Iodine foods

[hopetolive]

Hello. My diet is lacking iodine rich foods. What iodine rich foods should one eat on a plant based diet. I eat salmon fish once or twice a week. I used to drink milk and eat chicken before my CKD diagnosis. Please help.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Hope, Not sure why you are concerned about getting sufficient iodine in your diet. Did a doctor suggest you need it? Most American diets get iodine from salt. People with CKD cut out salt and so may not be getting enough. If you are eating more plant based foods, then you may need to look at what you are eating. I do include eggs in my diet because it is a good source of protein that they kidneys can tolerate and also a good source of iodine. Milk is another source that you might want to put back in your diet.

Here is a website with some suggestions for a vegan diet. Be careful with iodine because there is a tricky balance needed.

veganfoodandliving.com/vega....

[hopetolive in reply to Bassetmommer]

hi. Thanks for the reply. I am in South Africa. I have eliminated salt. I think i will add low fat milk back to my diet. my hemoglobin was low and am now on iron supplements

[hopetolive]

this is confusing. i thought one should be on a no salt diet. thanks for the link.

[hopetolive]

thank you. I will add salt back to my diet. I have an appointment with a cardio on the 6th of January. I wanted to ask him all those questions. I am still struggling to get an appointment with a nephrologist. they will only book for appointments in next year. they say my GFR isn't bad. It keeps fluctuating between 46 and 78. I don't know why

[hopetolive]

thanks a million. I joined this group today and have learned a lot in just a few hours

[Darlenia]

Both iodine and salt are incredibly important in establishing and maintaining ideal body functions. Without sufficient iodine, one risks metabolism (thyroid) disorders; without salt, one risks vascular (heart) disorders. Death can be the outcome in either area when deficiencies become severe. Back in 1924, the US recognized the issues and added iodine to salt (to prevent goiters, cretinism, and more). The important thing is to keep those lab figures in the normal range. This requires regular lab work, particularly for those with kidney issues and on strict diets involving little salt (hence not much iodine). Keep in mind, humans can not naturally manufacture iodine and/or salt. It's your numbers; it's your body. Knowledge and perspective are important in everything.

[hopetolive in reply to Darlenia]

Thank you Darlenia. I thought salt was too hard on kidneys and removed it from diet. I have added it back. This explains why I have been weak lately. I have added back iodized salt, rice milk, skinless chicken and salmon to my diet. I have an appointment with cardiologist on the 6th of January. Still trying to get an appointment with nephrologist. Hope it will be soon and then the dietician thereafter

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to hopetolive]

Hi hopetolive,

Welcome! I agree with all of the great people who have responded to you above.

It's all a monitoring act. The links below should give you ideas for healthy food ideas until you can meet with a dietician.

davita.com/diet-nutrition

kidneyfund.org/kidney-disea...

healthline.com/nutrition/fo...

It's also reading labels.

I would ask your GP for ideas in the meantime.

I don't cook with salt, or eat any processed foods which are high in sodium.

I was told by my renal dietician to stay within 1200- 2000mg of salt per day; my sodium is within foods. Bread, vegetables, beans, fish and most foods do have sodium in them.

Hopefully your cardiologist and nephrologist will work with each other and your dietician to come up with a meal plan and selection of foods which are both nutritious and appetizing.

January 6th will be here soon.

Please reach back and let us know how you are doing.

Bet

[hopetolive in reply to Bet117]

will give feedback, thank you

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to hopetolive]

Please do! I am eager to hear! B...

[hopetolive in reply to Bet117]

Hello dear friends,

I have seen a dietitian. Yes, I use iodine salt when cooking my foods. I also consulted the cardiologist. I was once weak. I guess it was due to a diet that lacked salt. Cardiac tests done were the stress electrocardiogram, echocardiography and carotid ultrasound. I'm happy that my heart is very good. The cardiologist said it looks like the heart of a 15 year old. I am 48 years old.

In December, 2020 I called the nephrologist. They told me they were only considering serious cases since it was towards the festive holidays. They said my eGFR of 72 was not a serious case. When I called this month, they told me that only emergencies were attended to due to the second covid wave. Im' in Johannesburg, South Africa. I will call again in February and try to book an appointment with the nephrologist.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to Darlenia]

I do diet planning and tracking to make sure I am within the limits prescribed for sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and protein.

[Darlenia in reply to orangecity41]

That's great! Just make sure all your lab reports are in the normal range wherever possible. Don't drive them below or above normal by excessive actions. As the saying goes, we have but one life to live.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

WbiC, Please be careful with statements like "not adding salt can be deadly." Most people with CKD have to be very careful with their salt consumption. And if people read this they might think they should be adding salt to their foods. There is plenty of natural salt in most foods for patients with CKD without adding salt to their cooking. Unless a doctor has prescribed adding salt, this is not a good recommendation. Now Hope is going to add salt back into her diet. This may be counter to what she really should be doing.

Each person here on this forum has a different medical history. Some people may have other conditions such as heart problems. Too much salt is terrible for them.

I know you read an article about too little salt is dangerous. But, in most cases, I think you will find that people with CKD are told to limit extra salt in take. I do not have a sodium issue nor do I have edema. Yet my nephrologist and dietician both gave me a specific target for sodium consumption. I make that target point easily without adding salt to my food. I cook most of my own foods, none are processed or have additives. I eat mostly vegan and I still get enough salt. I log my food into a tracker that calculates sodium, along with other nutrients so I know exactly what I am consuming daily.

So Hope, I really wish you would see someone who knows your specific issues before you start modifying your diet.

[Catmommy in reply to Bassetmommer]

Thank you for your wisdom. It needed to be said! I would add that Hope should be reading about ckd and not relying on opinions. A renal dietitian should also be seen with her labs in hand. The tough part is she hasn't seen a nephrologist yet. By the way, what tracker do you use?

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to Catmommy]

HI Catmommy, I use MY FITNESSPAL. I have used others. Davita had one that was good too but they took it down. The thing with trackers is that you have to be careful with people putting in the nutrient amounts. I check my figures with several different websites to make sure my numbers are correct.

[Darlenia]

If one's sodium numbers are in the normal range, the drumroll to remove it is dangerous. Thank you.

[Palominox]

Kelp, aka seaweed. Particularly kombu and wakame. Very high in sodium but you can soak a lot of the soduim out, then add it to foods.

[Helloyall]

You can still eat chicken though keep it skinless and fat less at 3 to 4 ounces at a time. Other iodine rich sources are cod, tuna shrimp and seaweed. Check the phosphorus content and make sure you do not exceed 700 to 800 mg a day .You can try seaweed salad from the supermarket sushi kiosk at the market or make your own for a lower sodium version. See Food Central, USDA Database.

[Helloyall]

You are probably getting 3nough in the salmon. Have your doc add the blood test for iodine if you are concerned.