Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease and Diabetes – Dr. Puneet Dhawan

Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease

A right kind of diet can help do the functions of the body at its best. Most CKD patients have high blood sugar as a cause of kidney disease. If you have diabetes and CKD both you need to be extra cautious because what is good for one plan may not work on the other plan.  You need one meal plan for a high blood sugar level and another one for kidney disease and the best results you will get by combining them both.

To meet your blood sugar and CKD diet goals you need to consult a dietician who is proficient in both. 

Let’s break it all for you, how both the conditions can be managed with a single meal plan. 

Diabetes and CKD diet share a lot of common foods, but equally are the foods to avoid during these times. “Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease and Diabetes“.

Kidney diet

During disease, it becomes hard for the kidneys to remove certain nutrients the excess of which may cause problems in the body. So, a kidney-friendly diet has nutrients like sodium, protein, potassium, and phosphorus in their lower range. Also, the body needs a specific diet to get enough of the energy and to keep you nourished. 

Diet varies during different stages of kidney disease and dialysis, it is completely different. During peritoneal dialysis, CKD patients with diabetes need to be extra careful of their blood sugar levels. This is because the dialysate solution is primarily sugar-based. So be sure that your dialysis team is aware of your diabetes. “Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease and Diabetes”.

Also, being a patient you need to consult a dietician who can suggest diet keeping in mind your specific reports and tests. 

Diabetes diet

A diabetes diet is inclusive of fruits, vegetables, less salt and sugar, some low fat and protein sources of protein. You will need to pay more attention to the quantity of carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates are present in various foods such as milk, bread, desserts, and many types of soda. 

Foods to limit during diabetes and CKD

Both diabetes and CKD gets affected by the amount of sodium in your diet. The kidneys lose their ability to control sodium and fluid balance. Less sodium means lesser fluid retention and lower blood pressure rate or low risk of high blood pressure. Try to consume only a portion of salt or sodium and cook food at home instead of buying food from the restaurant or in the form of packaged food.  Alternatively, use salt substitutes such as herbs spices which are good for the kidneys (only after a recommendation from your dietician as they also have potassium in them). “Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease and Diabetes”.

 Phosphorus

Phosphorus keeps your bone strong and healthy. In the event of damage, the kidneys cannot remove the excess of phosphorus from the blood. This build-up of phosphorus can damage eyes, blood vessels, and weaken the bones of the person. 

You will find “Phos” in various packaged foods; make sure to avoid those foods.  Meat, nuts, whole-grain bread, dark-colored sodas add to high blood sugar levels along with kidney disease. 

Potassium

Potassium is another important mineral that is not suggested to the kidney patients. Otherwise, potassium is needed to keep the nerves and muscles working but not to the patients whose kidneys are malfunctioning. 

A variety of fruits, vegetables, and other foods have a rich amount of potassium such as tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, whole-grain bread, etc. 

Protein

Proteins are also not suggested to someone with CKD and diabetes. More protein means the harder kidneys have to work in order to remove them. Eat the right quantity of protein and prevent CKD from getting worse. 

Here are some foods to avoid with kidney disease and diabetes. “Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease and Diabetes”.

Fruits

Alternatives: Berries, plums, grapes, cherries, apples

Avoid: Mangoes, kiwi, oranges, and pomegranate

Vegetables

Alternatives: Cauliflower, onions, asparagus, eggplant, turnips

Avoid: Okra, spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, potatoes  

High Protein Sources

Alternatives: Lean meats eggs, and dairy

Avoid: Nuts, bacon, hotdogs, lunch meats, pepperoni

Fluid

Alternatives: Water, unsweetened tea, diet sodas

Avoid: Dark sodas, beer, sugary drinks, sweet tea or lemonade

Diet is as important to kidney disease as the treatment itself so be careful about the food choices during CKD.  If you have any queries, then you can also consult dieticians at Karma Ayurveda. “Foods to Avoid with Kidney Disease and Diabetes”.