Fish & CKD

[Hawaiilover]

Hi everyone, I'm 58yr old female, CKD stage4, HBP, IGA Nephropathy( diagnosed 1 yr ago). Never smoked and not overweight. My most recent labs showed that my GFR was down another 2 pts. It was 21 a year ago, 19 Just 3 months ago and now at 17. I'm drinking around 80 ounces of water a day( some of it flavored but no sodium or potassium in it). I'm also eating a lot of fish( low sodium white albacore tuna, baked haddock) & chicken. Just wondering if anyone has any experience/advise if it makes a difference on the type of fish we eat? I had eaten baked haddock just 3 hrs prior to my last test and my phosphorus level was high( 1st time this has happened) and GFR had dropped to 17. I was originally told to keep protein around 40-45 per day however I kept losing weight( went from 140 a yr ago to 111 now) so they said to not worry so much about the protein, but the sodium & potassium. Especially with some exercise daily, I was burning more than eating. I'm just so confused now on what to do so my numbers don't keep dropping. Any input is appreciated.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

Here is a link to Davita that explains the better fish to eat for a CKD diet. blogs.davita.com/kidney-die...

Hope this helps in your diet choices.

[Hawaiilover in reply to orangecity41]

Thank you!

[Amrellessy66 in reply to orangecity41]

That’s good advice DaVita is enlightening

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador]

Hi Hawaiilover,

Basically your creatinine and GFR may vary from lab to lab and test to test. Hydration, medications and even things as a cold or stress may cause a variation.

Run it by your doctor as he/ she is the go to person.

With autoimmune disorders one key is to keep the inflammation and flare ups low. Watch your intake of sugar and products which produce it and sodium, specifically. If you have elevated potassium, I am sure that you are keeping an eye on foods which are potassium rich.

As far as the fish; have you spoken to your doctor or renal dietician? Tuna is high in mercury and other fishes potassium. Shrimp and shellfish raise cholesterol if not eaten in moderation.

Omega 3 fish as salmon is good as it works with the immune system. Again, check with your doctor. Eggs, egg whites and plenty of fruits such as apples, blueberries and strawberries are great as well as integrating fresh or fresh frozen vegetables as cauliflower, onions, cabbage, peppers, and even egg plant are good. Broil, grill or roast with non sodium spices.

I have been basically plant based for several years but my labs are fine to eat beans and hummus.

I also buy Cream of Wheat which is high in iron and gluten free oats which has helped.

OC has given you a good link to start.

I hope that this helps.

Reach out again and let us know what your doctor has to say and how you are doing.

Bet

[Hawaiilover in reply to Bet117]

Thank you for the info.

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to Hawaiilover]

Gosh, none needed, Hawaiilover, If I can support, I will.

Please continue to reach out!

All a process and all will work out.

Bet

[Sammi_n_Munk in reply to Bet117]

Hello Bet! Very knowledgeable and wise advice as always! Good stuff! 🤗👍👍

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to Sammi_n_Munk]

Thanks, Sammi! Good to hear from you! Hope that you are doing well! 🤗🌹

[DEZIN]

Check your urid acid levels. If they are high that can cause Kidney problems.

[Hawaiilover in reply to DEZIN]

I will definitely check into that as well. Thanks!

[Zazzel]

Hi there, I have IGAN as well. The diet thing is so tricky as you will hear so many different recommendations from other CKD patients as well as renal nutritionists and nephrologists and your GP that differ. All of us is so different and has different needs so although there are some general rules of thumb, there is no one right answer for any of us. There are findings that plant based is better for those with kidney disease. Generally they come up with the protein intake by multiplying your weight in kg by .8 which would put you at 40 which is where they got the figure. If you ate a serving of canned Tuna you are generally going to get half your day's protein in one item at one meal. If you at a 3.5 oz chicken breast you get 35g for only 200 calories so that doesn't leave you with much else to eat. Neither offers a lot of calories for the amount of protein you are getting. Then everything else adds up really quickly so it's hard to get in enough calories unless you eat empty calories. If you cut back to 1 to the most 2 ounces of fish or chicken a day and get your protein from other sources you may see a difference. Then add in lentils to help with the Lysine that you'll be missing once or twice a week.

I get your dilemma as I am also very thin at 104 and having trouble gaining weight as I have many food intolerances including some of the higher calorie foods. I know for myself that when I was eating a higher amount of chicken and fish, my GFR dropped quite dramatically and when I scaled back and ate mostly plant based it increased again. One way you can get extra calories is to add small amounts of nuts, coconut, small amounts of avocado which is high in calories and good fat, and of course fruit is higher in calories especially dried fruits though you have to watch quantity due to potassium. Replace some of the meat protein with grain, nut, seed and veggie protein such as millet, oats, quinoa, asparagus, broccoli, sesame seeds, figs. Find out from your doctor the amount of phosphorus and potassium they recommend for you. We still need those things to function properly and I for one went too low on them at first which caused a lot of issues. I use the app chronometer to track my diet from time to time to see if I'm on track. It is a real eye opener to see how much of protein, phosphorus and potassium I'm really getting. Working with a renal dietician can be really helpful. More of then are gearing more plant based these days. There is a group on Facebook called Plant-Powered Kidneys which is run by a plant based renal dietician. There is a lot of support there for diet and ideas of what to eat.

[Hawaiilover in reply to Zazzel]

This makes a lot of sense. Thank you for your input. I'm always feeling hungry but my limits are reached so I never know what to eat.

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to Zazzel]

Fabulous and incredibly knowledgeable, Zazzel ! Thanks!

Bet 😊

[Hawaiilover]

Have you tried this? Does it really work?

[RoxanneKidney]

I would forgo the fish and go with the plant protein. It is easier on your kidneys.