@lssanso It depends also on your bloodwork, levels of potassium, calcium, phosphate, sodium, and such, but a general recommendation is the Mediterranian diet, avoid high calorie foods such as fried. I use the Renal Diet Cookbook by Susan Zogheib. Stage 3a, they mostly recommend drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day; with stage 3b there can be other limitations. For example, if one has high potassium than limiting high K food such as potatoes and bananas can help lower it. Exercise is very important to chronic kidney disease, it helps with maintaining bone density, lessens fatigue (which seems counter to what one would think), and also a key part of controlling type 2 diabetes and other diseases.

@lssanso Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! You'll find a lot of great information on these pages, but keep in mind each of us is unique in our health journey.

Yes, get yourself into a good nephrologist! Losing weight will help you feel better, too. Take some time to look at our different conversations within this Kidney support group header, and read up on what others do for their diet. Ask for a renal dietician, who is versed on how to handle your situation. You want to find out the base reason for the Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease, is it diabetes or high blood pressure [the two leading causes of CKD]. That way, you can be working on those issues along with your new way of looking at food and life!

Happy to answer any questions you might have!
Ginger