plant based diet

[Yankees28]

Hello, I have been following a plant based diet for a short time now. But recently I have felt like I am not getting enough protein. I feel weak now. Has anyone else felt like that when following a plant based diet. If so did you add any animal protein back to your diet.

[Darlenia]

Hmmm...what does your blood and urine tests say? Protein should remain in the body - it fuels your muscles, etc. But with kidney disease, kidneys often allow protein to drain out of the body via urine and so on. Protein is needed for blood cell production, bone support, and more. One figure, among others, that is crucial to look at is the albumin to globulin ratio Also look at others such as iron...many kidney patients develop low iron levels. The link below explains the situation reasonable well. It's exceptionally important for kidney disease patients to consult with a doctor before starting a diet of any sort.

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

[Yankees28 in reply to Darlenia]

Thank you. The information is very helpful. I did meet with a renal dietitian but she was not that helpful. It seemed as if she was not a big supporter of a plant based diet. She sends me recipes with chicken and fish. I do have anemia and am taking iron pills. Last blood work was 3 months ago, most numbers in normal range except decreased gfr. Was 42.

[barbara55109 in reply to Yankees28]

It is the anemia that makes me tired all the time. I don't pee protein that many with CKD. I eat mainly chicken and turkey. I might have beef once a week at most. I have to eat very low fiber so I'm not getting protein from beans or nuts either. It took 3 years of iron twice a day to raise my hemoglobin. I'm still below normal.

[OldTownhammock in reply to Yankees28]

My dietician recommended eating some animal protein. Chicken or fish in 2 ounce portions per meal. That would be half a burger patty or half a boneless chicken breast

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

yes indeedy, I had muscle wasting. I did plant base for about a year and a half. It was hard. I started to feel pfffft..... can't explain it any more than that. I struggled with getting protein because I could not eat legumes. Too much potassium. So I added eggs, mostly egg white and chicken back in. Felt much better.

Any diet that restricts too much of a food group is unhealthy.

[userotc]

I agree with the view that protein is important, particularly at early stage ckd and the link below indicates that. My mum (ckd 3) doesnt overly restrict it at present and follows Nutritional Therapy advice rather than from a renal dietician which seems to generally be more restrictive. But we are closely monitoring this with her accelerating albuminuria - which we believe is largely due to having a single kidney.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Dana66CKD]

I am early stage kidney disease. Started at 3a, but have maintIned stage 2 past 1..5 years. Started low animal protein/regular diet first, then strict plant-based with renal dietitian support. Felt weak from dropping H&H/RBC's. After 6-10 months & dropping rbc's & albumin, added back egg whites, occasional whole egg, chicken & fish. Started 80% plant, 20% animal. Better for short time, but some dizziness unexplained and heart palpitations, so increased animal protein to 25% ; 75% plant. Doing a little better yet. I also have Sjogren's syndrome and learned that the chronic inflammation can erode RBC's. WBC also dips below normal every other lab result. Before my kidney function decline, I was sometimes anemic. I ate adequate organ meat as child to young adult. As adult, no more liver, kidney or red meat. Trial of vegetarianism resulted in severe anemia, resolved quickly with dietary iron supplement.

Since 2022, has taken1.5 years for rbc's/h&h to go from 42 &14 to where it is now (below normal). I take iron 2x/week. Also added the animal protein due to low albumin level. It improved to low normal. Have felt better since.

Just depends on stage of disease & individual body needs. I tweak diet a bit, but always consult renal dietitian or Nephrologist first. Holding steady at this time.

Hope you can find what works best for you/your body.

Keep us posted. This forum has been a great tool to help relieve the anxiety & helplessness I felt 2.5 years ago.

We're with you!

[Genlady06]

I too eat plant based. Have your dr run a b12 folic. Sometimes vegans don’t get enough. I take a supplement after being approved by my dr. My daughter in law is a natural pathologist so I follow her dosing recommendations. I also have super low vit D and take a prescription vitamin for that. Of course you don’t want to take supplements you don’t need. I used to take magnesium but my nephrologist said why? Let’s run a lab and see if you need it. His point was everything you take will go through the kidneys. If you don’t need it don’t take it. But if you need a supplement definitely take it. Just my experience.

[Dana66CKD in reply to Genlady06]

I agree with that rationale. Haven't had magnesium level checked, but folate, D3, B12, Iron panel, Erythropoietin, and others are wnl, except sodium. Magnesium helps maintain cardiovascular health. What I've read is that CKD patients develop cardiovascular problems due to low magnesium. So much more I've read, but with ckd, we don't get enough... I will need magnesium level checked anyways, since has never been done.

And if I need magnesium, will depend on recommendation from Nephro too.

Thanks for info. I appreciate all on this forum for your experiences and knowledge. ❤

[RhenDutchess123]

The best advice I can give is to eat to your labs, no matter what stage of Kidney Disease you are in....Everyone's Kidney Disfunction is as different as our fingerprints...There may be many foods that you are denying yourself when you don't need to ...and actually doing more harm to other organs and your general well being

[Darlenia in reply to RhenDutchess123]

^This!^

[WildIris]

I too have been plant-based, 3 years now. I had the same feeling about protein. So I started eating more kidney beans, tofu, peanuts, all of which I happen to like, also organic corn, which contains plenty of an amino acid that is lacking in many vegetable proteins, and which I like. Oddly, I didn't like tofu much when I ate meat, now I love it. I was willing to eat an occasional egg white too for protein, as in scrambled egg whites, I bought eggs, but I never did eat an egg white. (I have a background in nutrition and biochemistry, so I'm comfortable figuring this stuff out on my own.)

I do pay attention to what I feel and want, food-wise, I believe it's a good guide. Keep happy with your food choices. Unsweetened chocolate in small quantities, yum. I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised by all the health benefits of this diet, now I hear Dr. Dean Ornish (the "you can reverse heart disease" guy) is successfully using plant-based plus at least an hour of exercise for Alzheimer's.

[Yankees28 in reply to WildIris]

Thank you for your response

[GODDESSOfLIGHT]

Shalom, I have now been on a plant-based diet almost 8 months now. I just started eating Wild Salmon, recently Wild Cod & Tuna fish in the last 3 months. I don’t eat any red meats, pork, beef or any other animals meats. I find myself eating only raw non-gmo fruits, vegetables & only wild caught fish only. I find myself now craving more raw non-gmo vegetables & fruits, soon I be eating Only raw fruits & vegetables only. I hope this help.

[SJBE]

was diagnosed with CKD in early March with reading of 31. The nephrologist cut my hydrochlorithiazide dose in half and put me on a plant based diet working with a nutritionist. I ate no red meat and very limited chicken and fish….maybe once a week . Plenty of plant based protein. Kidney reading went up to 55 in 3 months. I have adjusted my tastes and am fairly content on this diet. Plan to continue it.

[Dana66CKD]

Well, it depends on your stage of ckd. I'm stage 2, so after 9 months of strictly plant-based, I added back whole eggs or egg whites, fish or chicken breast. This was due to low albumin in blood, so not getting enough protein. I'd always been a meat eater before my Acute Kidney Injury. Now I just limit the animal protein based on my lab results. It's helping but please review with Nephro & Renal Dietitian before making any changes.