Kidney diet

[ricky987]

My kidney diet gets me to my protein, carb, and fat goal, however, calories always came up short and I was losing weight too fast.... finally found the solution. Olive Oil has no protein, no carbs, and a lot of calories.

[flanderscycling]

Be careful with olive oil, I tried the same thing to get more calories in my diet but my cholesterol is now 260.

[ricky987 in reply to flanderscycling]

Oh wow... thanks for the tip. This kidney diet is like whack-a-mole, everytime I think I have some issue solved another issue pops up. Right now I only ingest 4 tbsp of olive oil per day, however, I do have elevated cholesterol so it is something to watch.... thanks again.

[flanderscycling in reply to ricky987]

That should be fine. I lost 20 lbs and was already lean so I was trying to put weight back on and probably went a bit overboard with 10 tbsp per day of olive oil plus other foods with saturated fats.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to ricky987]

I use olive oil and have had no problem. There are different types/ grades, some for cooking and other for salad oil etc. I use extra virgin. I do not know what cholesterol level would be if used other oils.

[Zazzel in reply to ricky987]

Try using ground flax instead. Add it to smoothies or morning oatmeal or over veggies. Flax is rich in Omega 3 which help fight inflammation. I’ve lost weight as well and have no more to lose. I keep my weight up with smoothies. You can pack a lot of fruit and veggies into them and is great as a compliment to a meal or as a snack. Watch the amount of potassium high fruits such as mango or sweet potato though.

[MarissaA_NKF Partner]

Please check with your doctor and dietitian to make sure you are consuming foods that are best for your needs. You can find more information about nutrition here: kidney.org/category/diet-nu....

[Marvin8]

Congratulations!...You've discovered the kidney diet conundrum. The more kidney friendly the diet, the harder it is to maintain your weight unless you consume a grocery store worth of veggies and fruits every day. Since the population is on average, obese, everybody assumes that it's wonderful to drop weight if you have ckd. I was at an ideal weight when I was diagnosed at stage 3A, but am now undesirably underweight. Oil isn't particularly beneficial for ckd due to its inflammatory effect on endothelial cells...ie...the ones that protect your kidneys.

[ricky987 in reply to Marvin8]

Thanks for that! Good to know about the effects of olive oil. Cross that one off my list. I have been at stage 3a for some time but the doctors never seemed concerned. I started reading Lee Hull's book last June and realized I needed to pay attention to this.... so still am fine tuning my diet.... I now understand the kidney diet conundrum. How to reach the protein and carb targets and still end up with enough calories to maintain weight.

Thanks again.

[Marvin8 in reply to ricky987]

I also have Lee Hull's book but found it extremely frustrating. Although there are many cited studies, most don't draw consensus supported conclusions. Also, the diet is EXTREMELY difficult to follow. Lastly, my sense is that the book mostly serves to propagandize his Albutrix amino acid product.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Ricky,

The key to a successful diet is moderation and no extremes. Taking olive oil by the spoon is not only gross, but also a ridiculous way to ingest it. Instead, when you make roasted veggies, use a bit more oil to cook. Make pesto using a blender, add fresh basil, chop it up and add some olive oil 1/4 c and blend until it is pureed and then add lemon zest 1tbls. Top your veggies and chicken with it. It is delicious. The oil will spend time in the digestive system that way and not shoot through. You can keep that in the fridge for a while. Add oil to your salads to coat the greens, even if you use another dressing. If you eat greens without dressing, you will not absorb all the nutrients in it. I use sesame oil for flavor on some of my dishes. Fry eggs, veggies, rice and pasta in it to make calorie rich meals.

Try eating more often. Have three main meals and then a calorie rich snack twice or three times a day. Apples with peanut butter ( if you can eat PB) If not, cream cheese is a good addition to snacks. Cheese is calorie dense. Nuts in general are calorie dense if you can eat them.

You say you are reaching you caloric goal. Truly you are not. Who ever set it made it too low. The thing with food, 1 tbls spoon of fat is 100 or more calories. But so is an ounce of cheese. The cheese gives you more nutrients and will satisfy you where as the oil is just a lubricant that will add nothing but issues down the road. You would benefit from counseling with a dietician. You want to reach a stable weight that is healthy with a balanced and healthy diet.

[ricky987 in reply to Bassetmommer]

Thanks so much. A little change in perspective like this opens up a whole new path of research into creating a good and balanced diet. Am learning every day thanks to help from you and everyone on this site

[htpi1543]

I am having the same problem of loosing weight. So thanks for such a useful information. God bless

SAM