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

Hi, this is eirrol,
Has anyone had high numbers on their parathyroid with compromised kidneys ? My doc said my calcium and D numbers looked fine but can be masked by the parathyroid working overtime to balance the calcium and D. Long story short, Calcitriol made me sick and I now take a vitamin D pill. I asked for a multivitamin for renal patients and was told to get Renal-Vite ( Nephro-Vite) but the pharmacist told me all it is,is Vitamin D with folic acid. Is that right ? Well, maybe that is all the supplementation I should take. I just don’t know. I am at 30 % kidney function. I was at 32% but after 3 weeks on Calcitriol I went down to 28 % (but have regained back to 30%.).

@eirrol Well, the reply I did got lost in the techno-verse - hate when that happens!
There always seems to be differing opinions on the "right" eating plan for CKD patients. Do you have access to a renal dietician, who specializes in kidney nutrition?

I eat a lot of chicken. I use pea protein powder, which works for me, in a shake most days. We do need to watch how much protein we take in to not over-stress our kidneys. Once a person has to go on dialysis, increased protein intake is encouraged.

From the National Kidney Foundation, here is their take on nutrition: https://www.kidney.org/nutrition
From the Nat'l Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, here is what they say about kidney nutrition: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/eating-nutrition

As for your vitamins, I do use the Rena-Vite tablets as suggested by my kidney clinic. Here is what the label says: Vitamin C 60mg, Thiamin 1.5mg, Riboflavin1.7mg, Niacin 20mg, Vit B6 10mg, Folic Acid 800 mcg, Vit B12 6mcg, Biotin 300mcg, Pantothenic Acid 10mg, Calcium 40mg. How does this compare to what you are taking now?
Ginger

I used to give myself B-12 shots 1000 mcg. in a 1cc diabetic syringe in my deltoid of my arm once a month when I was living in the USA. They won't give me that option in Europe.
This was the cyanocobalamin. Now, I take b-12 sublingual 1000 mcg. 1 under the tongue once a month. There are different vitamin b-12's. The cyanocobalamin b-12 is more synthetic and less "bio-available" than say, the b-12 you would get from red meat, which is more like methylcobalamin. I thought I struck gold when I found out there was methylcobalamin 1000 mcg. sublingual on the market! I hadn't had that much excitement since I bought a new pair of shoes. As far as I know, b-12 will only elevate blood pressure depending on the amount and route of administration. If you inject it intramuscular, you have to do a "register" first- draw back on the syringe to make sure it isn't going directly into a blood vessel. If you do it sublingual, it depends on the amount and frequency. If a person is lacking b-12, they are more likely to notice the "rush" than a person who is sufficient in b-12. Urine is likely to be more bright neon in appearance after taking b-12 if there's a deficiency.
A good magnesium supplement helps dilate arteries and vessels and relax soft muscle tissue and have a calming effect while lowering blood pressure. I use Magnesium Malate 600 mg daily. I stay away from mag. citrates and oxides, they can cause diarrhea are are not absorbed. You can read up on this, it's interesting.

There's a cereal out there, wish I could get it here in Europe, by the makers of Cream of Wheat cereal, it's Cream of Rice. It may not sound appetizing, but it's mineral profile seems to be custom-tailored to renal patients.
General Mills, I think, makes it. Here's it's profile, if you try it, let me know how it tastes.
I may use an immersion blender and use the basmati rice I normally eat in my diet for breakfast, turn it into a cereal, maybe add some cinnamon.

150
% Daily value*
Total Fat0g0%
Saturated Fat0g0%
Trans Fat0g0%
Polyunsaturated Fat0g0%
Monounsaturated Fat0g0%
Cholesterol0mg0%
Sodium0mg0%
Total Carbohydrate35g13%
Dietary Fiber0g0%
Sugar0g0%
Protein2g0%
Calcium340mg25%
Folic Acid60mcg0%
Iron12.6mg70%
Niacin4.2mg25%
Potassium30mg0%
Thiamin0.3mg25%
Vitamin D5.2mcg25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Thank you ! That is amazing and extremely helpful to learn there are 2 kinds of vitamin B 12 supplements. Now I know what to look for in the B12 sublingual. I was taking B12. to get healthy sheaths that cover the nerves. Doc says it helps protect and some say it helps the neurophy after shingles.

About magnesium, I wish I could take it but my blood work shows
my magnesium is very high and I needed to bring it down. I had my water tested and the magnesium is extremely high.No help for the water as it comes through rock. So my doc and I figured bottled water was a must. The only one I can use is Aquafina. My magnesium numbers went down. I use my house water to cook with and managed to hold my magnesium to a very high
normal.
Thanks again for all the great information.
From Eirrol

Hi Ginger, I really thank you for telling me about the pea protein powder. I will try to get that . I don’t do the shakes but maybe I can sprinkle it on something or dissolve the amount I need in a bit of broth or water and pour over my food.
Yep, I eat a lot of chicken,too. I bake or roast it all,without skin or bone but sometimes feel I am losing out on the nutrition ,especially from not cooking bone. Also make chicken salad, chicken noodle stew,or use apple cider vinegar and a bit of hot pepper to make barbecue chicken. I cooked turkey breast for Christmas.
Yes, your Rena-vite did leave out the vitamins I did not want to take , like A, K, E, and D. I liked the dosages on most of the Rena-bite but was concerned about the B6 amount of 10mg which is double of what I have read and because I am concerned about B6 toxicity causing neuropathy. Maybe I could just take this every other day.
So much good information. Thank you.
Eirrol

I’ll have to try it. Thanks!

Yes indeedee, B-12 repairs those nerve sheaths. I don't recall what it's called, a disease of the sheath, myol . . . something. I don't eat much red meat and produce, well, someone really knows where it comes from, but I don't. After doing some poking around I found out about methylcobalamin. I'm delighted you know, not many do, including the pharmacy I go to, they don't know about, don't know it exists and don't even know they carry it! LOL!

As for your magnesium, is this related directly to your kidney function, or a secondary of some metabolic kink? Magnesium is a strange animal. Foods & beverages we consume deplete magnesium, sodas, alcohol and coffee- I can't live without it, I think. 80% of Americans have a mag deficiency, I don't know about the European population.
I remember Aquafina! Bottled water is a staple here and was a staple for me in Los ANgeles. I used to drink Arrowhead distilled water only. I got my minerals from food and vitamins. They freak out over here about distilled, they only use it for ironing clothes and say it's detrimental to drink it. Tap water has antimicrobials, antiseptics and heavy metals, it tends to be extremely high in calcium, it's really evident here as I use vinegar to break it down to clean it off of surfaces, so, imagine what it does to the arteries and kidneys. Tap for cooking anything that's a pour-off, except rice or a cereal. It's a really good thing your doctor dug into the numbers and became aware of this, it's very important.

I finally found a pea protein that isn't sweetened with sugar or aspartame or ACE-K. It's on Amazon. I'm getting ready to jump on this as well. Thank you!

@eirrol The pea protein powder I use is from Vitacost.com. It has a smooth texture, not gritty, and blends well with almond milk. It comes in vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. One of the big pluses is it packs a lot of protein into one scoop of the powder. There are many days I simply have little desire to eat, and getting quality protein into me is important.

@delmar418 has given us all some useful information, right?! I love seeing how we support each other with knowledge we have learned on our own.
Ginger