Stage 3 Kidney Disease and Diet: What can I eat?

Would love to have help of renal dietician at Mayo. How did you hook up with her? Here, no
help when it comes to food. Also, no more acupuncturists. All left town. Think they are very
helpful in assorted areas. In addition, person who says X-Ray equipment is outdated is correct.
All kidneys should have scans, MRI's. Part of the problem with that, though, is people with
kidney disease can't have contrast material. That's why equipment should be the best.
Thanks for your insights.

@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.

I suggest you look into <kidneyhood.org>-----I am stage 4 severe--I'm now spending more time learning this program, my GFR dropped severely about 18 months ago---This program has turned that around--

You can raise your GFR.
You are correct that there is no cure, however, there are solutions.
I found out I had Kidney Disease by accident, and the nephrologist was not interested in offering guidance or suggestions. - my GFR was 50. On my own, I fought my way to the hospital nutritionist. However, I am not sure she is a kidney nutritionist. What I have done has been on my own. Apparently, being in Stage 3 when you are older, means you won't reach dialysis so you are on your own.

Nine months later, my GFR is 65-69. I have progressed from State 3 or b, to Stage 2.

This is because I began to self educate and I changed my diet. Alone in a virtual ocean of information, you can still figure out the proper course to take, and by comparing and analyzing the help out there, you can take giant strides in kidney management.

It is all about diet and that is how you will slow down, stop or reverse your condition. I have been a vegetarian for 20 years, so the meat was not an issue. The big four you need to consider are meat, dairy, salt, and sugar. There is a lot of help and guidance online, and by studying various diet advice and kidney-friendly help, you can become very well informed and begin to work on raising your GFR.

You can raise your GFR.
You are correct that there is no cure, however, there are solutions.
I found out I had Kidney Disease by accident, and the nephrologist was not interested in offering guidance or suggestions. - my GFR was 50. On my own, I fought my way to the hospital nutritionist. However, I am not sure she is a kidney nutritionist. What I have done has been on my own. Apparently, being in Stage 3 when you are older, means you won't reach dialysis so you are on your own.

Nine months later, my GFR is 65-69. I have progressed from State 3 or b, to Stage 2.

This is because I began to self educate and I changed my diet. Alone in a virtual ocean of information, you can still figure out the proper course to take, and by comparing and analyzing the help out there, you can take giant strides in kidney management.

It is all about diet and that is how you will slow down, stop or reverse your condition. I have been a vegetarian for 20 years, so the meat was not an issue. The big four you need to consider are meat, dairy, salt, and sugar. There is a lot of help and guidance online, and by studying various diet advice and kidney-friendly help, you can become very well informed and begin to work on raising your GFR.

I suggest you look into <kidneyhood.org>-----I am stage 4 severe--I'm now spending more time learning this program, my GFR dropped severely about 18 months ago---This program has turned that around--

As I understand, there are 2 types of kidney disease, acute and chronic. Further, acute may be "remedied" to a greater GFR because there may have been a traumatic event associated with kidneys. On, the other hand , chronic is the condition where over time and age through diabetes or high blood pressure, typically, the kidneys weaken but can be controlled and slowed somewhat to a degree through exercise and proper nutrition with the help of a renal or diabetic dietitian or one of many recognized kidney organizations. My acupuncturist has shown to me those acute patients who did achieve a greater GFR through acupuncture and herbal remedies, but she also has a PhD degree in Immunolgy from a top rated US College. Cure, as I previously stated, unfortunately, does not exist among CKD patients, but can be remedied to some extent. But as Ginger, one of our monitors, often points out, it is the "trend" of the GFR that matters the most. I never said there are no solutions, and I just gave evidence of proper medical help. I applaud you for achieving your goals with this disease, but as a vegetarian perhaps you may have not experienced long term problems through diabetes or high blood pressure as the majority of CKD patients have. I repeat, there is no one overall solution to CKD for all patients, but in many cases, can be slowed with proper health control by a medical technician or family of technicians.

I love the feedback from monitors, Ginger and Colleen,on this forum when you read their responses to questions posed. I have yet to see a doc respond on Mayo Connect, so these two represent a wealth of knowledge on this forum. Should you see their comments, you will have received great information.

Hello @collegeprof

I do agree that Ginger @gingerw and Colleen @colleenyoung are great mentors in this group. You also said that you never see a doctor respond on Mayo Connect. There is a good reason for that. Mayo Connect is a patient-to-patient support group. We are not medical professionals.

However, if you are interested in learning from Mayo doctors please go to the top of your screen and click on "Blogs and Podcasts." There you will find lots of information on various health issues from a Mayo doctor's perspective.

How long have you been dealing with kidney disease?

Thank you for pointing out "Blogs and Podcasts". I will look into that. I typically watch the docs from the National Kidney Foundation, American Kidney Foundation, Davita, etc. One of my favorites is Blake Shusterman. When I respond, I am just a patient with little authority but some knowledge over the last 7 years.

As I understand, there are 2 types of kidney disease, acute and chronic. Further, acute may be "remedied" to a greater GFR because there may have been a traumatic event associated with kidneys. On, the other hand , chronic is the condition where over time and age through diabetes or high blood pressure, typically, the kidneys weaken but can be controlled and slowed somewhat to a degree through exercise and proper nutrition with the help of a renal or diabetic dietitian or one of many recognized kidney organizations. My acupuncturist has shown to me those acute patients who did achieve a greater GFR through acupuncture and herbal remedies, but she also has a PhD degree in Immunolgy from a top rated US College. Cure, as I previously stated, unfortunately, does not exist among CKD patients, but can be remedied to some extent. But as Ginger, one of our monitors, often points out, it is the "trend" of the GFR that matters the most. I never said there are no solutions, and I just gave evidence of proper medical help. I applaud you for achieving your goals with this disease, but as a vegetarian perhaps you may have not experienced long term problems through diabetes or high blood pressure as the majority of CKD patients have. I repeat, there is no one overall solution to CKD for all patients, but in many cases, can be slowed with proper health control by a medical technician or family of technicians.

I love the feedback from monitors, Ginger and Colleen,on this forum when you read their responses to questions posed. I have yet to see a doc respond on Mayo Connect, so these two represent a wealth of knowledge on this forum. Should you see their comments, you will have received great information.