1. < Kidney & Bladder

Confused About Diet for Stage 3 or 4 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Posted by wietop @wietop, Dec 13, 2017

I was diagnosed with Stage 3 CKD four years ago, but my doctor didn't tell me. When he retired and I had to find a new doctor is when I found out. I'm new to this and completely confused when it comes to diet. I am currently eating a sandwich for lunch, made with Ezekiel Low-Sodium bread, which is sprouted whole grain bread. In my research I have found some sites that say never eat whole grain bread, while others say you can eat it with no problem. My doctor has told me I don't need to change my diet, but, as you can imagine, my trust factor is pretty low right now. I'm trying to find some solid information about which breads I should avoid and which ones are okay.

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Ethan McConkey, Moderator | @ethanmcconkey | Aug 25, 2019

Hi @kitmus, you may have noticed I moved your post to this existing discussion on Chronic Kidney Disease diets so that you can see what others have mentioned about this topic. Simply click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

What is your current treatment plan? What recommendations have your doctor given you about your diet?

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Aug 26, 2019
In reply to @kitmus "Anyone have had an ileostomy and stage 4 ckd diet issues and recommended sources for advice...." + (show)
@kitmus

Anyone have had an ileostomy and stage 4 ckd diet issues and recommended sources for advice. Am seeing. Nutritionist at kidney center. I am concerned about sodium, as I could deplete easily with no colon. Worth a trip to Mao, maybe?

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@kitmus, having CKD and living with an ileostomy must be additionally challenging. You may be interested in following this discussion on Connect:
- Ostomy: Adapting to life after colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ostomy-adapting-to-life-after-colostomy-ileostomy-or-urostomy/
- Ostomy page https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/living-with-an-ostomy/ An Expert Blog

I can understand why you are concerned about sodium. The main function of the colon is fluid and sodium conservation. In ileostomy patients these colonic functions are lacking. But for kidney disease, most patients are recommended to go on a low-sodium diet. I imagine your situation is quite unique and that only a personal dietitian or nutritionist can guide how much sodium and fluids your should consume. How do you monitor your sodium intake? What about fluids?

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dodgerfan | @dodgerfan | Mar 11, 2020
In reply to @kamama94 "Just FYI for everyone struggling with a renal diet, as soon as I'm allowed I'd like..." + (show)
@kamama94

Just FYI for everyone struggling with a renal diet, as soon as I'm allowed I'd like to share a couple of excellent nutrient-information websites. For now, I can say I've discovered dozens of low-potassium, low-phosphorus food items and several good combinations of them. I'm willing to share those as well but with the caveat that anyone trying them absolutely must clear doing so with his or her medical care providers whether a primary care doctor or a nephrologist or other specialist and/or a renal dietitian. One of my favorites is tortilla pizza which calls for a "strict smidgen" of tomato paste, a little diced onion, a spoonful of pimientos, a (VERY) few slices of canned, no-sodium mushrooms,and non-dairy mozarella-flavored shreds; preheat oven to 350, smear an eensy bit of tomato paste on a flour tortilla, sprinkle with onion and pimiento, arrange mushroom slices then sprinkle "cheese" & bake about 6 minutes or until tortilla edges start to turn golden. 504.6 mg K (24 % DV for renal patients, lower than regular DV) 222.5 mg P (22 % DV for renal patients, lower than regular DV) Yummy! If you like this, feel free to share it. I made it up but you can experiment with your own ingredients.

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i am also a diabetic and have stage 3/4 kidney disease. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and up until my last visit to my doctor I was pretty good. And I just found out my CDK had went from 35 to 32. Any tips on diets would be greatly appreciated. I try to be very mindful of what I eat but to stay on track I need a strict diet. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I am seeing my doctor in a couple of days and I going to get a referral for a dietician. Thank you all for your comments and input. It has been very helpful.

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1 reply
Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Mar 12, 2020
In reply to @dodgerfan "i am also a diabetic and have stage 3/4 kidney disease. I was diagnosed 3 years..." + (show)
@dodgerfan

i am also a diabetic and have stage 3/4 kidney disease. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and up until my last visit to my doctor I was pretty good. And I just found out my CDK had went from 35 to 32. Any tips on diets would be greatly appreciated. I try to be very mindful of what I eat but to stay on track I need a strict diet. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I am seeing my doctor in a couple of days and I going to get a referral for a dietician. Thank you all for your comments and input. It has been very helpful.

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@dodgerfan Welcome to Mayo Connect! We are all patients/family members/caregivers here, and readily share our experiences and support with others. I am glad you have read through posts and found us.

I am also Stage 3b in my kidney disease. From my experience, my eGFR, which indicates the percent function of my kidneys, varies between 32-37%. Factors that can cause the variance are: hydration level at time of test, different machines/labs, my general health at time of test, even the weather!

Most doctors will advise a kidney patient to watch their sodium, potassium, and phosphorus intakes, blood pressure levels and stress levels. And important to remember, each patient is different, and there is no "one size fits all"!

Make sure the referral is for a renal dietician, as you see there are varying guidelines.
Please come back and share with us how you feel, and what happens with speaking to your doctor and dietician! We care here.
Ginger

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Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Mar 15, 2020

Today, I got a notice on my email about a webinar from the American Kidney Fund. It is free, and it is online.

Kidney Chat: Ask A Dietitian
Friday, March 20, 2020 from 1:00pm – 2:00 p.m. EDT
https://www.kidneyfund.org/training/webinars/kidney-chat-ask-a-dietitian.html

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1 reply
Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Mar 16, 2020

Hi all,
There is a new discussion group, that talks about all things COVID-19 virus, and how to get through this from the emotional/mental/physical fronts.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/covid-19/
Please wander over and take a peek. You will find lots of interesting comments and ideas, and may in fact help someone else by posting there!
We're all in this together!
Ginger

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Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Mar 30, 2020
In reply to @rosemarya "Today, I got a notice on my email about a webinar from the American Kidney Fund...." + (show)
@rosemarya

Today, I got a notice on my email about a webinar from the American Kidney Fund. It is free, and it is online.

Kidney Chat: Ask A Dietitian
Friday, March 20, 2020 from 1:00pm – 2:00 p.m. EDT
https://www.kidneyfund.org/training/webinars/kidney-chat-ask-a-dietitian.html

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Did anybody take advantage of the free online webinar from the American Kidney Fund?
What did you learn that you would like to share here?

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paiva | @paiva | Jul 4, 2020

Hello to all members, moderators, and mentors. I was informed by my new PCP that I have stage 3 CKD. I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure. I went back to 2007 to see my lab tests and discovered that after all this time and 4 doctors, finally I am told that I have CKD! I am disappointed with the doctors. My new CKD did not send me to a kidney specialist or nutritionist. After my first shock, I started researching if I needed to change my diet. I saw I should eliminate bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beans, etc. My last 2 lab tests have been normal. I insisted with the doctor that I should see a nutritionist, so she gave me a referral. And then the pandemic happened. I will call the nutritionist to see if I can talk to someone.
However, I want to say that this discussion has been very helpful to me. I want to say thank you all, especially Kamama94 for all her input and book.
To all, I wish good health, be safe, think positively, and take good care of yourselves. Eliana

REPLY
2 replies
fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | Jul 4, 2020
In reply to @paiva "Hello to all members, moderators, and mentors. I was informed by my new PCP that I..." + (show)
@paiva

Hello to all members, moderators, and mentors. I was informed by my new PCP that I have stage 3 CKD. I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure. I went back to 2007 to see my lab tests and discovered that after all this time and 4 doctors, finally I am told that I have CKD! I am disappointed with the doctors. My new CKD did not send me to a kidney specialist or nutritionist. After my first shock, I started researching if I needed to change my diet. I saw I should eliminate bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beans, etc. My last 2 lab tests have been normal. I insisted with the doctor that I should see a nutritionist, so she gave me a referral. And then the pandemic happened. I will call the nutritionist to see if I can talk to someone.
However, I want to say that this discussion has been very helpful to me. I want to say thank you all, especially Kamama94 for all her input and book.
To all, I wish good health, be safe, think positively, and take good care of yourselves. Eliana

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@paiva, Hello and welcome to this forum. Your story sounds just like mine!

I was thunderstruck when diagnosed with stage 3 CKD. Also realized later that my kidney had shown GFR damage much earlier but never told. Had to insist on a nephrologist referral and then make 4 requests to pcp and neph. before finally getting a doc referral to nutritionist. That guy was terrific.

Did you feel panic like I did initially with the diagnosis? The Mayo group has been my salvation for getting over the initial fear. Now I know steps to take to better manage my condition.

Like you, I appreciate this kidney group so very much. So many excellent suggestions and links and personal experiences that have helped me on this new journey. Really hoping you can visit and receive diet plan help based on your lab values.

@kamama94 has provided such good input and I have tried many of her recipes, too. Also Devita.com is a source to explore if you haven't already. Are you using your lab results to help guide you with your meal planning?

REPLY
1 reply
cldmeyers | @cldmeyers | Jul 4, 2020

I had the same experience as you, feisty76. I'm wondering if thats the norm til one gets to the top of stage 3, using the diet suggestions, I've caused the numbers to drop, although I'm still in stage 3. Drink lots of water.

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