When you have chronic kidney disease, you need to change your diet to avoid foods that make your kidneys worse. You may need to limit salt, fluids, and protein. You also may need to limit minerals such as potassium and phosphorus. A diet for chronic kidney disease takes planning. A dietitian who specializes in kidney disease can help you plan meals that meet your needs.
These guidelines are for people who are not on dialysis. Talk with your doctor or dietitian to make sure your diet is right for your condition. Do not change your diet without talking to your doctor or dietitian.
A hemodialysis diet is an eating plan that helps reduce the amount of waste in your blood between dialysis sessions. Different people may have different diet needs. But most hemodialysis diets involve increasing the amount of protein you eat, limiting salt and fluids, and limiting certain minerals, such as potassium.
When you have kidney disease, making changes to your diet can help protect your kidneys. It can also help you control other diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, that can make kidney disease worse.
These are general food guidelines for people who have kidney disease. Be sure to follow the diet your doctor or dietitian gave you.
Eating too much protein can stress the kidneys. But if you don't get enough, you can become weak, tired, and more likely to get infections. To get the right amount of protein:
If you need to limit fluids:
If you need to limit potassium:
If you need to limit phosphorus:
If you don't feel very hungry, try to eat 4 or 5 small meals instead of 1 or 2 big meals.
Your doctor or dietitian can suggest ways you can add calories to your diet. Healthy fats such as olive or canola oil may be good choices. Unless you have diabetes, you can use honey and sugar to add calories and increase energy.
If you do drink alcohol, have no more than 1 drink a day. Count it as part of your fluids for the day.
A hemodialysis diet keeps the waste in your blood at a level that the dialysis machine can handle. If there's too much waste in your blood, the machine may not be able to remove it all. When you follow your diet carefully, you may feel better and stay healthier.
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