Diet and Nutrition
I' new here, but I have been "there" for 88 years. Now trying to navigate the trials and tribulations of a ckd diet. I would be very interested to here about strategies to increase weight (lost 30 pounds) and manage the haves and have nots of a kidney diet?
If you are just looking for food ideas, try the US website Davita or obtain a referral to a nutritionist who specializes in kidney disease. If you are not soaking vegetables like carrots and potatoes, clean, cut and soak in a generous amount of water for 4 hours or longer. If longer, change the water in the middle.
I also have diabetes and no thyroid gland making food choices far more difficult, not to mention shopping online due to Covid. I buy no salt added chicken and beef stock for cooking .
Right now it is hard to buy roasts to cook from scratch in the US. I usually limit protein consumption to 2-3 ounces twice a day, plus a very little milk and pecans. but I can’t fully substitute carbs. I am 76.
Thanks much. Cree
HI Mavan,
The best thing to do is to see a renal dietician if you can. What works for me may not be best for you. I have to watch potassium and phosphorous levels as well as carbs. It is tricky but manageable once you figure out what you can eat. The best advice I can give you is to learn to prepare things in healthy fashion. We roast veggies in the winter and grill them in the summer. I am learning about herbs and seasoning and how to add flavor without salt. I like to cook so it is fun for me to experiment. When I first started out, I used a tracker to log my foods and learn the values of what I was eating. Davita.com has a good tracker but there are others out there. I would also seek advice about the weight loss and what foods can increase our caloric intake without harm. That's why a renal dietician is important.
I am age 79 and have been on a prescribed diet from my Doctor for 5 years. I use Davita web site to plan and track my diet. You have given good idea on leaching vegetables.
Hello Mavan! I took the liberty of going online to DaVita.com with the query of how to gain weight (this was a strange question for me as my weight issues are the direct opposite of yours! Lol! 😃) I’ve attached the link below if you want to read it over to get some tips.
It starts with tips to lose weight, but just a little further down, you’ll find ideas to help you gain some weight. I hope you find this helpful. It does suggest using gravies, heavier salad dressings, and snacking more often (probably things like unsalted popcorn, pretzels, vanilla cookies and cake, etc.) All the things I love, of course! Lol! Hey! My mouth is watering! (Just kidding! Lol!) 😊
Please keep us posted as to how you come along. All my best to you! God bless. 😊👍✌️🙏
davita.com/diet-nutrition/a...
Thanks for your reply. My meals for the most part are prepared by my fiance, and since we are both elderly a lot of chopping and preparation is a problem. So the question is how do we increase calories and retain simple preparation while not eating those foods that are high in sodium, etc. The other problem is that we buy online because of our concern for the virus which makes selection and investigation difficult.
Best, Mavan
I can certainly understand the difficulties with food prepping, as I have trouble much of the time also, handling utensils with my arthritic and often times, gouty hands. What about trying some saltless snacking such as plain air-popped popcorn, saltless pretzels, and perhaps some plain vanilla cookies and candies between meals?
Also, I know that many stores now carry saltless butter much of the time. Perhaps you could eat a few slices of toast using that type of butter before bedtime. Or even some toast with just a little regular cream cheese, or a sandwich with just a little protein (more calories), like tuna, chicken, or egg salad. Also, try eating some vanilla flavoured custard desserts more often as well. These are very high in calories. Believe me.
You know, I must admit, that these weight-gaining tips that I’m sharing with you are all of the bad habits that I’ve indulged in my entire life! Lol! They’re all the things that my doctor has given me heck for over the years! Gee, I should write a book!
But in all seriousness, I hope these few ideas will help you Mavan. I should mention also, that if your issue is regarding a loss of appetite, try using fresh garlic and onion in your cooking recipes, as well as black pepper, or chilli pepper (if your stomach can handle it, that is, mine can’t any longer). But these items tend to stimulate the appetite and may help to increase your desire to eat.
Please do keep us posted to let us know if any of these tips are able to help you. I do hope that they do. I wish you all my best Mavan. God bless. 😊👍🙏✌️🍀
Thanks Sammi, A lot of what you recommend we are into. Can you tell me more about the vanilla flavored custard dessert. I've never been into custard so I'm a little concerned about taste.
Thanks,
Mavan
I believe most custards are made with an egg base. They can include some dairy, as well as sugar, with a splash or two of vanilla to boost the flavour. Custard is basically just like a thicker cream that is used sometimes to fill the inside of a pie shell, or as a filling inside some pastry-style desserts such as Italian cannoli. And sometimes too, there is cream cheese added to it which then makes it even a little more substantial.
I’m not sure if there is a plant-based custard available or not, but I can look into it if you prefer something more on the vegan / vegetarian side. I know that there is vegan butter and dairy substitutes now also.
I know that these types of desserts tend to be higher in calorie content because of the sugar, cream, cream cheese, and egg. Some people don’t care much for custard style desserts, so if you’ve never had these before, you may want to just purchase one or two, until you’ve had a chance to taste it first, and know for certain that it’s something you’ll enjoy.
As I say, I’ll look up vegan-style custards should they have such an option, and then get back to you on that, just in case you prefer that.
Until then, you take good care of yourself, and I will post again soon with what I find out! Bye for now! 😊👍✌️
Thanks Sammi,
the custard is not as rewarding as your, as my son would say, perfect prose,. You write very well.
Best, Marvin (Mavan,s true identity)
Hi again Marvin! Thank you for the lovely compliment! That is so kind and thoughtful of you to say. I’m very flattered! 🤗
Just wanted to tell you that I looked up some vegan vanilla custard brand names should you be interested in buying these, but I did notice that the store bought custards seem to contain salt. If you are okay with that, then a couple of brand names that I saw are, Oaty and Freee (I didn’t misspell that, and your eyes are fine. It is with three e’s! Lol!)
Below, I’ve attached a link for a home-made recipe that does also call for salt, but you can omit that if you wish. I hope you will find these options helpful. Please do let me know how all of this comes out. (I’m always curious how well new recipes work out for others! Lol! Probably because they rarely work well for me! 😃) I look forward to hearing (or reading, that is) from you! Good luck! Bye for now! 🍰😊👍✌️
Hello All - wanted to let folks know that NKF has recently added to the nutrition info on the website. There may be info and resources (recipes) that are a fit for you: kidney.org/nutrition
I wholeheartedly agree that meeting with a kidney dietitian is key to figuring out best diet/weight gain strategies.
Thanks for the helpful link. It is a good explanation of diet and nutrition. It also prepares us to ask pertinent questions of our health care provider and or dietitian.
Thank you. That was helpful
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