysis and how one can still thrive and live a beautiful life. Every person's journey with their kidneys will be unique so there are no 'one size fits all' answers. Tuning into your body and mind is so helpful. I highly recommend discovering meditation and keeping active within your own abilities. Food of course is a big part of it but here is no one renal diet. There are many cultural and psychological influences that go into our food choices. There is a huge lack of deeper understanding around this within the nephrology community in the UK in my experience. This comes down to medical education being extremely drug focussed which for many kidney conditions actually adds to the burden. Shifts are happening more within the GP community around awareness of diet and the pivotal role of the mind in health, however the old structures and 'specialist' approach does not foster patient wellbeing on the whole. It is changing and we all need to be a part of that by having clear conversations with doctors and not being pushed into decisions that do not serve us. You know your body best.
I'm very happy to take feedback on what you would find useful and perhaps start a weekly post or set aside an hour a week for answering specific questions where I can help.
For now an overall tip - avoid ibuprofen as this is a burden to the kidneys. Hopefully this is advice you have already received but avoiding painkillers generally is a good idea for kidney health. Obviously if you are in severe pain, then this does not necessarily apply.
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I will always caveat that each person is unique and what works for one person, doesn't for the other. I work with people on a one to one basis taking a very detailed case history so please do bear this in mind. There are many variables - social, cultural, ancestry, childhood health, beliefs and many more that impact our health. Please could you tell me a bit more about your current condition. When were you diagnosed and what your current labs look like and any other salient information such as blood pressure, blood count and if you have had inflammation markers like CRP and homocysteine conducted. I work from a place of wholeness so just looking at diet in isolation is not enough. We are complex creatures! Thanks.
I enjoyed reading your post.its refreshing to hear that you focus on the broader picture of CKD.i would like to ask is there certain steps you take now as you've been through this process?..nutrition is not an area that GPS and consultants focus on.theyre approach is matter a fact and consists of medications to control issues.i am at esrf gfr 14 last test in May.iv been told that nothing can be done to stop the decline and I need to prepare for dialysis and transplant.Regarding diet can you advise the steps i should be taking to preserve the function?I think this question would be helpful for many of us..thank you..
Hi there, thanks for your feedback. Whilst I can give very general guidance I must reiterate that each person is unique. I would say at the outset that you build in a daily meditation practise to help you understand yourself more deeply and also to explore the impact of being told these things. Certainly keep yourself well and avoid exposure to viruses. A bad flu finished off my transplant kidney however after 15 years of very excellent function, despite a diagnosis of antibody mediated rejection, the kidney hung in there for another few years and this was pivotal in exploring my own spiritual and emotional health. As such when the big illness came along I recovered extremely swiftly and accepted my choice for home dialysis. Having spent 7 years on ward haemodialysis as a teenager, home dialysis is so much better. So each person can dive into their own experiences and still thrive. I also teach yoga and am very active so just know that whatever happens, it will be ok when you are present to your experiences. This does take practise though hence my advice to meditate and find a technique that suits you. We cannot just focus on diet alone. We need to look deeper than that. Needless to say general advice is to avoid processed foods, eat plentiful amounts of fibre, be aware of how you metabolise potassium as some at your level are fine still having 5-7 portions of fruit and veg daily. Intermittent fasting is helpful so resting your body. So for example a couple of times a week have an early supper around 6 p.m and then eat again around noon the following day. This helps to tune into your natural appetite and triggers something called autophagy in the body which is the body's clever way to cleaning house. If you are diabetic then let me know as this might have a bearing on introducing the fasting windows. Gut health cannot be over-emphasised here. A course of kefir is great or a good quality course of probiotics. Fermented foods if you tolerate them such as sauerkraut and kimchi can be helpful too. Plenty of fresh greens. Eating organic vegetables fresh from the ground is a super way to get good bacteria. we are more bacteria that human cells so I encourage everyone to understand more about the importance of gut - for immunity, for mood, for calming the inflammatory cascade. Great nutrients overall that have a safe profile for all are green tea (high in antioxidants and good for bone health), turmeric - in powder or use liberally in cooking. Take capsules if other ways are tricky. Garlic is a great liver support and with kidneys under duress, liver needs some extra love. Avoid too much sugar - sugar drives inflammation. A little every now and then but certainly ditch breakfast cereals - these are all typically very high in glucose syrups and sugar. You can make your own homemade muesli. Limit animal protein. A little bit of grass fed beef if you enjoy beef. Any meat ensure it is organic and pasture fed otherwise chemicals are being added and we are already massively exposed through the environment to many toxins.
Soothing foods for kidneys:
cucumber
watermelon
blueberries
flat leaf parsley (high in iron too)
romaine lettuce
Avoid supermarket bread. If you are ok with wheat I suggest a good sourdough which will feed your gut or make your own without using commercial fast acting yeast (e.g soda bread).
That's a starting point. As time goes on I'll gauge more what people need and perhaps put a webinar together that people can jump onto. The more feedback I get, the more I can be of service.
And a helpful resource to start a meditation if it is new to you is to sign up for this. I love them and for me they always come along at just the right time chopracentermeditation.com/...
All lettuces are helpful as they have high water content. Romaine sits neatly on the greens spectrum between the standard butter lettuce and the darker more nutrient dense greens like kale. But all greens are fabulous. Romaine as summer greens go is the best one nutrient wise compared to butter and green/red lettuce. But again, all of these are great to have.
Thanks so much for your inspiring story and offer to help! You are an amazing woman!
I agree with you that we are all different; one size does not fit all! The importance of a sensible diet and exercise and a positive attitude are so key in this journey of life; with or without kidney issues.
I finally found a yoga studio with strength training that meets my needs; looking forward to sharing. I have missed it.
If you have any vegetarian nutritional ideas as how to raise my iron and RBC ( slight anemia) I am open to hear!
Ah thank you so much Bet. Lovely feedback from you and greatly appreciated. I'll make my next post in here about iron as it's a common one for kidney people. Wonderful about the yoga studio. Enjoy that and trust your body.
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