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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@m1rmiller

There are figures for required minimums and that sort of thing, but my experience is that everyone is different and processes food in their own way and with their own level of efficiency. EGFR is an estimate of your kidneys efficiency. not an absolute, although it may be the best we have. Nine years of dealing with my ESRD has lead me to say that it's a trial and error process. Make changes in your diet, see what your labs say and then make revisions based on your labs.

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Everything you said is true. My problem is l have not been able to get my Dr. to even tell me anything about having CKD stage 3a. Over 10 years ago my doctor then said l had CKD 1. And told my sister and I there was nothing wrong with my kidneys after saying l have CKD stage 2. I then changed my doctor. After a year with that doctor he told me l had CKD stage 3a. I am 68 years old , l understand your kidneys slow down. But why all the lies. Is it not nothing to care about? My Daddy past 7 years ago from CKD.
From. Willing

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@cehunt57

@carnes I’m type 1 Diabetic and have CKD (wavering between stage 3 & stage 4). I have an autonomic neuropathy complication called gastroparesis that gets aggravated by high fiber foods, particularly legumes & cabbage. I’ve been blessed to not have food allergies and I’m not a picky eater at all. I’ve been on a carb:insulin counting low sodium diet for a long time. I generally avoid fat and go with a moderate amount of lean protein. I’ve had pretransplant (kidney) evaluations and reviews. The nutritionists tell me to “eat for the kidney labs”. My nephrologist monitors labs and I currently have no restrictions such as potassium or phosphorus. The thing that was most helpful for me was seeing a dietician to figure out the requirements of my medical conditions as they came up and develop a plan that worked for me.

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Thank you so much
Willing

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@willing

Everything you said is true. My problem is l have not been able to get my Dr. to even tell me anything about having CKD stage 3a. Over 10 years ago my doctor then said l had CKD 1. And told my sister and I there was nothing wrong with my kidneys after saying l have CKD stage 2. I then changed my doctor. After a year with that doctor he told me l had CKD stage 3a. I am 68 years old , l understand your kidneys slow down. But why all the lies. Is it not nothing to care about? My Daddy past 7 years ago from CKD.
From. Willing

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I'm sorry you had such bad luck with doctors. Keep trying until you can find somebody that you can work with. You are going to have to work with that nephrologist for the rest of your life.

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Thank you so very much. I will keep trying.
Willing

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@willing

Everything you said is true. My problem is l have not been able to get my Dr. to even tell me anything about having CKD stage 3a. Over 10 years ago my doctor then said l had CKD 1. And told my sister and I there was nothing wrong with my kidneys after saying l have CKD stage 2. I then changed my doctor. After a year with that doctor he told me l had CKD stage 3a. I am 68 years old , l understand your kidneys slow down. But why all the lies. Is it not nothing to care about? My Daddy past 7 years ago from CKD.
From. Willing

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@willing First, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! This is a great place to "talk" to others who have been down similar health paths, and share experiences.

I am Stage 4 in my CKD journey, now showing a eGFR of 22. There are many reasons as a cause of kidney disease, and it is important to understand the root cause. Mine is an ultra-rare kidney disease, where collagen is blocking the filtering components of my kidneys, effectively shutting them down slowly. Two main causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure issues, and diabetes. Life style choices, long-term drug interaction, and congenital issues like polycystic kidney disease are others. Do you know what the cause of your kidney disease is?

If the dr you are working with is not a nephrologist, I suggest getting to one as soon as you can. Because kidney disease can be silent, and not deteriorate quickly, some medical professionals brush it off. If you have a large teaching hospital or university hospital near you, check them out for a good nephrologist. As @m1miller said, you will be working with one the rest of your life.
Ginger

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@gingerw

@willing First, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! This is a great place to "talk" to others who have been down similar health paths, and share experiences.

I am Stage 4 in my CKD journey, now showing a eGFR of 22. There are many reasons as a cause of kidney disease, and it is important to understand the root cause. Mine is an ultra-rare kidney disease, where collagen is blocking the filtering components of my kidneys, effectively shutting them down slowly. Two main causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure issues, and diabetes. Life style choices, long-term drug interaction, and congenital issues like polycystic kidney disease are others. Do you know what the cause of your kidney disease is?

If the dr you are working with is not a nephrologist, I suggest getting to one as soon as you can. Because kidney disease can be silent, and not deteriorate quickly, some medical professionals brush it off. If you have a large teaching hospital or university hospital near you, check them out for a good nephrologist. As @m1miller said, you will be working with one the rest of your life.
Ginger

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Thank you very much

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@willing

Everything you said is true. My problem is l have not been able to get my Dr. to even tell me anything about having CKD stage 3a. Over 10 years ago my doctor then said l had CKD 1. And told my sister and I there was nothing wrong with my kidneys after saying l have CKD stage 2. I then changed my doctor. After a year with that doctor he told me l had CKD stage 3a. I am 68 years old , l understand your kidneys slow down. But why all the lies. Is it not nothing to care about? My Daddy past 7 years ago from CKD.
From. Willing

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I was diagnosed with CKD stage 3 last year. My doctor at Mayo told me to keep my blood pressure low and to reduce the sodium in my diet. I check my blood pressure at home 2 times each week and work to keep my sodium intake below 1,800. That means no prepared soups and very few canned products. And, of course no cured meats. Hope this gives you a clue on how to care for yourself.

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seek advice from a licensed renal dietitian

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@2011panc

@carnes I also am borderline Stage 3/4 Kidney Disease. Currently I follow five limiting diets: low fiber, low carbohydrates, low fat, low dairy and low oxilate. I eat popcorn, rice cakes, rice, Grape Nuts, Shredded Wheat, bananas, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, pears (few), cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, oranges (few), green beans, peas, corn, cabbage, cucumbers (raw), onions, tomatoes, avocadoes, summer squash, carrots (few and most often cooked), asparagus, chicken, lean beef, tuna, fresh/frozen fish, a little pork, and a small amount of dairy from cheese, yogurt, ice cream and milk. The way to enjoy the foods you can eat is with your seasoning. I had very little available to me during a long hospital stay and watched cooking shows. Now I often check recipe sites for ideas: FoodNetwork, Cooking.com, Allrecipies.com, to name a few. I do put canned dry beans in my chili, but we only eat that a few times a month. I encourage you to check some things out and would love to hear how you are doing. Good luck.

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Hi ,enjoyed your info!I notice you don't do beans or potatoes.

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Hi I’m new to this forum. I was. Diagnosed with stage three kidney disease about four months ago. Just having a hard time planning my meals each day. I’m a healthy eater anyway but a renal diet is so much more strict. I just don’t know what to eat I’ve gone down to 110 pounds

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