Your Favorite Renal Nutrition and Dining Out Hacks and Tricks?

[BeachLove]

I would like to start a conversation about your favorite nutrition hacks for a renal diet. Also, tips and tricks for eating out? I myself have to eat low sodium, phosphorus and potassium, as well as gluten and dairy free.

One of my tricks to limit fluids (I am on dialysis) is that I have an 8 oz. protein smoothie in the morning with no more drinks the rest of the day nor evening. However, what I do is to suck on ice cubes the rest of the day and evening as needed. This has been effective for me.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

My only suggestion/hack for eating out is to go places they know you. I have it set up with two restaurants we frequent and they will modify my meals to meet my needs. I get a break from cooking and I do not worry about what I am eating. Otherwise, it can be a hard process, especially when you are limited. I eat only plant based now. Restaurants base their meals around the protein.

[WinJ3]

Plan ahead and have a strategy. I try not to eat out. When I do eat out, I just have a salad with olive oil and a glass of water. At home I always have a glass of water near me. I sip water all day.

[Jayhawker in reply to WinJ3]

That’s what I do too when I do eat our. And, I also sip on water throughout the day. I have three flasks of water in the refrigerator. When they are empty I’ve drunk my allotted water fir the day. I sip water from them all day.

Jayhawker

[Darlenia]

I see you're on dialysis. My hubby's diet on dialysis is quite different and less restrictive than before dialysis. In my humble opinion, there's the "renal diet" and then there's the "dialysis diet". My hubby started on hemodialysis and later transitioned to peritoneal dialysis. His fluid intake with the latter form is less confining than when he was on hemo. So he has his cup of coffee with me, another drink at noon, etc. He doesn't bother measuring his intake - he can adjust his dialysis solutions to accommodate if necessary. He does avoid high phosphorus items like tomatoes and cheese - that's a big no-no since dialysis doesn't remove it. If he does, then we increase his binders - we have leeway there. On the other hand, protein has become exceptionally important since his iron is always low. Hence, he's added meats, etc., back into his diet. We really don't have many issues going to restaurants - we simply ask for modifications as we go. Of much greater concern to us is his diabetes. So we look for ways to cut sugar and carbs. We're aggressive about it. (I carry low carb dressings with me, actually, ordered from Amazon.) It's taken his kidneys, we don't want it to take his eyesight, limbs, etc. We try to lead as normal a life as we can, so we regularly visit restaurants and coffee and tea shops as hubby needs to get out of the house - it brightens his mood. We just keep on eye on the menu and become friends with the wait staff - being gracious with our tips. I truly hope that we all manage to live a nice, quality life.

[BeachLove in reply to Darlenia]

Thank you for your response. I agree that the little things, such as the freedom to eat out (while making smart choices) helps with quality of life : ) So many aspects of life get narrowed by kidney disease/dialysis so finding some fun and freedom where we can is important for mental health.

[alport45]

I can echo Winj3. I just don't eat out much. Because it's rare, I don't worry very much about what I order in a restaurant. An occasional meal that includes some verboten items is not going to affect my health, or so my dietician tells me. If you like to cook, you're at an advantage. I've learned to make my favorites from scratch. Renal cookbooks are hit & miss in my experience. I've found I can modify non-renal recipes by being familiar with lists of ingredients to avoid. For instance, to cut down on protein, I used zucchini in place of meat in tacos so I could have cheese. I tried turnips for potatoes in soup. Wrong flavor. Jicama (used in Mexican cuisine), cooked in the soup for a good while, approximates potato to my taste. I make my own Italian sausage because I have several recipes in which it's the star. I, too, have a pitcher that I fill each day to ensure that I get the water I need. I started dialysis about a month ago so I'm transitioning to the less restrictive diet. Does anyone have any advice about how to get your body to accept more protein? I don't know whether it's psychological, but lots of protein makes me nauseous. I find I can't finish a regular sized burger.

[BeachLove in reply to alport45]

Thank you for your response. I have read that it can be common to have a growing distaste for certain proteins like red meat with kidney disease. Trying other types of protein, fish, turkey, etc. may be more agreeable for you. Thank you for the tip on jicama : )

[horsie63]

I have to sometimes travel for work. What I've done is before hand I'll research the restaurants we've been to before for the nutritional data to look for low sodium/low potassium items. We'll go for a week at time so I have to look at B, L and Dinner. I will bring with me snack items that fit my "diet". It takes a lot of preplanning.

[BeachLove in reply to horsie63]

Thank you! However that probably limits your restaurant choices to larger chains?

[horsie63 in reply to BeachLove]

Somewhat but once I know what the menu holds I can look up individual items and make an educated guess. Thankfully we don't have to travel much. I have found many places will happily skip putting on spices and the like. I was shocked at the sodium in shrimp however even grilled. All the things you learn/adjust to along this journey.

[BeachLove]

Thank you!