Patients with Kidney disease need to be careful about their food choices to avoid excess wastes and fluid from building up. With the progression of the disease, the dietary needs may vary. The intent of doing this is to

• reduce the workload of kidneys
• preserve the kidney function that is left

It will be important for you to understand how to eat well and how to get the right amount of Protein, minerals to maintain a healthy weight and manage your fluid balance.

The goal is to delay the onset for the need of dialysis, minimizing failing kidney symptoms such as uremia and maintaining an optimal health.

General Diet Guidelines:

1. Protein: Protein needs for a kidney patient in not requiring dialysis would be less than those having dialysis. In the early stages of CKD, the kidneys are still able to work however, need to work much harder to remove all the waste. Consuming food rich in protein may lead to overworked kidneys causing more damage to the kidneys.
Eating less Protein helps to preserve kidney function and prevent additional damage to the kidneys.

To calculate the recommended intake of protein, you can multiple your weight with 0.8gms/kilogram.

e.g. A person weighing 52 kg will require 52 x 0.8 = 42gms of protein/day

2. Potassium: It is important to check your blood report to see if your potassium is beyond the range. An optimal potassium range is 3.5 – 5.0 mg/dl
if the reading shows high potassium, avoid the following food items:

• wholegrain cereals, bread and biscuits
• fruits and vegetables from the high potassium group e.g. banana
• canned fruits and vegetable, juices, milk, wine
• nuts, seeds

3. Sodium: The main source of sodium is salt. This should be avoided regardless of the Kidney Disease. Salt is found in almost all the packaged and processed foods.

Salt makes to feel thirsty which will result in drinking more fluid. Sodium restriction in kidney disease helps to maintain normal fluid balance.

4. Phosphorus: With the lack of kidney function, blood phosphate level may also rise. When it begins to build up in the blood, calcium is drawn from the bone. This may lead to joint pain, eye irritation, itchiness and hardening blood vessels.

Here is a list of food rich in phosphorus:

• dairy products
• dark sodas
• nuts and peanut butter
• beer
• legumes
• organ meats