@ckm Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I'm glad you found us, and are looking at ways to work with your husband's dietary concerns.

In my experience, it's never too early to start modifying your eating plans to work with kidney disease. My drs all told me, "Oh, there is no need to be strict on your choices", but I have followed a renal diet for many years! At Stage 4, almost Stage 5, I am convinced it would be a lot worse if I had not been watching lab reports and how I feel.

From the Nat'l Kidney Foundation site, here is information on nutrition: https://www.kidney.org/nutrition
And from Davita Kidney Care, comes a lot of information, also: https://www.davita.com/diet-nutrition

As you can imagine, there are a lot of similarities with kidney disease patients, but we all also have some differences. Listen to your medical team, don't be afraid to ask questions, and incorporate the new information in to your life. Has it been determined what caused your husband's kidney disease?
Ginger