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Nutrition & Renal Diet

If you have been diagnosed with kidney disease, your doctor might suggest compliance with a renal diet. A renal diet is an elimination diet--a diet which restricts certain foods groups--designed to take the strain off of your kidneys and allow you the best possible chance at living a long and healthy life. While following a renal diet might seem overwhelming at first, before long it will become nothing more than another nutritional habit.

  1. Kidney Disease and Renal Diet

    • Chronic kidney disease is a fairly common condition that affects an estimated 26 million people in the United States alone. Aside from regular medical treatment, the best way to combat the development of kidney disease is to adhere to a renal diet. By reducing the stress on your kidneys through compliance with a renal diet, you can slow the spread of chronic kidney disease.

    Renal Diet

    • A renal diet is a diet which seeks to limit consumption of the following nutrients: calcium, protein, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and fluids. Limiting consumption of these items is important because the kidneys play a direct role in elimination of all of them. While all of these items are necessary to some extent, excessive consumption will overwork your kidneys--thus, the proper balance is the line between keeping the body healthy and keeping the kidneys functioning at their optimal level.

    Phosphorus and Potassium

    • Foods containing ample amounts of phosphorous and potassium that should be eliminated while on a renal diet include: soda, cheese, chicken, liver, beer, ice cream, nuts, caramel, bananas, broccoli, chocolate, tomatoes, raisins, oranges, and coffee. Replacement items that are low in both phosphorous and potassium include: apples, grapes, lettuce, watermelon, carrots, cherries, rice, zucchini, and sherbet.

    Protein

    • Low protein intake is the cornerstone of a renal diet. On average, you should be consuming no more than four to six ounces of protein per day. This falls out to be roughly 20 to 40 grams. The easiest way to make a change to low-protein eating is to begin considering meat as a side dish and fruits and vegetables as the main course. Thus, whereas on a nonrenal diet you might have a steak with a salad on the side, on a renal diet you should have a large garden salad with small bits of turkey mixed in.

    General Nutrition

    • Even though you are on a restrictive diet, you should still be more than able to provide your body with ample nutrients. To make sure that you are giving your body the types of food it needs, each meal while on a renal diet should consist of a vegetable, a fruit, a grain, a healthy unsaturated fat source, and a (small) source of lean protein. If you strive to ensure that all of those categories are met with each meal, a renal diet can be just as nutritious (if not more so) than any other.

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