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.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Kidney & Bladder Support Group.

@jeanice

Thank you. Do they do blood work and urine tests that day? Can you find out what stage you're in while there?

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@jeanice, the blood work takes a couple of days for results so you probably won't find out a lot the day of your appointment. Some doctor's offices post lab results on a secure site online, others will call you with results, still others the patient must call. Ask for a print-out of your labs and an explanation for each result. You may learn if you have protein or other things in your urine if the want a specimen and can check for things like that there at the office. Waiting for results is the hard part. Don't forget that results can vary from lab to lab and from time to time. My GFR went from 37 to 24 in 2 months due to a medication increase and I panicked. My nephrologist backed me off the medication to my original lower dose and in another month my GFR was back up to 35. Diet (limiting phosphorus, potassium sodium and protein) helped take the strain off my kidney and it thanked me by working better. So whatever your test results show, they may or may not be "permanent." And I can't say enough about trying to stay positive, exercising your sense of humor, and asking questions. Keep us posted and tell us how your visit goes.

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@kamama94

@jeanice, the blood work takes a couple of days for results so you probably won't find out a lot the day of your appointment. Some doctor's offices post lab results on a secure site online, others will call you with results, still others the patient must call. Ask for a print-out of your labs and an explanation for each result. You may learn if you have protein or other things in your urine if the want a specimen and can check for things like that there at the office. Waiting for results is the hard part. Don't forget that results can vary from lab to lab and from time to time. My GFR went from 37 to 24 in 2 months due to a medication increase and I panicked. My nephrologist backed me off the medication to my original lower dose and in another month my GFR was back up to 35. Diet (limiting phosphorus, potassium sodium and protein) helped take the strain off my kidney and it thanked me by working better. So whatever your test results show, they may or may not be "permanent." And I can't say enough about trying to stay positive, exercising your sense of humor, and asking questions. Keep us posted and tell us how your visit goes.

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I sure will. I'm trying to relax and think positive. Thanks again for answering my questions. I'm seeing my PA the 24th so maybe by then,
she can find out results of lab work. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow evening.

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@jeanice

I agree. Just some breakfasts that I can stomach. Tomorrow I go for my first appt. to the Kidney Dr. I have severe panic attacks and anxiety so I am a nervous wreck to see were I stand. Also I have found a lump on my left side between the ribs.It's started to really
bother me. Please wish me luck.

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@jeanice. I am not generally active in these discussions about kidneys but this post caught my eye. I think we all get apprehensive about doctor appointments when there is anything wrong. Please try to relax and not dwell on it - easier said than done, I know well.
I hope tomorrow’s appointment goes well and that the test results are better than you are worried about.

I noticed you are relatively new on Connect, so if you have not been welcomed, or even if you have by someone else, please let me extend a welcome to you too. Good advice from @kamama94 too -make that list and make sure you refer to it. I’ve been known to get caught up in discussing one thing and then not asked all of the questions I planned to ask.
JK

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@contentandwell

@jeanice. I am not generally active in these discussions about kidneys but this post caught my eye. I think we all get apprehensive about doctor appointments when there is anything wrong. Please try to relax and not dwell on it - easier said than done, I know well.
I hope tomorrow’s appointment goes well and that the test results are better than you are worried about.

I noticed you are relatively new on Connect, so if you have not been welcomed, or even if you have by someone else, please let me extend a welcome to you too. Good advice from @kamama94 too -make that list and make sure you refer to it. I’ve been known to get caught up in discussing one thing and then not asked all of the questions I planned to ask.
JK

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Thank you so much. I'm in a tiny town that has a very small hospial. They don't even deliver babies up ! so we have to drive a 100 miles
to get to our tests.
I like my Kidney Dr.very much.. He mostly talked too me about my medications and took me off my Arthritis medicine which he feels
caused my Kidney problems. This will cause me to have alo t of pain and make it hard to walk but he thinks my GRF might go from 35
to 55. Also I have to have Ultra Sound on Kidneys and Bladder and Blood Tests. He's very thourough.
He's upset with my PA that she has not hurried things along with my Kidneys. He also wants a bone density test done to see what kind of Arthritis I have. I didn't know there were two kinds with soft bones of disks and the kind that can break easily. I'm probably not saying this
right.
He also said I should be on vitamin D and Calcium. But wants to wait on blood work. He noticed I've lost 64 lbs and am now 160 lbs.
But still borderline obese. I told him it was because I didn't know what to eat. He said keep doing what I'm doing with no salt, although I'm not on such a strict diet. I have to do all this before before next appt. on Nov.19th. Guess that's all for now but he put me on pain pills
to help with Arthritis.

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@jeanice

Thank you so much. I'm in a tiny town that has a very small hospial. They don't even deliver babies up ! so we have to drive a 100 miles
to get to our tests.
I like my Kidney Dr.very much.. He mostly talked too me about my medications and took me off my Arthritis medicine which he feels
caused my Kidney problems. This will cause me to have alo t of pain and make it hard to walk but he thinks my GRF might go from 35
to 55. Also I have to have Ultra Sound on Kidneys and Bladder and Blood Tests. He's very thourough.
He's upset with my PA that she has not hurried things along with my Kidneys. He also wants a bone density test done to see what kind of Arthritis I have. I didn't know there were two kinds with soft bones of disks and the kind that can break easily. I'm probably not saying this
right.
He also said I should be on vitamin D and Calcium. But wants to wait on blood work. He noticed I've lost 64 lbs and am now 160 lbs.
But still borderline obese. I told him it was because I didn't know what to eat. He said keep doing what I'm doing with no salt, although I'm not on such a strict diet. I have to do all this before before next appt. on Nov.19th. Guess that's all for now but he put me on pain pills
to help with Arthritis.

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@jeanice, so glad you like this doc. Sounds like he's "on top of things." Vitamin D and calcium are a great idea. NSAIDS like your arthritis pills can hurt the kidneys so it's good he took you off them. What kind of pain pills did he prescribe? A GFR of 55 sounds quite acceptable, by the way. Many people stay stable at that level or even a much lower level for years! Will be interested to learn what your lab results show, be sure and let us know. Things are looking up for you!

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@winchester

what diet is good t follow

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Hi, Winchester, Also recently diagnosed with Stage 3 and googled CKD renal diets for some good sites. Another really helpful forum of informed patients at all stages of CKD is HealthUnlocked made up of knowledgeable patients at all stages of CKD.

If you scan down on this page to 10/3 there is more discussion about stage 3 diet. This diagnosis can be overwhelming but we can learn to better manage it as we style diet changes based on our renal lab report values.

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@winchester

what diet is good t follow

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@winchester and @fiesty76 Welcome to Mayo Connect. This is a great resource for us kidney patients as we continue to navigate the maze of what works and doesn't. I am also Stage 3b , my recent GFR shows about 37.

There is another discussion here in the kidney and bladder group, about Stage 3 and diet
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/3rd-stage-kidney-disease/
I am tagging our moderator @colleenyoung in hope she will combine these two discussions together, so we can all learn more. @kamama94 has done a magnificient job in coming up with recipes and ideas for Stage 3 diets.

@winchester we look forward to you telling us more about your journey, how long ago you were diagnsed with kidney disease and how you have responded to it so far?
Ginger

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@winchester

what diet is good t follow

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Hi @winchester, I'd like to add my welcome. As recommended by @gingerw, I moved your message about what diet is good to follow when living with stage 3 chronic kidney disease to this existing discussion, called "Stage 3 Kidney Disease and Diet: What can I eat?"
Click VIEW & REPLY and you can scroll through all the past comments. Get tips and advice have been shared by all members. The collective wealth of knowledge is quite incredible. @kamama94 has also shared her cookbook.

Winchester, what are your dietary challenges? What changes and choices are you finding easy to adapt to?

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Welcome, @winchester! Lots of good edibles on a renal diet! Somewhere in this thread is a free cownloadable copy of an early recipe collection. Currently working on a second one as new discoveries are made and new things come to light and will be posting those recipes sometime in 2020.

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