Plant based “meat”

@suzeg Good question. I am not on a plant-based diet, so please don't take what I say as the best answer. No doubt there will be others who check in here and have better answers.

No matter what we choose to eat, making sure what we nourish our bodies with is healthy for us with kidney concerns is important! Look at the sodium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium levels. Unprocessed foods without a lot of additives seem to work best for most of us, whether we deal with kidney concerns or not. Like you, I try to keep my processed foods to a minimum.

Is your dietician a renal dietician? Is there a way to contact her/him in the meantime?
Ginger

The dietician gave me her email and phone but not replying. She said I could contact her when I was there last and this is the first time so it’s not like I’ve taken advantage but? Anyway, I’m glad you pointed out that it’s processed food. I kept looking for a reason it was probably not good but that’s it.

I hate that Medicare pays so little for a dietician and unknown to me the nephrologist referred me to dietician one and when I saw her I finally asked her if she was a renal dietitian but no. She did a fairly good job. So I guess I have 2 hours paid this year. I’ll probably find a renal dietitian that I can zoom with. I wish nephrologist could help more.

Hi Ginger!
You are right! It is so important that we put healthy foods in our body and know what we are eating and where it comes from. I have been reading food labels since the 1960's and it has been very helpful. In the 1960's they had a saying, "You are, what you eat." I could tell you right now where everything in my cupboard, freezer and refrigerator comes from and what is in it. If I can't find that out, I don't buy it. Plus the whole thing about processed foods is important to almost eliminate from your diet. They are so bad! They didn't used to be. Around 1956 TV dinners first came out and they were so good! I was 10 years old and just loved them! They had to be natural and good or I wouldn't have eaten them. I was a picky eater at age 10. Now I'm 78 and if I eat a TV dinner, it makes me feel ill! They added all those preservatives just to extend the shelf life and make more profit! It's sad!
PML

@pml

I remember those tv dinners in the metal trays….so good. Processed foods are killers and our wheat today is genetically modified. The reason all us oldies (84 next month here) are still here can be traced back to the way we ate and what was available and where we bought food. I remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken and White Castle Hamburgers opened in New York. Everything went downhill from there and the food industry changed. Change can take place within families who can educate their offspring who hopefully
pass on the importance of good nutrition and awareness.

FL Mary

Hi FL Mary,
My mom used to save those metal trays and make her own TV dinners from leftovers. She covered them with foil and just put them in the oven. They often contained leftover good quality red meat and freshly cooked vegetables from our own garden. You are right. Part of the reason we made it to 84 and 78 is because the food we ate was healthy and natural.

I wish you an early Happy Birthday!
PML

I have been a vegetarian for 45 years and I still lost a kidney and have
CKD stage 3A. My labs vary from check up to check up, but holding steady with a GFR of 40 up from 35 six months ago. Maybe this will help,
“it’s not what you do once in awhile, it’s what you do everyday.”
Therefore, I have a vegeburger, Boca burger once in awhile. It helps your brain to be able to cope with all the things we go through. Blessings.

@suzeg keep trying the email. Perhaps you could contact the practice that your dietician is associated with and explain that she told you to contact her as needed but that she isn’t responding to her email. It could be something simple like a change in email, away on vacation, someone else might be covering the caseload ….. It is worth a try.

Thanks. I actually did call the office and ask if she had left. She said no and I confirmed the telephone and email and told the receptionist to mention I was trying to contact her. I guess if I dont pay I don’t get information. Thanks for your support. Oh I mentioned to nerphologist that she had referred me to a dietitian that wasn’t a renal dietitian. She didn’t have an answer. I think I can find one that I can have a zoom meeting with though.

(Dxd 2 months ago). I went to an organic farmer's market the other day looking to work my way to becoming a vegetarian. One stall was organic plant based meat; it tasted good. YAHOO, I thought. Then I asked him how it was made and I was deflated....so very processed.

My renal nutritionist would like to see me become a vegetarian... Not sure I can do 100% but have been trying lots of new recipes.

As to finding a renal nutritionist (Medicare Adv. Plan), I printed out the entire list of insurance covered names and called each one. I was so anxious since none of them were. One was trying to tell me loudly she didn't have to be renal, but could be good at all types of nutrition issues. Three nutritionists at my hospital would only take me if I was diabetic. It was exhausting.

Then it was the last one I called who said she would only take patients with diabetes, cardio or renal issues. She told me that Medicare gives 3 hours of nutritionist time. She was "fine", but I don't think I had enough experience with CKD and my numbers to ask the right questions. That will wait for my next appointment.

I was ready to ask my Nephrologist for an out of network referral if need be.

Double check but I believe that Medicare is ending the extended (because of Covid) telehealth consultations with RD dieticians at the end on March 2025… unless a dialysis patient along with other non medical professionals…mental health etc. Dreadful in this electronic age! Try and find a local RD.