What adjustments to diet have you made since being diagnosed with CKD?
Hi! Diet is often a part of management plans for chronic kidney disease. It can also be confusing because adjustments to diet are personal and can differ depending on a person's comorbidities, CKD stage, treatment, and more.
But I'm curious to know what sorts of adjustments to diet you've made since being diagnosed with CKD.
For me, I had to make a personal choice to cut back on my dairy products, I can only have a certain amount and that's because my medication has side effects causing stomach issues and I think the personal change has helped me get fewer stomach problems.
Thanks Sabad (team member)I have made several changes to my diet since I am aware of CKD. I cut back on dairy products and salt. I use the DASH diet. I also had to cut back on potassium because I am usually hyperkalemic. Staying hydrated is also very vital for me.
Hey
, I think you're doing great with how you changed your diet for the better for yourself, I would love to hear about the DASH diet you started?
Thanks for sharing,
Sabad (Team Member)
Hi Sabad,
Yes, I am doing great. My eGFR is stable and creatinine has also improved. The DASH diet is mainly using less salt/sodium in your diet. DASH means Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. I use more fresh herbs, vegetables, balsamic and apple Cider vinegar.
I also use lemon juice in my meals just before I am finish cooking. This may surprise you how tasty the food is without sodium.I have not eaten any type of sodium/salt or products with salt in them in years. The only dairy I eat is non-fat plain Greek yogurt. My creatine stays high. My eGFR bounces back and forth. Do you have more tips about diet and what role it plays in CKD? My doctor never mentions diet. He blames the CKD on the autoimmune illnesses and medicstions. Hey
, it sounds like your doctor left you in the dark in regards to diet. That must be really frustrating. There are so many things to consider with CKD, so it's nice to have a clear idea of what guidelines to follow. We have an article that I think will give you some helpful information about diet and nutrition for CKD: https://chronic-kidney-disease.net/diet
I hope that helps steer you in the right direction! - Kat (Team Member)
Reducing salt
so sorry to hear about the difficulty in controlling your BP. I’m the opposite in that I have very low blood pressure and can only take 2.5 mg of Lisinopril. I need my Lisinopril for helping to reduce the protein spill I have. It has helped to reduce it from 500 to 150. I am very happy about that. Has your doctor given you any other things you can do to help with your BP besides drugs? Are you drinking your allotted amount of water? I know the heart and the kidneys are sponges that need lots and lots of water to function correctly. Now if your retaining fluid you will have to limit yourself so definitely talk to your doctor about it. Let us know how you are doing I know it’s been a minute since you posted your response. Keep fighting the good fight 💚 Cindy (Team Member) I was in our hospital here in Maine, for a a COPD Flare up, and one nite my BP was super high, whereas it is normally low.. All the staff that was on, were flipped out, using different cuffs, stethoscopes, arms thingies for BP, and all I wanted to do was SLEEP..
As it turned out, they started giving me, Losartan, a BP MED, and my primary care doc kept me on it for a few months …until…my kidney numbers, my eGFR started to be questionable!! I learned that LOSARTAN is EXTREMELY Rough on our kidneys.. so after multiple(es) of blood draws, consultations, etc, I apparently had ‘kidney damage’, then CKD Stage 3..
I have never, ever had a lower than healthy eGFR..
AND..
So it is..
