Renal Diet

Of the kidneys, for the kidneys, about the kidneys; renal health is a strikingly complex and harrowingly simple formula for just about anyone’s understanding. Put simply the kidneys are your Glad bags as they are open wide as well as the vehicle to the curb from which the wastes of your body are taken from and are taken to. So logically, healthy kidneys should be tops on your list (because I’m pretty sure no one wants to live with their trash in perpetuity!) renal health can be had a number of different ways and renal failure is a show you don’t even want to consider being part and parcel to.

Renal failure happens for a few reasons; top two of these are a result of preceeding liver failure or a marked decrease in bodily muscle mass.

Renal failure happens I two ways: chronic or acute. As the words suggest, chronic is a slow degeneration over a prolonged period of time, doesn’t ever show any indicators, and can lead to a really bad endgame. Acute is quite contrary; its progression is fast, symptoms are a lightning bolt, yet the results are the same as chronic.

With treatment for your renal failure you need to have a renal diet. Three treatment options for renal failure are Hemodialysis, Peritoneal dialysis, or an outright kidney transplant and they all have a different diet to speak of for implementation.

Hemodialysis cleans and filters your blood both at a clinic or at your home; this is a long term treatment option to long term renal failure. Your diet should look something like this:

-balanced foods high in protein; meat or chicken as animal proteins are better used by your body than vegetable proteins
-be wary of too much potassium (found in some fruit, vegetables, milk, chocolate, nuts) too much or too little can hurt your heart
-limit your liquid intake; fluid buildup happens quickly when your kidneys aren’t functioning properly
-avoid salt
-Limit milk, cheese, nuts, dried beans, soft drinks – these contain phosphorus

If your physician decides that an even longer term, less hands on treatment option should be your fate, you may get a catheter (a small tube) placed inside your abdomen where it will live. While you’ve got your catheter in your renal diet should look something like this:

-watch caloric intake. Sugar may cause you to gain weight quickly
-may need to eat more potassium
-may need to eat more protein
-you may be able to eat more salts and fluids with this method of treatment

Finally the long term solution which would lead you to go under the knife is the infamous kidney transplant. Your restrictions are different for this method and only last as long before and after the operation your doctor prescribes. They are:

-calorie counting. Medication you take will give you a bigger appetite and cause you to put on weight. This will last for as long as you’re on the medication.
-Limit salty foods
-medication may also retain salt, leading to high blood pressure
-may need to eat less protein as medication may lead to buildup in the blood.

Renal diets are only to your benefit. If you’re forced to go on one of these diets due to renal succumbing, just remember it’s all for your own good.