Foods for Renal Patients With Diabetes

Diabetes can often lead to renal, or kidney, disease when it is not managed properly. If you manage your diabetes carefully, you will avoid getting kidney disease, but if you had diabetes for a long time and you were diagnosed late, some damage may have already occurred. Managing blood glucose levels while not damaging the kidneys is important for renal patients. Diabetics who have kidney disease need to incorporate certain foods into their diets to maintain health.

Significance

• Blood glucose is affected by everything you eat, and the kidneys also process beverages and food. Controlling glucose levels with diet or medications can help protect against kidney damage. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose in the body. When insulin is out of balance due to diabetes, nephrons--which are the kidneys- filtering units--are gradually worn away. Giving the body artificial insulin will control blood glucose levels and prevent the damage to the kidneys.
  Drinking plenty of pure water and keeping health conditions under control will help to protect your kidneys.
  People who have kidney problems and diabetes need to eliminate foods that contain excess sodium and potassium, as these require additional filtering and too much can further weaken low-functioning kidneys.

Vegetables and Fruits

• Avoid starchy vegetables like baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and dried beans. Instead choose vegetables that are easy to digest such as peas, dark green leafy lettuce, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and eggplants. Eat your vegetables raw or steam them to maintain vitamin and mineral content.

  Since diabetics need to limit fruit juice intake, avoid orange juice and processed juices and instead choose fruit juices that are good for the kidneys, such as pure cranberry juice or homemade apple juice. Bananas should be limited because they contain potassium.

Breads and Starches

• People suffering with renal disease and diabetes should avoid white and whole wheat bread, refined cereals and white rice. Instead, choose sprouted bread that does not contain additives. Corn bread, malt-o-meal and noodles are okay in small quantities. You will need to look on the label because some breads contain high fructose corn syrup, which is not good for people with both of these conditions.

Milk and nondairy

• Dairy products contain vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, but the type of dairy foods you consume is important. Avoid chocolate milk, buttermilk and sweetened diary products such as flavored yogurt and ice cream. Instead, choose healthy options such as skim or fat-free milk, plain yogurt, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free yogurt, raw cows' milk or raw goat milk.

Considerations

• If you decide to drink raw milk, buy it from a clean, local, organic dairy. Raw milk contains high levels of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and beneficial bacteria. If raw milk is purchased from a clean dairy it is perfectly safe for consumption.