Foods to eat to keep creatinine level down

@rosemarya, there were at least five AHA moments.

For one thing, I've read labels for years but didn't really pay much attention to them. When I started researching a renal diet and nutritional values like potassium, phosphorus, and sodium, I was shocked to discover how much "hidden" minerals are in our food, especially processed food - disodium phosphate, phosphatase, potassium chloride, MSG, etc.

Second, an equal revelation was that some of the foods we are told to limit, such as tomatoes or potatoes, can still be eaten OCCASIONALLY and IN VERY SMALL portions or - like potatoes - processed a certain way to leach out certain minerals. (That same process can help leach out oxalates as well.) Yes, we can have a thin slice of tomato occasionally. Yes, we can have a small amount of rinsed, soaked, parboiled potatoes.

Third, I also realized that what I missed was texture and flavor, not necessarily amounts. Moderation certainly isn't my middle name but in many cases a small taste of something I ordinarily would limit or avoid has almost negligible "no-nos."

Fourth, as energy challenged as I am sometimes, I can't say enough good things about baking your own bread, tortillas, biscuits, etc. and cooking things "from scratch.". I started baking bread again like I did when the children were all still home, only this time I came up with an egg-free, dairy-free, sodium-free recipe for artisan bread baked in an iron skillet and it makes scrumptious toast. Producing your own ingredients like homemade salt-free mustard or low-potassium tomato/bell pepper sauce and using whole foods and fresh produce makes it possible to know almost exactly how much phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and protein is going on my plate. This is quite liberating because it gives a bit of control over what otherwise is a maverick of a disease.

Last, as a diabetic I was told to eat whole grains, brown rice and low-carb foods but renal patients should avoid whole wheat, brown rice, etc., and if a renal patient is limiting or excluding meat carbohydrates MUST be increased in order to get sufficient protein. So I figured my blood sugars would get wacky. They did not. Although my own personal renal diet is higher in carbs than is usually recommended for diabetics, I have been able to dramatically decrease my insulin and, while I'm still not losing much weight due to being in the wheelchair, I feel more energetic and engaged and my A1cs are now normal.

I can't promise similar results to anyone using my recipes, I only can attest that they work for me. If they work for others, let's celebrate!

@kamama94 Thank you again for all your work creating this recipe collection. I hope that the challenge of finding food and diet choices resulted in you spending enjoyable time creating. I can only imagine that the work in doing this makes you feel good knowing that it made a difference in your health and by you sharing it it will help others. Definitely the portion control issue is familiar to so many of us. We eat fast and our brain centers don't have a chance to tell us stop or full in time before we have overeaten. I hope that you have a marvelous day.
Ginger

@gingerw, thanks for the kind words.

Yes, I had - and still am having - a wonderful time turning my "mad chemist" loose in my kitchen.

Currently am experimenting with ways to create a "jell-o" type dessert without using gelatin. Vegan substitutes are pricey so I'm using pectin to make a version of jelly that's more like dessert gelatin. Results aren't as promising as I had hoped so will keep trying.

Also working on a low-potassium, low-phosphorus veggie burger as the processed ones in the stores have a lot of sodium and high-potassium legumes. I did come up with a fairly tasty vegan loaf but as a burger patty it was an epic fail and only very slightly does the vegan loaf resemble a "real" meat loaf.

So it's back to the kitchen for me.

More successful are my Native American recipes sans meat. They're very low sodium and their potassium and phosphorus content are within recommended limits. As a traditionalist in my medicine society and with my native American heritage, these dishes are quite satisfying to me. There's even a way to use the Three Sisters (corn, squash and beans) in traditional ways without going over the mineral limits for a renal diet. That recipe collection should be available within a year. Even non-Indian people might have fun using some of the native recipes.

I'll hush now.

Thanks for the visual image! I am trying to form an image of you, as a mad scientist at work in the kitchen.

@kimberlyharris Thanks, you're quite right about meats, dairy, and legumes. And hydration.

As a vegan, I eat no animal products whatsoever - no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no honey, no gelatin. Andt since I have CKD, I'm a vegan whose only legumes are about 1/4 cup mashed chickpeas in something every couple of weeks. I use almond milk but not soy milk and don't use tofu. A few processed vegan items I buy do contain some soy or some pea protein but I've contacted all the manufacturers of the foods I eat for potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and protein content so I know I'm under the NIH recommendations for CKD patients for all of those.

In fact, I'm writing a cookbook for vegetarians who have CKD and diabetes and every ingredient either is kidney and diabetic friendly or in amounts which are kidney and diabetic friendly. When I have the rough draft finished, my primary will review it then submit it to the medical school for vetting. Then it will be free to everyone.

What I don't understand is that I'm doing everything right and I feel great but my labs are crap. Go figure.

Diet and times of day to eat to reduce or control creatinine level which now is at 4