I have a situation where I could use some help. I have the following medical issues. I am diabetic. I have psoriatic arthritis which causes me to have high uric acid. I have diverticulitis (also from the PsA). I have Stage 4 CKD with a GFR of 24 and creatinine of 2.09. I had high protein but have brought that completely down into a normal range. And I need to lose a significant amount of weight.
Here is my dilemma: I do not eat red meat at all (since 1986) and I have stopped eating for the most part chicken, turkey or fish. I do not eat tomatoes, potatoes or other CKD no-no fruits at all. My main consumption is salad and fresh vegetables. However, much to my dismay, I am having now issues with the large amount of lettuce because of the diverticulitis. I have limited bread, rice and pasta because of the carbs. I am not into lentils and do not eat beans. I stopped eating cheese for the most part because of the calories and no sugary desserts or baked goods at all. I was substituting zucchini noodles, but found out they are very high in potassium which I have to limit along with phosphorous.
I was eating a lot of cauliflower which now I have discovered is high in purines, which causes high uric acid. I eat limited broccoli because of the potassium and also other high potassium vegetables such as any squash. I do eat green beans, and peppers, cucumbers and radishes in my salads. I do eat eggs, but I am trying not to eat them more than three times a week and when I do, it is mostly egg whites (which is not very satisfying)
I do count my calories and try to consume at least 900 to 1000 calories a day. I have had to add more pasta for calories sometimes which of course is counterproductive to weight loss and carb counting. I have lost 21 pounds since May 2018 and I am glad with that, but believe me, it is just a drop in a very large bucket.
Anyone have suggestions as to safe choices for food for me?
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Bassetmommer
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22 Replies
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There are a lot of issues you are dealing with that are at cross-purposes. One thing I can tell you is that if you leach potatoes you can add them back to your menu for 2 or 3 times a month. Not a lot of them but enough to give you a little more variety. You might want to think about bringing your food and health issues to a Renal Dietitian. A regular nutritionist can help with the weight loss and diabetes, however, because of the CKD and your labs you really should speak with an RD. Your nephrologist should be able to refer you to one or if you have a transplant center near you, they may be able to put you in touch with one their patients work with. I found one about 2 hours from my home and she is the one who checked with the transplant center professionals who gave her some specific information she passed along to me to help me transition into a kidney-friendly, diabetes-friendly, and hypertension-friendly meal plan.
I only had to see her twice in the first few months and since then I check in with her by phone to make any adjustments (after I e-mail her a copy of my most recent lab results).
Hi, i have similar multiple issues as well. I have type 1 diabetes, heart disease, Gastro peresis and stage 4 ckd. I recently stopped eating all meat. If you keep track of your intake daily of protein, phosphorus, sodium and carbohydrates you can expand your list of tolerable foods. I use Davita.com for recipes and tracking. I make revisions to meet my needs. The Davita site is far from perfect. I switch between that and my fitness pal. I did just finally find an RD who i am going to utilize. My doctor in no way would refer or find me one. I was not too happy about that, among many other things about my care. I also needed to lose weight and joined weight watchers end of January this year. I double tracked what i ate in the ww app and then in Davita diet helper. I tweaked the ww diet to be kidney friendly. Ive lost 35 lbs and at goal. I know it is tough 24/7. So really there are more things you can eat as long as you are within your nutritional ranges. I hope this helps. Take care.
I was on Weight Watchers and actually gained weight... I took my food lists to a certified dietician who I worked with and she was completely surprised I was not dropping weight. Doctors and others think I am lying about what I eat. That's what happens to large people all the time. People think you MUST be sneaking donuts somewhere......
Oh and I was doing a least two hours of some form of exercise like walking, swimming or tennis everyday at the time. Now I am much more limited in the type of exercise I can do but I still make an effort for at least something physical everyday.
Can you please tell me how you tweaked the ww site? I was sailing along on ww, losing weight and feeling great, till my ckd diagnosis. The ww free foods made all the difference, but many of those are not good for ckd, and nothing seems free anymore. If you have a way to make the two diets work together, I would love to know!
Hello, I would find a recipe or foods that are kidney friendly and enter them into the ww app to calculate the points. I had lists of foods that I personally considered ckd friendly and those to avoid or limit. I only ate the free foods like strawberries, blueberries, apples, pineapple for fruit. Veggies- cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, corn, lettuce, red bell peppers, sometimes brocolli, eggs and chicken and Turkey at that time. I have since cut out eggs, turkey and chicken and have some times, on very rare occasions. I had been eating the 0 % plain yogurt but cut that out as well. I know it is hard. I actually had to quit WW due to now being under weight.
Yeah, I hear you, I love Taco bell too. When it comes down to it I would choose to stay away from the bell and prolong my kidney function for as long as possible. I tell my husband all the time, I can eat as much air as I want. Good luck, we all need it!
Mr. Kidney... I have been to a renal dietician who said I was not eating enough calories. She recommended I eat 1500 which I totally disagree with. She was also very helpful on what I could eat and not eat and thinks my food choices are excellent, if limited. She had no further recommendations and was understandably sympathetic. Does not help me much.
If you go to an RD and she recommends 1500 calories per day and you "totally disagree" with her then I don't understand your complaint. Increase your exercise routine. If you already are exercising, add more vigor to it. If you can't or won't then there is nothing else I can suggest. Best of luck.
Sorry you have to deal with so many issues. I feel your pain as I have multiple food intolerances so it's a challenge.
I found these charts which are really helpful showing protein and potassium levels for common fruits and veggies although I didn't see phosphorus levels, but perhaps they might help narrow down choices then cross reference those with phosphorus and other issues. fda.gov/Food/ucm063367.htm
I made a chart of all the foods I can eat and can't eat and put them in columns of never eat, eat sometimes, eat all the time and I put it on the fridge. I starred the ones that were especially beneficial to kidney disease. It helped me a lot since I was intolerant to many of the foods Davita.com recommended and realized I was eating mostly foods that weren't great for my kidneys. It helped organize the overwhelm.
My holistic kidney doctor told me the following foods are specifically good for kidneys though not sure if they are a problem with your other issues: small amounts of coconut , coconut milk or oil but, not coconut water, hemp protein powder ( low stress on kidneys and helps with heart enlargement that can come with kidney disease), green, hibiscus and ginger tea, all kinds of berries ( might be an issue with diverticulosis though recent studies have changed- my hubby has that too), cherries, grapes, apples (skinned), celery, cauliflower ( you mentioned issues), beets, wild rice, green peas, garlic, cilantro, yellow onions, red onions, organic blue corn (non organic is mostly GMO). Flax oil ( never heat only use raw). and olive oil. Avoid at all costs starfruit which is highly toxic to kidney patients. Small amounts of good fats will help give you energy and help absorb nutrients. Flax oil is high in Omega three which helps reduce inflamation. It is high in calories so adding a tablespoon a day to use as your salad dressing along with a splash of apple cider vinegar or raw sauerkraut can get you up to the calories you need and give you a boost of energy and nutrients.
I personally do smoothies everyday using kale, berries, pineapple, flax oil, water and a few days a week hemp powder.
I know you were strictly asking about food and said you are working at eating at least 1000 calories a day, but your dietician may have told you to increase calories because low calorie diets slow your metabolism and the thought is that 1200 calories is the minimum needed to receive proper nutrients and provide energy, however everyone responds differently. You know what works for you.
Thank you very much. This was very beneficial to me. When I talked with the renal dietician, it was not about losing weight. She was concerned that in general, I needed to add to my intake, but I would not necessarily lose weight on 1500 calories. When I first was diagnosed, I panicked and really cut down on a lot of food. She saw my diary and thought it was too drastic, and it was. She also explained that people who restrict their food to less than a certain amount will go into a starvation mood and not loose any weight at all. And I was not losing weight either. I found that at no more than1200, I lose weight very slowly.
Now my PCP told me he only eats up to 800 calories a day, which I think would be very difficult. And he is not really skinny either.
I agree that everyone is different. I lost no weight on the WW diet 3 years ago.
Breakfast can be 2 tbsp Lite and Fit Greek Yogurt for digestion, Cream of Wheat hot cereal, apple slices with hummus or light wheat toast with either hummus or Benechol spread on it.
I drink a small iced coffee with Carnation Original Fat Free Creamer rather than milk.
Egg whites are low in calories...cook 4oz with Pam and add cooked veggies.
Lunch/ snacks veggies or veggies with hummus.
I have found that increasing my intake of fresh and fresh frozen kidney friendly vegetables such as cauliflower, onion, red peppers, cabbage, zucchini, summer squash has made a huge difference.
I also eat salad with lots of onions, peppers and cucumbers and I am not hungry. Occasionally I add apple slices or strawberries and blueberries to it with an olive oil and wine vinegar or olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing.
I eat plain hummus with this as well.
Drink 3 sport bottles of water throughout the day.
My husband has been eating this with me and over a year or so I have lost 15 pounds; he has lost weight as well.
Zazzel has excellent information to share, check it out. Also NKF tools and Davita lists kidney friendly foods.
It is making some diet changes and taking a walk if you can; even if it is 2 rounds in the grocery store.
Please don't be discouraged, the weight will come down..it takes time.
Generally speaking, hemp would be a good source of plant based protein. It is also rich in other nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus so eating it would depend on your labs for potassium and phosphorus.
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Are there any recipes out there that cater for low potassium and low carbohydrate diets?
