Arizona Kidney Disease & Hypertension Center


Nutrition Services

Your doctor may refer you to our registered dietitians, or you may request nutrition services at any of our office locations.

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Nutrition and Chronic Kidney Disease

The kidneys perform many important jobs to keep the body healthy. These jobs include: getting rid of wastes and excess fluid, balancing fluids and certain chemicals in the body, removing drugs and toxins from the body and releasing important hormones that help make red blood cells, regulate blood pressure and keep the bones healthy. The goal of your treatment is to slow or prevent your kidney disease from getting worse. DIET is an important part of your treatment plan. In fact, your diet may change depending on how much kidney function you have. Making changes in the foods you eat may help slow further kidney damage. Certain nutrients such as protein, calories, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and fluid may need to be adjusted to meet your changing needs.

What Steps Can I Take To Make Changes In My Diet for Chronic Kidney Disease?

1. Ask your doctor for a referral to our registered dietitian who specializes

in diets for kidney patients

2. Keep a food diary of what you eat daily and bring this with you when

you see the dietitian

3. Plan meals with your dietitian that provide the right amount of calories, protein,

sodium, potassium and phosphorus, depending on your kidney function

4. Read food labels in order to make appropriate calorie, protein and sodium choices

5. Ask your dietitian for ideas on how to add extra calories if you are losing body

weight too quickly in diets for kidney patients

6. Ask your dietitian on ways to safely reduce calorie intake and increase

physical activity if you are gaining too much weight

7. Take only those supplements, vitamins, minerals and medications recommended

by your doctor

8. Making changes in the way you usually eat may seem overwhelming.

Our dietitian can help you to plan meals to fit these special needs while

still including many of your favorite foods.

Protein

Protein is an important nutrient in the body needed for building muscles, repairing tissues and fighting infections. Your doctor may recommend that you follow a diet that has controlled amounts of protein. The kidneys are working around the clock to get rid of excess water and wastes. When the body digests protein, a waste product called urea is left over. This waste is difficult for your kidneys to filter. Limiting total protein in your diet may decrease the workload of the kidneys. Eating too much protein can make your kidneys work much harder, which can cause more damage to your kidneys. Our dietitian can work with you to determine appropriate portion sizes of high protein foods, such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products. Your blood work will also be monitored in order to prevent malnutrition.

Calories

It is important to eat the right amount of calories each day. If your calorie intake is too low, your body’s protein will be burned for energy. This will cause you to lose weight and muscle strength. If you are overweight, you can discuss ways to reduce calories safely with the dietitian.

Sodium

Too much sodium, or salt, can lead to high blood pressure, swelling and thirst. A lower-sodium diet can help to keep blood pressure from rising and help blood pressure medicines work better. Reading food labels and becoming aware of the hidden sodium in foods such as processed foods, snack foods, frozen foods and restaurant foods is essential. Our dietitian can help you with tips to lower sodium and still enjoy flavorful foods.

Potassium

Potassium is a mineral required for many functions such as building muscles, transmission of nerve impulses and heart activity, to name a few. As kidney disease progresses, potassium may not be excreted and can build up in the blood. This build up can be dangerous for the heart and can cause an irregular heartbeat. Your physician will inform you if your potassium is elevated.

Some foods are high in potassium and may need to be avoided, such as oranges, bananas, dried fruit, nuts, cantaloupe and honeydew melon, potatoes, avocado, beans, salt substitutes, spinach and tomatoes. Our dietitian can help you plan your meals to fit your special potassium requirements, while still including many of the foods you like.

Fluid

As kidney disease progresses, they kidneys may not be able to regulate the fluids in the body. In general, you do not need to limit the amount of fluids you drink in the earlier stages of kidney disease. Fluid overload may be dangerous, causing high blood pressure, tissue swelling and heart failure. Your doctor may recommend a fluid restriction and our dietitian can work with you to help regulate your fluid intake and thirst.

Calcium and Phosphorus

Calcium and phosphorus are minerals that make up strong bones. Kidney disease can cause an imbalance in these minerals because the kidney cannot filter phosphorus from the blood. As phosphorus builds up in the blood, this causes many problems such as itching, muscle aches, bones that break easily and calcification of the heart, skin, joints and vessels.

To control phosphorus from building up in your blood, it is important to eat foods low in phosphorus and avoid or limit foods that are high in phosphorus, such as:

Milk and other dairy products (yogurt, ice cream)

Beans and lentils

Sardines

Organ meats

Colas and beer

Common questions you may have...

1. Will it help me to follow a 'special diet' now that I have chronic kidney disease(CKD)?

Yes, following a low sodium, low protein diet can help to slow the progression of

CKD.

2. How do I get help with setting nutrition goals to slow my kidney disease?

Just ask you doctor, or medical assistant, for a referral to one of our renal

(kidney) dietitians. They are here to help coach you towards food choices that

will help your kidneys.

3. What if I already follow a heart healthy diet or a diabetic diet?

The 'healthy kidney nutrition plan' also includes information for nutritional

management of your heart condition or diabetes. Some food recommendations

will change based on your level of kidney function.

4. Why do I hear so many different things about which foods are good for me and which foods aren't?

Food is special to us all. We enjoy our favorite foods, and so each person's

decison about how they can follow the kidney diet will be different. Modifications

are made based on your own kidney function, your own lifestyle, and your own

decisions about what you eat.

Web sites for further support:
www.aakp.org
www.kidney.org
www.niddk.nih.gov
www.kidneyschool.org
www.ikidney.com

Best wishes, your nutrition team - Jill, Crystal, Guadalupe, Winnie, Tammy and Joyce