Feeling Overwhelmed

[aj2581]

Hey everyone. I am at stage 3 CKD. I am having trouble following the diet because I am in graduate school, my days are so busy. Does anyone have any advice for someone that doesn’t have much time to cook and prepare meals? 😬 what types of things can I eat outside?

[SamuelChin]

I am with you. I recently had a spot urine check with a Proteinuria 3+ which requires further tests. I am also in the process of applying to graduate school, which can be very busy. My advice: make sure eat your breakfast full. Two slice of bread, cereal with almond or soy milk, two egg whites, some veggies such as broccoli or cauliflower. I often have a simple lunch, sometimes an apple. I would also make myself a sandwich if I can. As for dinner, I prefer some fish, bread, and veggies. I hope it helps. I am going for my masters next September, please don't give up. We are in this together.

[aj2581 in reply to SamuelChin]

Thank you!

[itzmich]

I totally understand. It's been overwhelming figuring out what to eat. Fast food is not the best choice but there is always salad. Stay away from the meats highly processed. Subway you can get whole wheat roll with all the veggies no meat or cheese. Sushi is also a go to for me. Take out chinese is ok if you pick non fried items....veggies and chicken no sauce. Buy mixed frozen veggie with no sauces that you can add a little protein too. Single servings of brown rice pre cooked. Good luck it's not easy but you can do it!

[aj2581 in reply to itzmich]

Thank you!

[lowraind]

Don't know where you live, but Philadelphia Cream Cheese helps me add a little variety to my diet. A couple of days a week, I have it on an English Muffin, with an assortment of berries. Someone mentioned Chinese, but, that is often high in sodium. I also avoid brown rice because of potassium and phosphorous content; white or wild rice is better for us. Most pre-cooked foods are high in sodium also. I know it is difficult, and with little time, even more so, but it is necessary to protect your kidneys. What I find helpful, also, is to prepare a regular meal with things that I can eat, on the weekend, and then, use that as a basis for my meals later on. Also, I have found that the pre-packaged cole slaw varieties add some variety to my meals. Made without additives, you can add in things that you are able to eat on a ckd diet.

Hope this helps,

lowraind

[aj2581 in reply to lowraind]

It does thank you!

[RickHow]

I will tell you what all my doctors tell me (my gp, my cardiologist, my oncologist, my urologist, my kidney doctor). Diet is something to watch but it is NOT something you have to be married to every moment of your life. A lot depends on your level. You can be stage 3 for a variety of reasons. For example you can be stage 3, yet all your blood and urine levels are fine (that is my case). For this you should just use common sense. Eat regular foods but just stay within the normal recommended guidelines for consumption. Having red meat as part of your diet is NOT going to hurt you, for example. But just use common sense and don't have it every day. Having something against the "rules" now and then in your day is okay. But just try to keep your protein intake within recommended limits. It all depends on you. For example, many here write to avoid dairy, watch phosphorus, potassium, etc. YET, in my case I was told to consume MORE dairy, MORE phosphorus because my levels were too low because I was watching my diet TOO much. Recommended snacks and lunches for me were eat as much peanuts as I can. Add at least one cup of yogurt each day to the diet. Have cheese. Have meat but just stay within reasonable amounts with each meal. A hamburger is NOT going to advance you to stage 4. Obviously avoid foods high in salt (buy unsalted if you snacks), or other things that can increase your blood pressure. A great thing are those pudding cups you buy (Snack Packs). They don't require refrigeration and are a great frozen treat also. I have two scoops of ice cream daily. For breakfast or lunch or snack, have a bagel.

[aj2581 in reply to RickHow]

Thank you, this really helps! I appreciate it. My dietician has been really strict in saying no sugar, no carbs, no potassium, no red meat because my triglycerides are at 400. So there’s not much left and then I’ve been feeling nauseous because my body isn’t used to eating just fruits and vegetables, it takes time to adjust. I feel like in moderation will help me more, I have bought unsalted snacks and have cut out coffee I just drink water which really helps my bp. I haven’t had any chocolate because I know the phosphorus is too high but thank you maybe i can just pace myself. This really helped. Thanks again 😊

[RickHow in reply to aj2581]

I fought a battle with triglycerides for years. One day my cardiologist suggest taking Niacin tablets daily. You get them over the counter. Some people get a flushing of the skin with Niacin. To prevent this he had me start by taking just 250 mg a day for a week or two, then the full strength of 500mg. My triglycerides dropped DRAMATICALLY, into the normal range after about 3 to 4 months. It was amazing. We continued it for about a year. Then stopped. And my triglycerides have stayed low. I have chocolate on occasion. I drink one cup of coffee in the morning and one at night. I generally do not eat fruits. For me (and my 5 doctors) it is not elimination of things but more important moderation. The body needs some salt. It needs some sugar. It needs calcium, phosphorus, potassium, etc. Just not to go crazy. I generally have protein (chicken, pork) every other day. On the off days I supplement with Italian dish of spaghetti, or lasagna (normal portion size). For my side dishes with the protein I will make one of those steam in bag frozen vegetables. Nothing else. Or the next time instead of the vegetable a potato. I have pizza (usually plain cheese, no pepperoni, or only in moderation) about every 10 days. Microwave popcorn. Read the label. It will show you how much salt as a percentage of your daily requirement. It is not as high as you might think. And If I have some I make sure the rest of my foods that day are very low in salt. Its all about daily balance.

[aj2581 in reply to RickHow]

Thank you. This really helps😊