7 years ago I started losing kidney function pretty quickly. I changed my eating style, but wasn’t told to go vegan. I had dropped to 22%, I only have one working kidney. Since then I worked really hard and stayed 28% for a long time and then hit 30% last summer before vacation. After vacation I fell to 22%. I didn’t understand what went wrong. The only think I could figure is we went to the mountains and walked a lot. I have always carried water with me and thought maybe I just wasn’t drinking enough water. Since then I have tried to eat a vegan lifestyle, but I’m not a good vegan. I am 108 lbs so can’t afford to lose weight and that is what was happening. I got down to 100 lbs and had to eat stuff that I know isn’t the greatest for me, but I had to gain my weight back. I still don’t eat meat. I’ve returned to my 108lbs, but lost function to 16 and over 3 on protein leak and want to try again. I’ve been on a FB site and see where gluten/bread is not good for your kidneys and a lot of other things. I’m not a good cook and have tried making stuff I’ve seen using oats and no baking soda etc., they just don’t turn out very well. I have done some stir fries and they are ok, but I’m not getting enough calories. I’m wondering if there is anyone here that is small like me that has had success in gaining back function. I know there are people who have lost weight and gained function just because of that, but that’s not my case. Thanks.
Vegan Diet: 7 years ago I started losing... - Kidney Disease
Vegan Diet
Hello - first good for you for maintaining your kidney function over so many years, from where I'm sitting that is pretty remarkable. I like you only have one working kidney , weigh 108 but have a lower gfr of 16 (down from 20 last year). I also have been pretty rigid with my diet, eating mostly plant based though I do have small amounts of salmon and cod about 1-2 times a week. My proteinuria has been high for many years now and because of that my nephrologist says that even with my super careful diet and regular exercise, I will continue to decline faster than others that don't have so much protein spill, so your decline could have something to do with that.
All of this to say, I'm still looking as well to try to preserve my function as long as possible so am also curious to know if others have had success in gaining back function with high proteinuria.
One thing I do add to my diet is flax seed oil (raw) and I cook with small amounts of coconut and olive oil- pretty much the only fat I get in my diet. I use Buckwheat flour which according to my holistic nutritionist is easier on the kidneys - easy to make buckwheat pancakes with coconut oil. I also use almond flour wraps to make veggie wraps with hummus and sometimes I'll add some olive oil there as well.
good luck to you!
Thanks skmc16. I tried to make a crust out of oats last week and it didn’t turn out very well. I like the wrap idea. Maybe that can help me if I can make them turn out. The FB site I was on said oils aren’t good for kidneys, there is so much conflicting information, I wish the doctors knew more. Im just constantly hungry. My potassium also wavers between 4.7 and 5.3, but I’ve been told that potassium from fruits and vegetables doesn’t get absorbed like with meat, but don’t know why it would be at the higher end of the scale if it didn’t.
How do the almond flour wraps taste....good?
They're ok, not great, more of a filler for the veggies I stuff in there and hummus - occasionally add a small bit of avocado. I only have them a couple times a week since they do have potassium.
Hi,I’m sorry you’re going through this. What is the cause of your kidney disease? A visit to a good renal dietitian would warranted.
Are you gluten intolerant? If not, I think it would be ok to have products made with organic or at least non-gmo wheat. Sour dough bread is a nice choice because it is cultured.
You could have rice pasta with red pepper sauce instead of tomato since you have high potassium. Salads, soups, sheet pan roasted veggie fajitas on organic corn tortillas or in a bowl with some rice and black beans sans tortilla. Carrot mock dogs, portobello mushroom burgers with all the fixings, baked sweet potatoes topped with leftover fajita veggies, whole roasted cauliflower rubbed with garlic and brushed with Dijon mustard mixed with a bit of olive oil if using, carrot bacon BLT. Oatmeal with berries or pan roasted apples, cinnamon, with oat milk(make sure this is just oats and no added thickeners, chemicals). Baked apples or pears. Instead of salt I like the Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning. Try to eat mostly organic or at least non GMO verified foods.
Hope some of these ideas help.
Hi, Im liking the sound of your diet 😋. 3b at the moment. Working towards changing my eating habits. Best regards
Thanks Jamok. I do think I have a gluten issue. Didn’t have it all my life but think it’s something going on for a little while now. I like some of your ideas. Some I’m worried about like mushrooms because of potassium and peppers because if proteinuria. I do try to do veggies, will have to try the tortilla thing. Do you make your own tortillas? I haven’t found any at the site that don’t have sodium and other unhealthy things in them.
I also snack on veggies, but eating fruit/veggies doesn’t work very well because I’m constantly hungry.
You absolutely could make your own corn tortillas with organic Mesa but there are some from Whole Foods that have lower sodium and Trader Joe’s has an oil free one. I know the group you’re talking about by the way. I think it works for a lot of people because they are addressing other issues like obesity, diabetes, and other unhealthy habits that cause inflammation so that when they start to eat healthily their kidneys improve because the conditions that cause their kidney disease have improved. But I also know there are people that have done some of what that group does but also they do include fish occasionally and some healthy oils and kidney function improves Without the drastic measures. I also know some people who follow it strictly that have a genetic kidney disease who don’t see much improvement but it may help to some degree to slow down the decline because it puts less burden on the kidneys by eliminating animal proteins. I always say everything in moderation. You can’t hyperfocus on this- just eat food that’s as healthy and as close to its natural state as possible with at least 3 grams of fiber and drink your water, light exercise like walking or biking can eliminate some toxins through sweating 30 minutes 3x a week. And always run everything by your nephrologist.
Having one kidney does not explain your kidney decline…Do you know the reason for your CKD?
Thanks Jamok. They didn’t do a biopsy to make sure, but I have 2 brothers who had issues also. I know I relied on aspirin for many years, but I had kidney stones and my one kidney only working 50% when I was in my early 20s. Didn’t have any other issues until I hit 52 and I wondered if menopause helped push it along cause that is the only thing that changed that year. I used to exercise and take classes before it tanked when I was 52 and that scared me too and I backed off a little, but then totally stopped thinking it wasn’t helping my condition because I started getting osteopenia even though I was working out, thought it was adding to my proteinuria. I was always staying fit. I am trying to get back into it now.
Google ADTKD kidney disease. Perhaps it applies to you. Take care
Thanks Jamok. That’s interesting. It seems some of it pertains to me and some doesn’t. I just figured it was hereditary since my brothers had problems, but one of my brothers may have gotten it because of type 2 diabetes also, won’t really know since none of us got tested. That brother got a transplant several years ago.
Do you have a nephrologist? A renal dietitian? Who is monitoring your condition? Is 108 lbs "normal " for you? Ate you underweight?
Yes I have both. I don’t think they are much help though. I have a urologist that I see twice a year and he is more helpful when I have questions, but again doctors don’t know much about nutrition. I’ve always weighed around 108-112. My dietician says it’s a good weight. It may just be me, but I’ve become afraid of food. The FB group I’m on says no nuts, oils, gluten etc and my dietician says the opposite. I’ve changed eating habits so much over the years with trying different things and I was eating nuts before and once I stopped that I started seeing increases in GFR so I tend to believe that may have been an issue. Also I may have an intolerance to gluten also. Gluten is an inflammatory thing.
Wow. You're really getting mixed messages from your health care providers as well as the internet. I wish you could find a nephrologist who can be the team captain and manage your care. Also, I'm a little concerned about your comment that you're "afraid" of food and your reported long time problems with eating. Can this be behind some resistance to some guidance? You need to find a responsible, reliable doctor who can manage your care. Can your urologist whom you seem to trust recommend someone. The whole area of CKD dieting can be very complex as far as I am concerned and one can get very lost easily without proper guidance. Just on the surface, its best to listen to your renal dietitian rather than a FB source.
Depending on your labs and other health issues, there are many recipes that you can use that may be vegetarian but not necessarily vegan. You may need to get more assertive with your health care providers and get them to work together. Please keep us posted as many of us in the community are interested and are willing to offer support.
Thanks drmind. I am going to talk to my urologist next month. I also have seen an ENT and she thinks I have acid reflux caused by rice, which is something I thought was helping me cause I had changed to eating a lot of stir fries last year before I went on vacation and I tanked. Every time I think I’ve done right, something else just seems to happen. I lost the wind in my sails after I tanked last year and then lost a lot of weight by really not eating much. I’ve been so on top of finding what is right. My dietitian isn’t totally renal, she is just a dietician. Don’t know that we have any that are just renal.
An ENT doctor is diagnosing you with acid reflux? And, you went on a fried rice only diet that caused you to "tank." You need a strong health provider managing your case. Also, there seems to he some issues with eating. Thus, you may want to seek some counseling to see if this could get at the bottom of your problems and also help you organize a proper health care team. Right now, you seem to be scattering your energies among various professionals and not getting the help you need. Please stay in touch.
Sorry no you misunderstood. I changed to eating rice instead of other things and noticed I was getting a really bad cough every time I ate. I went to an allergist and didn’t have any allergies and then went to the ENT and she gave me a list of things that could be triggering acid reflux and rice was the one thing on the list that I really ate and since it started after I started eating a lot of rice she told me to eliminate anything that was on the list to see if that was it. That’s when I stopped eating rice and then started losing a lot of weight because all I ate were fruits, vegetables oatmeal and pieces of bread just so I wasn’t hungry, which is how I’m figuring out now I may have the gluten issue because my stomach gets upset when I eat bread. I haven’t totally eliminated rice, but don’t eat as much and still have the irritation. I can’t take acid reflux pills because of my kidney. I’m going to talk to my urologist cause I trust him, I just don’t think most doctors know that you can bounce back from this, but he does. Even the recipes in the NKF website aren’t kidney friendly. They are just now finding out that vegan diets do work, but I’m just wondering if it’s even going to work for me anymore.
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