Diet plan for diabetic and kidney patient

Diabetes and Kidney Disease: One Diet Plan

If you have diabetes and CKD then the right diet is very important to help the body function at its best. Figuring out a proper diet plan for such a condition can be a major challenge. What’s good for your body in a particular meal plan might not be as good for you in another.

Diabetes and CKD diet is very similar to each other. But there are some major differences you need to keep in mind before setting a diet plan.

Diabetes diet

A healthy diabetes diet is not very different from a healthy diet for anyone including lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein, less salt, sugar, and healthy fats. The individual carb goal is decided according to the age, medicines taken, and the level of activity performed on a daily basis. When you finally get your diet plan ready, sticking to it will help you keep your blood sugar levels in your target range, which positively influences your kidney's health.

Kidney diet

Kidney disease and herbal supplements don’t goes well side by side. Herbal supplements aren’t safe if you are suffering from kidney disease and can even make them worse. Always discuss with your doctor before taking vitamins or supplements. In a CKD diet, certain food is taken in limits or completely avoided to help in healthy kidney function. The diet will overall depend on the stage of CKD or if you are on dialysis.

One meal plan for both diabetes and chronic kidney diseases: let’s dive into the details.

Food to avoid

Consume less salt/sodium which is a very beneficial move for CKD and diabetes as well. As with time the CKD makes your kidneys lose the ability to control your sodium-water balance. Less sodium intake in your diet helps lower the blood pressure and decreases the fluid build-up in your body, which is a very common issue in kidney disease.

Your diet’s main focus should be freshly home-cooked meals. Limit consumption of packaged food which is mostly high in sodium. You will get used to the low salt food in a week or two with the help of flavors like herbs, flavored vinegar, mustard, etc. Don’t completely cut salt out of your diet until and unless your doctor or dietician says so. Using salt substitutes without a doctor’s consultation is an unhealthy step, as they have high potassium which you might be advised to limit.

It all depends on the stage of kidney disease you are at; you may be required to reduce the potassium, protein, and phosphorus consumption in your diet. CKD forbids may food that is typically considered right in a healthy diet.

In order to keep your bones strong and other parts of the body healthy, phosphorus is an important mineral. The kidneys with poor functioning aren’t able to properly remove that extra phosphorus from your blood. Accumulation of too much phosphorus weakens your bones and can damage your blood vessels, heart, and eyes. Foods like dairy, beans, nuts, whole-grain bread, meat, and dark-colored sodas, and packaged food have high phosphorus rates.

With an appropriate level of potassium, your nerves and muscles work well but with CKD, a high level of potassium can build up in the blood causing serious heart attack problems. Potatoes, oranges, tomatoes, whole grain bread, and many other foods are high in potassium. Food like carrot, apple, and white bread is low in potassium. With a doctor’s consultation, you can get a potassium binder which is a medicine that helps the body get rid of the extra potassium.

Eat the right amount of protein as consumption of more protein than required can make your kidneys work harder and affect your kidney adversely. The key is to find a properly balanced protein intake according to your body which isn’t too little and not a lot. Your doctor or dietician can help you figure out the right combination and amount of protein appropriate for your body.

Food: Whether you should eat or pass?

Food perfect for a typical renal diabetic diet is discussed below. This list keeps in mind the potassium, sodium, phosphorus and sugar content of the food. Make sure to consult your dietician once before making a diet plan according to the listed food and make sure you get thorough with the serving size of every food allowed.

Milk and non-diary

Recommended	Avoid
Skim or fat-free milk, plain yogurt, sugar free yogurt, non-dairy creamer, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free ice cream, sugar-free non dairy frozen desserts   Portions of dairy products are often limited to 4 ounces due to high protein, potassium or phosphorus content	Chocolate milk, sweetened yogurt, buttermilk, sugar sweetened pudding, sugar sweetened ice cream, and sugar sweetened non-dairy frozen desserts.

 

Fruits and juices

Recommended	Avoid
Apples, apple juice, applesauce, apricot, berries including: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries, low sugar cranberry juice, cherries, fruit cocktail, grapefruit, grapes, grape juice, kumquats, mandarin oranges, pears, pineapple, plums, tangerine, watermelon, fruit canned in unsweetened juice	Avocados, bananas, pomegranate dried fruits like dates, raisins and prunes fresh pears, honeydew melon, kiwis, kumquats, star fruit mangos, papaya, nectarines, oranges and orange juice, fruit canned in syrup

 

Starchy vegetables

Recommended	Avoid
Corn, peas, mixed vegetables (eat these less often because they are high in phosphorus) potatoes (soak to reduce potassium level)	Baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, baked beans, dried beans including: kidneys, lentil , lima, pinto or soy, winter squash, succotash, pumpkin

 

Non-starchy vegetables  

Recommended	Avoid
Asparagus, beets, broccoli, okra, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, snow peas, iceberg lettuce, kale, leeks, mustard greens, onions, red and green peppers, radishes, raw spinach (1/2 cup), summer squash, turnips	Artichoke, fresh bamboo shoots, cooked Chinese cabbage, beet greens, cactus, kohlrabi, sauerkraut , cooked spinach, rutabagas, tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato sauce or paste

 

Higher-protein foods: Meats, cheeses, and eggs

Recommended	Avoid
Lean cuts of meat, fish, poultry, seafood, eggs, low cholesterol egg substitute; cottage cheese (limited due to high sodium content)	Bacon, canned and luncheon meats, cheeses, hot dogs, nuts, , organ meats, pepperoni, salmon, sausage, salami

 

Beverages

Recommended	Avoid
Water, homemade tea, diet clear sodas or lemonade sweetened with an artificial sweetener	Regular or diet dark colas, packaged iced tea or lemonade that contains sugar, beer, fruit juices, fruit-flavoured drinks or water sweetened with fruit juices, syrup, or phosphoric acid; any drink with real sugar.

 

The first and foremost thing to keep in mind is to prepare your food with less salt and sodium. Buy fresh food regularly as sodium is put on food in the supermarket to keep it look fresh for long. Eat a freshly cooked meal from scratch instead of frozen dinner and canned food that are higher in sodium. Sodium-free seasoning like herbs and spices also helps you get used to the low salt food.

Consume protein in the right amount and of the right type for your body. When you consume protein, the body produces waste which is removed by the kidneys. More protein consumption requires more hard work for the kidneys. So consumption of protein in small portions is the way to go for you.

It is very important to choose food that is good for your heart to avoid the fat from building up in your blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. Avoid deep-fried food instead opt for boiled, grilled, roasted, and stir-fry food. Avoid fat from the meat and skin from the poultry before eating. Read the food label and avoid anything with a high amount of saturated and Trans fat.

Nutrition needs are changed with the late-stage CKD. If you are a patient on dialysis, you will be required to eat more especially protein. Dialysis is supposed to filter the blood as kidneys do, but it doesn’t work as well as the healthy kidneys. You may need o limit the fluid and drink as fluid can build up in your body between treatments.

See your Doctor or Dietician

Diabetes and CKD both change with time and so should your diet. It becomes very crucial to be in touch with your dietician and follow the recommended diet. You need to get in touch with a patient doctor or dietician who can do a thorough analysis of your medical history and then draft a suitable diet accordingly.

Satyadev super specialty hospital has some of the most intelligent doctors and dieticians experienced in the very field. If you are going all baffled about the fact that there are tons of food that you need to avoid, then what is left to eat and in what quantity? Then you need not stress, visit our doctors who will patiently listen to all your queries and provide you with a diet chart that works best for you. Moreover, the hospital has a dialysis center and some well-known urologists to provide you with world-class consultation. Get yourself one diet plan that works best with diabetes and chronic kidney disease that would surely lessen your complications and prove beneficial for your health.