The Effects Of Kidney Disease
Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage tiny blood vessels in your kidneys, which means they cannot filter your blood properly.
As a result, tiny particles of protein spill into the urine this is called microalbuminuria. As kidney disease progresses, larger amounts of protein spill into the urine this condition is called proteinuria.
As kidney disease progresses, waste products start to build up in your blood because your body can’t get rid of them. If left untreated, your kidneys will eventually fail and dialysis or a kidney transplant will be required.
Diabetes can also affect the nerves that tell you when your bladder is full. The pressure from a full bladder can damage the kidneys. If urine remains in the bladder for a long time, it can increase your risk of developing a urinary tract infection, which can spread to the bladder.
Limit Your Salt Intake
Sodium sneaks its way into all sorts of places you wouldnt imagine, especially packaged foods such as soups and breads. Limiting your sodium intake helps keep your blood pressure under control. Aim for 2,300 mg per day, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration thats about 1 teaspoon of table salt.
If youre at risk of or already have high blood pressure, Maruschak suggests following a low-sodium diet specifically the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan. Also try these tips to keep your sodium in check:
Packaged Foods Instant Meals And Fast Food
Packaged foods, instant meals, and fast food tend to be high in sodium, which is one reason they arent ideal for someone with kidney disease and diabetes.
Some examples of these foods are instant noodles, frozen pizza, frozen boxed meals, and other types of microwavable meals.
For example, a slice of frozen pepperoni pizza contains 568 mg of sodium, one-quarter of the advised sodium intake if you have kidney disease, and doesnt provide significant amounts of beneficial nutrients .
These foods are also heavily processed and often high in refined carbs. This isnt ideal if you have diabetes, as refined carbs are digested quickly and tend to spike blood sugar levels .
Summary
Packaged foods, instant meals, and fast food are high in sodium and refined carbs but low in beneficial nutrients. Limit your intake of these foods if you have kidney disease and diabetes.
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Keep in mind that when these leafy veggies are cooked, they shrink to a significantly smaller size but still contain the same amount of potassium.
So, if you have kidney disease, its better to eat them raw, as youre likely to eat a smaller amount of them this way. That said, its OK to eat them cooked, as long as you manage your portion sizes.
Spinach, beet greens, chard, and other leafy veggies are also high in oxalic acid, an organic compound that can form oxalates once bound to minerals such as calcium.
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The Truth About Carbs
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of bread may be that its high carbs. Carbohydrates have gotten a bad wrap mainly because of the increased popularity of weight loss diets like paleo, keto, and south beach.
If you have diabetes you may have also been instructed to limit your carbohydrates to keep your blood sugars in check. The truth is you can have bread even if you have diabetes!
Carbohydrates arent the devil. They provide your body with important nutrients like fiber and fuels your body with energy.
Fiber is a carbohydrate that your body cant digest and helps you feel full for longer. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which your body converts to energy to function.
Some carbohydrates are better to eat than others when you have kidney disease and diabetes. By eating whole grains, these carbohydrates provide your body with lots of fiber to prevent blood sugar spikes and offer your body more vitamins and minerals that you need.
Diabetic Renal Diet Meal Ideas
You may be thinking: Great, Melanie. I know I should eat more vegetables, but how can I make a meal out of those! Here are some ideas for building a healthy meal that fits with making ½ of your plate vegetables along with a little grain and a little protein.
Check out my recipes for more meal ideas for people with kidney disease and diabetes.
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Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Small Slice
This is another great choice that belongs in the best bread for kidney disease category. Its a fairly new product found in most grocery stores.
Each slice has 105 mg sodium, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams added sugar, no added phosphates, and 3 grams protein.
There we have it! The best bread for kidney disease is one that contains whole intact grains that are low in sodium, sugar, and added phosphates, and high in fiber.
Bread can have a place on the table if you have diabetes and kidney disease. Making healthy choices the majority of the time is key to managing your kidney disease.
Foods To Avoid With Kidney Disease And Diabetes
Your kidneys are organs that play several important roles in your health. They help filter your blood, remove waste products, produce hormones, keep your bones strong, regulate fluid balance, and regulate your blood pressure.
Unfortunately, your kidneys can get damaged and become less efficient over time. This is commonly called kidney disease, and it affects around 10% of adults globally (
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Prolonged high blood sugar levels may damage your blood vessels, including those in your kidneys. As a result, about 1 in 3 adults with diabetes also have kidney disease .
Dietary guidelines for kidney disease and diabetes vary based on the stage of kidney disease. The goal is to prevent the buildup of various chemicals, nutrients, and waste products in the blood to preserve kidney function.
People with kidney disease and diabetes should monitor their intake of sugar and the minerals sodium, potassium, and phosphorus.
Generally, people with kidney disease should consume no more than 2,300 mg each of sodium. They should also monitor their potassium and phosphorus intakes according to their doctors advice 30726-5/fulltext” rel=”nofollow”> 3).
The National Kidney Foundations most recent Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines dont set specific limits on potassium or phosphorus 30726-5/fulltext” rel=”nofollow”> 3).
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Kidney Disease And Diabetes
Diet information may be confusing if you have diabetes and kidney disease. Choosing healthy food is important for people who have both diabetes and kidney disease. The overall goal is to make healthy food choices that you can maintain over a lifetime. Your renal diet should provide a variety of foods and should consider your cultural differences and your usual eating routines.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes you will need to continue to follow your renal diet. You will need to limit salt. You may need to limit phosphorus and potassium, depending on your kidney health. As well, your daily protein amount may vary depending on your stage of kidney disease.
If potassium is restricted in your diet, choose fruits and vegetables from the lower and medium potassium group.
If you need a phosphorus restriction it is important to limit dairy foods, fast food and processed foods. See the phosphorus handout provided by your dietitian for other foods high in phosphorous.
Talk with your dietitian to make a plan that works for you.
Recipes Nephcure Kidney International
There are many resources for kidney friendly recipes. Here are a few helpful links: DaVita Recipes : This website has over 1,000 renal friendly recipes and a free Diet Helper service! The American Association of Kidney Patients Kidney Friendly Recipes : A great resource with many recipes for all meals! The Kidney Foundation of Canada Kidney Kitchen Cookbook : A community cookbook that includes options for beverages, breakfast, lunch, and dinner! There is also a meal plan option. The National Kidney Foundation My Food Coach : Allows you to specify your diet between full renal diet, low sodium, and diabetic. The American Heart Association Nutrition Center : Provides a lot of tips on dining out, cooking, and healthy shopping. Heart Healthy Online Low Sodium Recipes : If youve been advised to follow a low-sodium diet, these delicious recipes are perfect for you they all have 140 mg or less of sodium per serving. Mega Heart Low Sodium Recipes : This site has a lot of low sodium recipes and there is even a kids section! Have a recipe you LOVE to make? Share your own Kidney Friendly Recipes in our online community, NephSpace !Continue reading > >
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Is Bread Good For Kidney Disease
In short, yes! Bread and other healthy carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet for kidney disease.
You may be thinking But doesnt bread have carbs?. Answer: yes! Bread is a wonderful source of carbohydrate, and this is a GOOD thing!
Carbs have been demonized, perhaps partially due to the keto diet craze. But carbohydrates are actually a critical part of a healthy diet for kidney disease.
Bottom line: Bread is good for kidney disease! But, you want to make sure you choose mostly healthy, fiber-rich bread . And, that you eat bread and other carbohydrates as part of a balanced diet.
Recommended Foods For Kidney Disease And Diabetes
On a general note, for those of you who have a kidney disease, it is ideal to avoid consumption of nuts. But almonds and kidney disease share a special relationship with each other. Almonds are not procured directly from the tree. It is the inner fruit present in the drupe of a seed. Hence almonds are highly recommended for patients having a kidney disease. This has already been advocated by the Renal Specialists across the globe.
Foods to eat with diabetes can be checked via e-books on how to beat insulin the most ideal manner. You have reputed authors who have shared their snippets online on how to avoid foods that are detrimental to insulin dependent patients.
The foods you need to avoid and foods that are recommended for consumption follow strict guidelines in conjunction with two illnesses namely Diabetes and CKD.
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Whole Grains Vs Refined Grains
Whole grains are the entire grain kernel- bran, germ, and endosperm. Whole grains and whole wheat are both great options for people with kidney disease.
Both whole grain and whole wheat products contain the entire kernel. Whole wheat refers to products that are only using whole wheat kernels. Whole grains refers to other grains.
Examples of whole grains are
- Whole wheat
- Popcorn
- Buckwheat
Refined grains have been processed to remove the bran and the germ, just leaving the endosperm. The process is done to give it a longer shelf life and a smoother texture.
Examples of refined grains are
- All purpose flour
What Type Of Foods Should Be Avoided During Kidney Disease And Diabetes
According to nutritionist Ms. Shilpa Singh from Fatima Hospital, Lucknow, foods that have potassium, soda, can increase blood pressure or are hard to digest needs to be avoided.This is because kidneys that help to filter blood and remove waste products need to work extra to ingest those type of foods. Also kidneys get less efficient over period of time, hence adults who have some type of kidney problems should avoid various nutrients, chemicals, etc such as sodium, potassium, and phosphorus from their general diet.
Diabetes also increases the risk of kidney disorder if dietary regulations are not taken care of. Here is the list of foods that need to be avoided if you have kidney disease and diabetes at the same time.
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Limit Phosphorus And Calcium
You need these minerals to keep your bones healthy and strong. When your kidneys are healthy, they remove the phosphorus you donât need. But if you have CKD, your phosphorus levels can get too high. This puts you at risk for heart disease. Whatâs more, your calcium levels begin to drop. To make up for it, your body pulls it from your bones. This can make them weak and easier to break.
If you have late-stage CKD, your doctor may advise you to get no more than 1,000 milligrams of phosphorus mineral each day. You can do this by:
- Choosing foods with low levels of phosphorous
- Eating more fresh fruits and veggies
- Choosing corn and rice cereals
- Drinking light-colored sodas
- Cutting back on meat, poultry, and fish
- Limiting dairy foods
Foods that are high in calcium also tend to be high in phosphorus. The doctor might suggest you cut back on calcium-rich foods. Dairy foods that are lower in phosphorus include:
The doctor might also tell you to stop taking over-the-counter calcium supplements and suggest a phosphorus binder, a medicine that controls your phosphorus levels.
Most Beans And Lentils
In most cases, beans and lentils are considered healthy and convenient.
However, for people with kidney disease and diabetes, beans and lentils both canned and fresh are not ideal due to their relatively high phosphorus content. Canned versions are typically also high in sodium.
For example, 1 cup of canned lentils contains 633 mg of potassium and 309 mg of phosphorus.
If you enjoy beans and lentils, you can still eat them in small amounts but not as a standard carb component of your meal.
If you choose canned beans and lentils, opt for a low sodium or no salt added version. Also, older research suggests that draining and rinsing canned foods can reduce their sodium content by as much as 3380%, depending on the product .
Another factor to consider is how much potassium your body absorbs from different food sources. Only about 4050% of phosphorus is absorbed from plant sources, compared with up to 70% from animal sources .
Theres also evidence that plant-based diets, which rely more on legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds for protein, may slow the progression of chronic kidney disease .
Summary
Most beans and lentils are high in phosphorus and potassium, which means theyre not ideal for people who have kidney disease and diabetes. If you choose to eat them, opt for a smaller portion and choose low sodium versions.
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Reduce Your Potassium Intake
This mineral helps your nerves and muscles work properly. But when you have CKD, your body canât filter out extra potassium. When you have too much of it in your blood, it can lead to serious heart problems.
Potassium is found in a lot of fruits and veggies, like bananas, potatoes, avocados, oranges, cooked broccoli, raw carrots, greens , tomatoes, and melons. These foods can affect potassium levels in your blood. Your doctor will let you know if you need to limit this mineral in your diet. If so, they may recommend you try low-potassium foods, like:
As your CKD gets worse, you may need to make other changes to your diet. This might involve cutting back on foods that are high in protein, especially animal protein. These include meats, seafood, and dairy products. You may also need extra iron. Talk to your doctor about which iron-rich foods you can eat when you have CKD.
Prevention & Treatment Of Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is closely linked to high blood sugar, high blood pressure and smoking. The best way to prevent or delay kidney damage is to:
- keep your blood sugar and blood pressure at target
- avoid smoking
- take your medications as prescribed
- have your blood cholesterol checked annually and keep it at target
- follow a healthy meal plan
- exercise regularly
- talk to your doctor about getting screened
If you’ve already been diagnosed with kidney damage or kidney disease, you may need to limit certain foods to prevent waste products building up in your body. Your health-care team may suggest you limit protein foods or foods high in potassium, phosphate or sodium. Controlling your blood pressure is also very important. You should see a registered dietitian for diet advice that is right for you.
In advanced or “end-stage” kidney disease, dialysis may be needed to do the job of the kidneys.
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Foods To Avoid For Kidney Disease Potato & Sweet Potato
Both potatoes and sweet potatoes are rich in potassium. Therefore, kidney disease patients, especially those in the late stages, have to be very aware of them.
A medium baked potato can contain up to 610 mg of potassium. In comparison, a standard baked sweet potato contains 541 mg of potassium.
We have a tip for you: It is best to soak potatoes or sweet potatoes before cooking. This way, you can reduce its potassium contents. A study shows that boiling small, thin pieces of potatoes for at least 10 minutes can reduce potassium content by 50%. Another research implies that soaking a potato before cooking can reduce its potassium content by 70%.
While it is possible to get rid of excess potassium in potatoes and sweet potatoes, they are still high in carbs. Therefore, if you have kidney disease and diabetes or are at risk of diabetes, it is best to eat them in moderation.