Diet is so confusing.

[beamteam]

I am so overwhelmed with the diet requirements. I read all the posts and I wonder if there's anything I can eat? What do you eat for snacks? I wish there was just a liquid I could drink everyday and not worry about all the prep time and planning. Seems like everything that we were taught was god fr us is now bad fr us..Sigh..

[MichelleHarris]

I’m trying Huel for one meal. Its from pea protein. Vegan. Have a read x

[beamteam in reply to MichelleHarris]

thanks. Will llok it up.

[Hidden]

There is lots of drinks you could drink

Like

Water

Sprite

And juices, just not orange juice

This also depends on how much you can drink, some people have a restriction on how much liquid you can have

[DadviceTV]

A renal diet can look challenging at first - most doctors give limited and vague info which is of little (if any help). This is where a dietitian can be a huge help. You can download a very popular list of common kidney-friendly foods at the bottom of this page: dadvicetv.com/food - it also has a worksheet to help you with customizing the diet to your own unique needs based on your latest labs. This list is a great starting point and can be a game changer with getting yourself onto a kidney friendly diet.

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to DadviceTV]

Be sure you choose the proper diet. There are CKD diets for those with chronic kidney disease and far differing diets for those on End Stage Renal Disease/on dialysis. Make certain you grasp and adapt the right one for you and your level/situation. Blessings

[itzmich]

If you can go to a dietian with your test results. Each stage is different and challenging.....but I dietian will help clear it up. Davita website helpful too. Good luck

[JimVanHorn]

It hard to remember everything, but it does not have to a "perfect" diet. I need to cut way back on anything that will HURT my kidneys. That would be potatoes, tomatoes, bananas oranges and black beans. There is potassium is all food so a little is OK. I cut out bacon, ham, sausage hot dogs, lunch meat and all canned food because of the preservatives and salt. I have no problem drinking water and mixing a little lemonade with water. I love apples,grapes,pineapple onion, peppers, radishes, squash, and iceberg lettuce. I use lemon juice as a salad dressing with a little oregano. I went to a book store and found a book that tells how much potassium is in certain foods. Once I realized what I was allowed to eat life got a lot better. I can tell you that my creatinine was up to 5.6 before I did the renal diet and came down to 3.6 after 3 months! So I went from stage 5 to stage 4 by just eating properly. I try and eat natural foods with few additives and I do not "create" wonderful dishes like I used to. Mostly steamed and boiled veggies only and chicken, turkey, or fish. I use spices to create flavors, but no sauces. Lighten up a little and do make food the center of your universe. I have been on this diet so long I automatically know what to eat or turn down. I did have to give up some of my favorite foods, but I have new favorites now.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to JimVanHorn]

Jim: I agree with you , on making food/diet an important part of ones' routine. After a while you adjust to it and know what to eat and what not to eat.

[itzmich in reply to JimVanHorn]

Great job, I know how difficult it is but well worth it.

[FlowerPreciousLover in reply to JimVanHorn]

Wonderful posts from all regarding this topic! However, Jim, your post particularly may prove the best suggestion for me right now.

I've not only turned into a "foodie" since the ckd diag., diet has taken over my life focus and I'm overwhelmed by the number of printouts stacked on surfaces regarding healthy vs to limit foods for multiple chronic health conditions. Perhaps compiling one single list of foods that Hurt each of the multiple conditions would be the simplest plan right now for me to create and follow???

My lab results proved that correct diet and exercise are two of the most important goals we can regulate to help ourselves as patients. The combined diabetes/ckd plan from dietician is great but there are other conditions to consider as well and I can't keep them all in my poor scattered brain.

Have others here been confronted with the challenges of multi chronic health issues with diet? Any suggestions on organizing for ready reference? Will be sooo glad when I get to the place where diet planning will become easier.

[beamteam in reply to FlowerPreciousLover]

I think that's what worries me..That all I'll be doing and thinking about is what I can and cant eat. I know I have to come to terms with it but it is really a life changer.

[FlowerPreciousLover in reply to beamteam]

After a few months of diagnosis and membership here, Beamteam, my initial fears of managing ckd and diet have dissipated. Didn't mean to alarm you with my post.

Would have been better to post my response as a separate title because as others have posted there are many, many good food options for us at whatever stage we are.

I'm just needing a way to create a personal handy reference guide to put my specific requirements for multiple chronic conditions and diet into one easier-to-follow plan. Have paper "overload" at the moment.

My life with ckd and diet has become much easier having found this group. Already limiting my animal protein and a few other pertinent specifics for me is becoming a new habit that is becoming much more comfortable and routine. So it really does get easier over time.

[RMGG in reply to JimVanHorn]

Hi, do you mind sharing the name of the book?

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Hi Beamteam,

Changing what you eat will get easier with time. Water is always you best liquid to drink. It is a habit and once you get in to a routine, it does get easier. About snacks, I pretty much limit it to popcorn, my home made kind, red and green peppers, apples, and occasionally crackers, but very limited. I will indulge in a miniature or bite of chocolate once in a while. Cutting down on sugar in general is healthy. It gets hard at this time of year when everyone is passing candy and cookies around. But after a while, you sort of lose your taste for it.

[Zazzel]

I'm with itzmich in that a renal dietician can really help you. Each of us is different and may or may not have other issues. I'm not trying to add additional stress to you as I know where you are at. I also have food intolerances and have had a lot of joint pain so I can't eat what other do as it will make me incredibly sick. I've followed several different protocols trying to figure out what is best for me. When I went plant based, I was actually eating too little potassium as I was worried about eating too much, but plant based potassium is not as readily absorbed into the body as potassium from processed foods or animal protein, and I'm not on any mediction or supplements that enhance potassium so I actually need to increase potassium rich foods including those that are often dismissed such as sweet potatoes and avocado whereas others need to avoid those foods especially if they eat meat. Your labs are your friend. They give a picture into what you need to do. If you start seeing your potassium or phosphorus levels going up, you can pull back on those types of foods or visa versa. A renal dietician can guide you to make healthy choices for yourself and relieve some of the stress.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to Zazzel]

I agree Zazzel. I do not eat as much meat , so I use the diet planner on Davita to figure out how much avocado or sweet potatoes I can have so stay within my limits and to make sure I get the minimum amount of phosphorus, potassium and sodium, as those are the restrictions for me. Maybe we have become "foodies".

[Zazzel in reply to orangecity41]

I think so! I actually enjoy food much more and enjoy the variety, but the prep and tracking is time consuming.

[Cap_dragon]

Hey, Im having trouble in this department too. I went vegan for a while and focused on plant based, eliminated coffee, alcohol, and soda for the most part. That was enough to allow me to realize the energy that is available to us from within despite the kidney disease. I recently went back to some meats like chicken, turkey, and fish, and supplement that with juicing acually veggies in a juicer like celery, beets, cranberries (in season), and cucumber which help the body naturally detox toxins from the blood which is the main function of the kidney. I think it helps tremendously because I find that I get soo tired from eating certain foods now and get a lot of energy from these plants. My advice: buy a juicer. Hope this helps.

[Allank in reply to Cap_dragon]

thanks - is using a juicer much better than eating celery, beets, cucumber raw - and if so why , seems work

[beamteam]

You guys are great, I've kept everthing in a folder and downloaded and printed the"Davita" list. I've gotten lazy, since retirement and eat out quite often and eat frozen or prepared food so this will be a huge lifstyle change. At this point I dont feel much like eating so it's no big problem yet. Thanks so much for all your help.

[RhenDutchess123]

My favorite breakfast is a bowl of bluberries and strawberries with a dab of whip creme and sprinkled with cinnimon...I also like to throw sliced apple in when i am a little hungrier

[beamteam in reply to RhenDutchess123]

That actually sounds good..