Can we eat fast food in stage 3 Kidney damage?

[sharon38506]

In stage 3 kidney damage and what can we eat?

[Julesboz]

Hi there, I have stage 3 kidney disease. I generally eat a healthy diet of fresh food and avoid processed foods, salt, alcohol, fizzy drinks, dairy and try and reduce red meat intake. However..... I do want to enjoy my life and occasionally I’ll eat something I shouldn’t. I don’t generally enjoy ‘fast food’ so I don’t eat that, but for me an occasional takeaway curry is my ‘go to’ sin (once every couple of months). It really depends on the cause of your kidney disease, your blood works (and whether you should be avoiding something) and how often you want to eat junk food. For me, having a kidney healthy diet the vast majority of the time and occasionally having a slip is fine, as my GFR has improved since diagnosis, but it may not be appropriate for everyone.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Hi Sharon,

The answer is not so easy but this is just my opinion...fast food tastes and is so addicting because of all the salt. One Mc D burger with cheese has 1090 mg of salt. Add to that the calories, cholesterol and it is staggering. I stopped eating any fast food for multiple reasons but the chief one was that I saw how the food was prepared. Even the salads are not good for you. One southwest chicken has the same salt amount as a burger and the lettuce has preservatives on it that is not washed off. YUCK!

Fast food is easy, but if you can give it up after a while, you won't miss it. But if you must, then pick wisely. If your a Mc D fan, here is a link to the nutritional value of their foods. mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/abou...

There are so many choices for better kidney health. We have a lot of information under diet and nutrition topics. You can learn best from seeing a renal dietician. I wish I had earlier on. As Julezboz said, fresh is best. No processed foods and watch the salt.

But I also agree that life is short so a splurge once in a while is what makes life worth living. Just make sure the choice is wise and worth it.

[lowraind]

This might help: rsnhope.org/health-library/.... It is funny, but every time I am tempted to try fast food, my stomach rebels even before I turn into the drive. In the past year and a half, I have tried a chicken sandwich twice and both times it was a soggy mess. Maybe ckd has refined my taste?

[JimVanHorn]

Hello, I can tell you that i do not eat fast food places. Recently I read several articles about the kiosks in Taco Bell and McDonald's with touch screens are testing 60% positive for human fecal bacteria. Now think about door handles and trays that are just wiped off with a towel. Then you eat your fries and sandwich with your fingers. If I were you I would read up about a stage 4 kidney disease diet and just maybe you will stay at stage 3! I am stage 4 and I eat No potatoes, tomatoes (ketchup), bananas, nuts (peanut butter), oranges (or juice), black beans, bran or granola, chocolate, because of too much Potassium. Then there is Phosphorus that is in preservatives and food colors especially to cure meats. So No bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, or canned meats. Also all canned foods have Phosphates so no canned goods including soups or veges or fruit. Then there is red meat and pork which is harder on kidneys than chicken, turkey, or fish. At any meal I can only eat 3 ounces of protein. It doesn't work to have no meat for lunch and then 6 ounces of protein for dinner. If you drink dark sodas like Coke or Pepsi they have Phosphates, but lemon drinks do not. There are additives in milk products the kidney does not excrete easily, so dairy is out. That may be an idea of what you should avoid and when you have blood tests see what your levels are of Phosphorus and Potassium. At this point you can cut out most salt and spit out anything that tastes salty and do not overeat anything on the list. Like a couple of potato chips once a month with lunch are OK, certainly not the whole bag. I gave up fried potatoes, but you can buy raw potatoes, cut into thin slices, keep in warm water all day and change the water (to get rid of potassium) and then you can cook them and mash them or whatever. There are hot sauses you could use a few drops of to flavor instead of ketchup.

So what can you eat? Apples, grapes, fresh pineapple, cauliflower, onion, peppers, radishes, squash, lettuce, corn, rice, popcorn and many other foods.