Stage 3 Kidney Disease and Diet: What can I eat?

Posted by carnes @carnes, Jun 11, 2018

It seems there is very little you can eat that is healthy for the Kidneys. The web site Davida has plenty of food on it but contradicts what other sources say. Anyone know anything for breakfast, lunch and dinner that does not have any sugar or flour bodies the obvious boring or bland foods good for Kidneys and I’m allergic to sugar of any kind of sweetener and flour. Thank you.

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benazir | @benazir | Jun 22 1:40pm

In reply to @kidneybean1 "Benazir-Yes. I eat Ezekiel bread. If you google “Ezekiel bread good for kidney disease patients”-you will..." + (show)

Thanks. I have been buying Ezekiel bread but was sure about it. I also use sprouted bread from Kroger.

danny67 | @danny5 | Jun 22 7:44pm

In reply to @benazir "Is sprouted bread okay to eat?" + (show)

i'm sorry, but what is sprouted bread? i've never heard of this. 🏳️‍🌈

benazir | @benazir | Jun 23 5:11am

https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/what-is-sprouted-grain-bread-and-how-healthy-is-it/
I hope this helps.

benazir | @benazir | Jun 23 5:16am

Thank you. I will try and locate one. The food log should help also.

shani | @shani | Jun 23 7:01am

In reply to @benazir "I see conflicting information and feel there is little I can eat so I avoid going..." + (show)

My 2cents: do everything to limit stress over this issue….processed food is loaded with salt, sugar and other ‘’junk’’ so make everything from scratch if you can and keep telling yourself how much ‘’pampering’’ you are getting instead of looking at it as a chore! Going out to eat is tough. Request no added salt to anything you order. The diet looks overwhelmingly difficult so be creative and keep gathering tidbits of info from whoever and wherever you can. We are certainly not alone with diets. Use NO salt in anything you make, instead use Mrs Dash’s seasoning/ herbs for flavor. Use fresh vegies and put a list of good and bad vegies and fruits on your fridge so a glance at it when making a shopping list is helpful. My worst issue was cutting out tomatoes/acids but it did help a lot. I had already stopped grapefruit/orange because of drug interactions. I LOVE pasta so I use rice or gluten free pasta now with pesto. Make a batch of your own using garlic and olive oil….NO salt! Buy lots of berries in season and freeze them whole in YOUR serving size baggies. Bread is difficult but limiting/ eliminating it. Ezechiel bread or gluten free bread isn’t as horrible as it once was and fruits and sorbet can be just as beautiful as high sugar deserts…well, sort of. If you’re an ice cream lover do it once a month right AFTER your bloodwork to celebrate your better lab scores!

benazir | @benazir | Jun 23 8:04am

Thanks, good advice. I can't complain, for years I enjoyed sharing meals and eating great food. I am at a different point now and just have to deal with it. I am working on the stress part since that causes other health problems for me as well.

Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jun 23 11:06am

In reply to @benazir "Thanks, good advice. I can't complain, for years I enjoyed sharing meals and eating great food...." + (show)

@benazir No one said it would be easy, and I'll bet there are few Chronic Kidney Disease patients who will tell you "it's a walk in the park"!

As you have read, a thorough review of how you eat will be a good thing to start with, and a food log may help point out trends you aren't aware of. I have followed a renal diet for decades, long time before it was recommended to me. @shani has some great ideas! My husband doesn't have the restrictions I do, so sometimes we have two separate meals going.

Diet and modifications to it seems to be one of the best ways to live with CKD, and is something within our control. Likewise, getting good moderate exercise, timely [for us] blood work, minimizing stress, and following suggestions from our medical.
Ginger

MaureenB | @maureenb | Jun 23 11:13am

In reply to @benazir "I see conflicting information and feel there is little I can eat so I avoid going..." + (show)

I just wanted to add that even though NO salt has no sodium it does contain 550mg Potassium per 1/4 tsp. Potassium is also in a lot of packaged and canned foods as a preservative. My husband always teases me about reading labels all the time when shopping....lol

I use Mrs Dash when I can, as I can have as much of that as I want. It sounds like you are well aware of what contains sodium, I just wanted to mention about the Potassium level in NO salt.
I agree it is hard to eat out, as most places use a lot of salt in their food. We don't eat out very often, not only because of sodium, but also because of all the other food restrictions I have. I found that it doesn't hurt me if I occasionally eat out. So far I have kept my kidneys stable at around 40% function for several years. If it gets worse I guess I will have to become more restrictive. Right now I have a wide ranch of foods I can eat. I just limit the amount I have of some foods.

Good luck and thanks for sharing your concerns.

shani | @shani | Jun 23 1:56pm

In reply to @gingerw "@benazir No one said it would be easy, and I'll bet there are few Chronic Kidney..." + (show)

Thank you Ginger. You are supportive, knowledgeable and a wonderful role model. Be well.

flow | @flow | Jun 23 2:38pm

Quinoa is a grain that is a complete protein by itself and is a great tasty oatmeal substitute. I eat it for breakfast with some blueberries and a splash of milk… dairy or plant based. Another go to breakfast for me is peeled sliced apple with nut butter of choice.