HELP⁉️❓🆘

[BecBoo02]

I could really use some help with shopping & preparing CKD specific meals. However I'm having quite the dilemma right now. One problem is I'm low income, & have 🫰 benefits, so I have limits on what I can spend, which also means no mail delivery pre packaged meals, & I may be wrong, but I've noticed that foods like 🍝 & 🍔 traditionally were a lot cheaper than specialty diets, a 1 lb pkg of great value (Walmart generic brand for those of you who don't have a Walmart or Sam's Club) frozen tilapia fillets are about the same 💲 as a lb of 🐄, $5.62 give or take a few pennies. 2lbs of frozen salmon, flounder, & even cod, which I was raised to believe is garbage 🐟, are all over $10 a bag. Even simple things like lettuce costs $1.88 a head, A 16oz box of Great Value Small Pasta Shells costs $1.18, & that's not at regular grocery stores. The current U.S. national average price for 🍔 is approx $5.25 a lb, which is some serious inflation 📈, even from just 5 years ago, back when I used to cook all of the time. Waaay back in the year 1984, when I was about 8 years old, & the dinosaurs 🦖 used to roam the earth 😆 🦕, & I was building my lifelong eating & shopping habits, going to the store with my Mum, & already suffering from poor nutrition (I was a chunky 🐒 child from age 8 to... well I'm still extremely 🐷, when you have kidney stones, exercise is almost impossible, too much 🤕), it cost around $1.39 a lb. This is my main concern with 🌿 based diets, or any specialty diets for that matter. I'm also trying to cope with the high potassium, & calcium restrictions, I do seem to be ok with the phosphates, which is funny since almost all prepackaged food & drink items have phosphates in them. I'm really struggling with the fact that a lot of the 🥦 & 🍉 that I grew up thinking were healthy for you are actually, from what I can understand during translation from Dr to patient speak, super dangerous for those of us with CKD. Lucky for me my insurance plan covers all of my regular health issues & all of my kidney issues... am I right? How am I supposed to get the calcium my ☠️ need?(Early menopause is also a side effect of CKD that I'm experiencing, not to mention the fact that I'm over 45, that usually means osteoporosis). I can't drink 🥛, keep colds away without the vitamin c in 🍊? I'm not even supposed to eat 🍅 on my 🥗, & that's almost unheard of. No 🍌, 🍈, honeydew, cooked 🥦, 🥔,🍄,🫛, 🥒, & even zucchini. Milk, yogurt, tuna, halibut, & cod also have potassium. As you can probably 👀, I'm very perplexed & dumbfounded, it makes me not want to eat at all. I even went to a dietitian, & I still feel moronic & uncertain! I need some of these nutrients, yet my insurance will not pay for supplements. Any advice? Or a website with a very detailed meal plan, & cooking directions? I'd ask my nephrologist, but he's always in a hurry. Any help would be appreciated!Thx 🤔🤪

[S_dillow]

moderation is the key.im t 2 diabetic which means i have to follow that diet.i feel ya we re on limited income no snap and its a juggling act to balance diet with bills

[Darlenia]

I'm sorry I can't really help you with the grocery store situation. I understand Aldi has somewhat lower prices than others, but I'm not sure is that one is in your area nor do I know of any resources you might tap to help pay those high prices. I do know that a good number of people go to the Davita website for information and to download their kidney friendly cooksbooks for free. Here's a link that takes you there: davita.com/diet-nutrition/r...

[BecBoo02 in reply to Darlenia]

Thanks so much for the website, their recipes look yummy 🤤

[CKD2-4]

Hi. I am a member of a Facebook group called. “Kidney Friendly Tasty Eats’. This group posts kidney friendly recipes and diet tips- the recipes generally are cost effective-

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

Davita web site has recipes and diet tracking which can be a big help. Possibly get referral to a renal dietitian. Davita also gives a class on CKD which was helpful to me.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI, I found it very hard to figure out your post with all the icons. So I going to take a stab at what you were getting at. For us older, not so hip, folks, please just use words when you post.

Being on low income is tough. My first suggestion is to find out if you have a local food shelf. They often have more healthier foods to offer, especially in the summer. But they can certainly help you out with basics. There is no shame in using a Food Shelf or pantry. It is why they are there. You can usually Google to find a local one.

You went to a dietician, you said. They did not offer up a meal plan? Or were just not interested in what they said? Following a renal diet is not that complicated. It takes some lifestyle changes.

You were, I think, saying beef and fish is expensive. YUP it is. Stay away from red meat. Learn to cut down on your protein which is always more costly. Chicken is still cheaper than beef. Eggs are easier on the kidneys and egg white especially are great on a renal diet. One of my favorite breakfasts is a microwaved scramble (less fat if you use an egg cooker in the microwave) on a low carb, low salt tortilla with a bit of shredded cheese.

You listed foods to stay away from. YUP. Tomatoes, potatoes in any form, melon, bananas and so on,.... not good for you now. Berries, cherries, strawberries, blue berries apples, are all good for you. Apples are great and not too expensive. I add apples to salads, and left over chicken to make chicken salad. Shop for in season fruits.

Veggies are your new best friend. Carrots, red and green peppers, onions, celery, radishes, even lettuce like red and green lettuce are all good for you. Learn to love salads. Make your own dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of bottle dressings. There are more veggies you can look up. There are many websites that list good and bad. Even with something that may have a higher potassium, just don't eat anything else that day with high potassium. It evens it out.

If you don't have diabetes, pastas and rice are fabulous for stretching meals. Less than $2.00 and you can make multiple meals with it. Add veggies, and different herbs and a splash of olive oil and garlic to make it wonderful without tomatoes. My favorite is broccoli with pasta.... I soak the broccoli in water for over an hour to help lower the potassium. But since that is all I am eating with potassium, its ok.

I suggest since you know how to use a computer that you get on a food tracking app. It will help you to know how much potassium you are actually eating when you track it. I use MYFITNESSPAL.

A couple more things... red meat and high uric acid foods can cause kidney stones. You did not say what type you have. There are also oxalate stones, and again different foods cause those.

You also did not say what level CKD you have. At stage 3, you concerns are valid, but you have much more flexibility in your diet than at stage 4 or 5.

Having a chronic illness requires a patient to work at helping themselves. This means looking up information, finding a good dietician who know renal diets, and asking questions. It can be over whelming but there is a lot of good information out there. There is tons of it here on this site alone. If you go up to the right hand side of the page, you will see diet and nutrition.

And keep asking questions. We are here to help.

[BecBoo02 in reply to Bassetmommer]

Sorry about the emojis, I read an article that said emojis can help lighten up the mood. As to all of the things I forgot, I have stage 3B, the dietitian gave me all of these print outs, but didn't explain anything. I love salads and even more if it's got vinegar and oil. Lastly... I think, I have asked multiple times and even looked at my electronic health records, but for some reason after all of those surgeries, someone dropped the ball, and no one seems to know what my stones are made of. The only thing I know for sure is that a few of them were jack stones. I have another appointment in July and my Dr is finally going to put me on Farxiga. I'll do my best to get some definitive answers. Thanks so much for your help.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to BecBoo02]

They can analyze the stones, then know. And it makes a difference. Farxiga is an amazing drug. My hubby is on it. He went from stage 3 b to almost stage 2. AND his diabetes improved. Are you diabetic?

[OldTownhammock in reply to Bassetmommer]

Thank you. I always find your posts very informative