Best Diet for Dialysis Patients

Diet plays a significant role in determining your overall health, even if you’re healthy. But, when you’re suffering from a severe health condition, such as CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), you have to be more conscious about your nutrition.

Kidney disease is a critical health condition that affects almost 10% of the world’s population. World Kidney Day is observed every year to raise awareness about kidney diseases and how they can become a health risk for people.

Dialysis is a treatment for end-stage kidney disease. In such a scenario, patients have usually lost about 85-90 percent of their kidney function. Therefore, you can’t eat everything you used to eat as a healthy individual because your kidneys can’t excrete excessive waste products and fluids from your blood like they were doing earlier.

Don’t cut off necessary nutrients

Watch your Diet intake 

Dialysis patients should watch some nutrient levels in their diets. Nutrients that dialysis patients should avoid include:

1.   Phosphorus 

If the diets for dialysis patients contain too much phosphorus, it leads to the weakening of bones because high phosphorus levels in the body drain calcium from the bones of a dialysis patient.

High phosphorus foods 

• Milk
• Cheese
• Dried beans
• Peas
• Nuts
• Peanut butter

Whole grain and high-fiber foods like whole-wheat bread and brown rice are also rich in phosphorus. Additionally, most dairy products are not recommended for dialysis patients because of their high phosphorus content.

Low phosphorus foods

• Lemon soda
• Cream cheese
• Custard
• Low salt low-fat popcorn

2.   Sodium 

Too much sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure which can lead to heart failure. In addition to this, sodium makes you thirsty. Thus, you won’t be able to keep your fluid intake as recommended.

High sodium foods 

• Chips
• Salty snacks
• Canned soups and vegetables
• Many fast foods
• Tomato juice
• Low sodium foods 
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Pasta
• Unprocessed meats
• Popcorn (without salt)
• Bread

3.   Potassium 

Healthy kidneys keep the right amount of potassium in the body required for nerve and muscle functions. In dialysis patients, increased potassium levels can lead to irregular heartbeat and even death.

To avoid this, dialysis patients should limit potassium intake.

High potassium foods

• Bananas
• Oranges
• Milk
• Ice Cream
• Tomato
• Cheese
• Nuts or seeds
• Spinach

Low potassium foods 

• Apple
• Berry
• Green bean
• Cream cheese
• Sugar cookies

Boost up your protein Diet Intake 

Individuals who are undergoing dialysis treatment have greater protein requirements. This is because protein loss during dialysis is high. Proteins are essential for your muscles, immune system, and overall health.

High protein foods for dialysis patients 

• Beef
• Chicken
• Eggs (mainly egg white)
• Fish
• Protein foods to avoid 

The following protein diets for dialysis patients have high amounts of potassium and phosphorus. So, these protein foods for dialysis patients are not recommended:

• Peanut butter
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Dried beans
• Peas
• Lentils

Decrease Your Fluid Intake 

Restricting fluid intake is crucial for dialysis patients. While a dialyzer machine works to remove excess fluid from the body, it’s not as efficient as healthy kidneys.

Excess fluid can be harmful to the body, potentially causing:

• Weight gain and swelling during dialysis
• Fluctuations in blood pressure readings
• Heart complications
• Accumulation of fluid in the lungs, resulting in breathing difficulties
• Dialysis patients must be mindful of their food choices to prevent excessive fluid retention.