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

Limited eating doesn’t mean that you should remove the necessary nutrients from your diet. Instead, you should eat wisely during dialysis.

A dialysis machine helps to remove the waste products from your body. But when you do not have a dialysis session, then waste products can accumulate in your blood, making you sick.

When it comes to your health, a little more consciousness and fewer experiments are always recommended.

A well-balanced diet can show you remarkable improvement in your dialysis and thus overall health status. Here, you’ll find some diets for dialysis patients.

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.

Also read: Expert Advice: Managing Kidney Health During Pregnancy

Limit or avoid

1. Drinks

Some drinks that dialysis patients should limit or avoid are:

· Apple cider

· Juices

· Lemonade

· Cranberry juice cocktail

2. Fruits and vegetables

Not only drinks but also some fruits and vegetables increase fluid levels in the body. Therefore, diets for dialysis patients should have careful amounts of the following:

· Melon

· Grape

· Orange

· Cucumber

· Apple

3. Salty foods

Salt increases thirst and therefore the need for fluid intake. To prevent this condition, dialysis patients should restrict their salt intake and avoid high-sodium foods like chips.

Contact a doctor or dietitian

Choosing the best foods during dialysis treatment can be overwhelming for patients. If you’re facing this challenge, you’re not alone.

Never self-diagnose

Consult your doctor or dietitian to create a personalized diet plan that meets all your requirements. As experts, they understand the appropriate balance of nutrients and fluids your body needs, and they can adjust your meals according to your dietary needs effectively.

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