Mathea Ford's Blog, page 54

Kidney Disease Diet: The Potassium Content in Lentils

Lentils and other legumes are often warned against by those who are following a kidney disease diet. This is because they can be high in potassium and even phosphorus. For the majority of people looking for healthy options in their diet’s lentils are a superhero because of their excellent source of high protein, high fiber, many beneficial nutrients, and their association with lowering cholesterol and risk of heart disease. However, while these are a great healthy choice for a nutritious food within a healthy diet for most, those with chronic kidney disease should be mindful of the amount of potassium, as just one-half serving can contain as much as 365 milligrams.

Can I Eat Lentils on a Renal Diet?

Lentils can be eaten on a renal diet but the amount of potassium, protein, and phosphorus should be accounted for according to your dietary restrictions. Those on renal diets usually avoid legumes, beans, and other options similar to lentils, but if you enjoy these in moderation, then you should have no worries and can even get a healthy dose of fiber from these tiny seeds.

Are Lentils Good For You If You Have Kidney Disease?

As we talked about above, lentils have many beneficial effects, such as a good source of protein and fiber content. Though, they are not the ideal choice for those with kidney disease because they have high phosphorus and excess potassium contents, which can build up in your build and not be filtered out due to the kidney disease. This could cause problems for your health over time if you consume too much of these nutrients. Lentils are good in small quantities, but you should search for those with the lowest sodium, phosphorus, and source of potassium.

How Much Potassium Content Is In Cooked Lentils?

Much like beans and other legumes, there is a lot of potassium-packed into these small lentils. The average potassium content in a half-cup can vary between 250 to 365 milligrams depending on the color and the style of cooking used to prepare the lentils. Leaching is a process through which you soak the lentils before cooking them to get as much potassium out beforehand as possible.

This is especially helpful to those with kidney disease because it can help you eat foods that are usually deemed off-limits by reducing levels of potassium per cup. Leaching starts by placing the number of lentils to be cooked in a large pot of warm water. The larger the pot, the more dispersed the potassium will be once it leaves the lentils, which will maximize the amount leached out. Warm water is also essential because it helps facilitate the movement of potassium out as well. Leave them soaked for up to two hours, and then cook by whichever method you prefer. This will decrease the amounts of potassium intake, but still, be mindful of eating these in moderation.

Potassium Content By Lentil ColorRed

The average potassium content in a single cup of red lentils is about 780 milligrams. The sodium is 480 milligrams, and the protein is 6 grams. This is on the slightly higher end of the spectrum for sources of potassium content in lentils, but depending on how they are cooked, red lentils could still be a good option in small quantities for a renal diet.

Yellow

Yellow lentils have an average of 731 milligrams of potassium per one single cup. This is better than the red lentils and is the average of lentils potassium levels discussed for those on kidney friendly diets. Sodium is 471 milligrams, and protein is 18 grams in this type of lentil, so it is important to note if you are on a specific protein diet to count this in as it has higher amounts of proteins.

Green

Green lentils are by far the most potassium-rich lentils coming in at around 900 milligrams for just half a cup. This is twice the levels present in our other two lentil options, so while the green lentils may contain other healthy aspects like 31 grams of dietary fiber, they are just not a good choice for those with kidney disease due to the high dietary potassium.

Which Lentils Are Healthiest For the Kidneys?

The lentils that are the healthiest choice for those with kidney disease would be the yellow lentils. They have the lowest amount of potassium while still retaining their fiber and protein content. So, while they should not become a staple in your meals, the yellow lentils are the best renal-friendly option for healthy kidneys and kidney function with diet rich minerals out of these legumes.

Renal-Friendly Lentil Recipe

While lentils should not be a constant part of your diet, a healthy way to cook them is with this lentil stuffed pepper recipe. Made from a combination of lentils, onions, squash, feta cheese, rice, and more spices, this is a flavorful dish full of healthy options. An easy and fun dish, these stuffed peppers have flavors of basil, garlic, and sweet onion mixed with much more for you to enjoy.

Being aware of the potassium content in lentils, as well as which lentils are best for a renal diet, will make sure you are still able to eat lentils when you have kidney disease.

If you love legumes and want to try having a healthy option that provide health benefits like lentils in your diet, it is best to stick to yellow lentil food sources in moderation and soak them before cooking to remove as much potassium as you can. Then you can enjoy your lentils without worrying about your health.

The post Kidney Disease Diet: The Potassium Content in Lentils appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

Everything You Need To Know About Plant Based Milks For Pre-Dialysis (CKD Diet) I Need A Low Cholesterol, Diabetic, And Pre-Dialysis Diet – Help! RDHQ Podcast 98: Does the type of protein matter for CKD? Plant based or omnivore diet for kidney disease?

Fish Oil, Omega 3s, and Kidney Disease, Yay or Nay?

Under the right circumstances, dietary supplements, minerals, and vitamins can be great additions to someone’s everyday life. They can offer improvement of certain conditions or replace a lack of some essential micronutrients that one would get from food. Fish Oil and Omega-3 fatty acids are popular supplements, and for those with chronic kidney disease, there is a significant amount of research to show that these are very helpful and provide beneficial effects for those managing this disease.

 

Why Are Fish Oil & Omega-3 Fatty Acids Healthy?

 

Fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids supplementation go hand in hand, as the biggest part of fish oils are omega-3s, because they are derived from fish oil. These fatty acids are healthy and have many beneficial effects for a majority of reasons, such as maintaining one’s energy levels, lowering triglycerides, having anti-inflammatory effects, and can improve memory and symptoms of some mental illnesses.

 

What Is the Difference Between Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acids?

 

While fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, these fatty acids are contained in this version in two unsaturated forms: EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA. These fatty acids come from microalgae consumed by the fish from which the oils are taken from. Omega-3 fatty acids can also be consumed in a more concentrated quantity by themselves in their polyunsaturated forms. These fatty acids can come from fish but also plants, nuts, and other vegetables. These more concentrated Omega-3s come in three forms: EPA, DHA, and APA.

 

Can I Eat Fish Oil and Omega-3 with kidney disease?

 

Fish oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation is utilized to help improve many people's health, including those with chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. There have been research studies noting the positive effects of fish oil and omega-3 supplementation and very few negative side effects have been noted. For example, this study states that there are no serious adverse side effects or risk in patients other than an upset stomach, a fishy taste in the mouth, and mild nausea for those with cardiovascular disease or end stage renal disease.

 

Are Fish Oil and Omega-3 Good for Kidney Disease?

 

The numerous health benefits proven by health studies and a clinical trial show that these are great supplements to take even if you have chronic kidney disease. This omega-3 fatty acid supplementation help to reduce inflammation, improve memory, and keep energy levels up, so they are a great option to keep up one’s health when it comes to the progression of chronic kidney disease stage.

This research study even found that omega-3 supplements reduced the risk of end-stage renal disease and even helped to slow the progression of kidney disease in over 400 patients with chronic kidney disease.

 

Does Fish Oil Raise or Increase Creatinine?

 

Not a lot of studies have been done to find this information specifically but there is one that states that during a randomized trial of chronic kidney patients, the use of fish oil supplements only showed an increase in creatinine concentration in only 6 percent of their group who were actively taking the supplement. In comparison, 33 percent of the placebo group, not taking the supplement found their creatinine concentrations to be increased. These findings indicate an incremental increase in creatinine but do not seem to pose any additional health risks or adverse effects to outweigh the proven benefits.

 

Is It Bad If I Don’t Get Enough Omega-3 with CKD?

 

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential nutrients and fatty acids that you likely get from your diet. They are abundant in fish, nuts, seeds, and various vegetables. That being said, if you are not getting enough of them in your diet, it may be necessary for you to take these supplements. You should talk with your doctor to get on a correct daily doses of omega-3s to help improve several health functions and avoid a deficiency that could cause brittle nails, dry skin, fatigue, joint pain, and brain fog.

 

How Much Fish Oil Should I Eat To Help with Kidney Disease?

 

The recommended dosage for fish oil supplementation and omega-3s specifically is around 500 milligrams a day of the combined EPA and DHA fatty acids. Those with kidney disease or who know they have deficiencies in their usual diets, should consult a physician to get the best recommendation for daily intake and dosage to evaluate risk factors and maximize the health benefits without risking ingesting too much, especially if you have coronary heart disease.

 

Can I Eat Too Much Omega-3 with CKD?

Anyone can eat too much omega-3, and those with chronic kidney disease are no different. There is a real risk of health issues if you take too much of these fatty acid supplements. Your body retains the excess of these supplements and has no real way to get rid on a regular basis if far too much is ingested.

The effects of too much omega-3 can be excessive bleeding, increased blood sugar, diarrhea, gastrointestinal issues, and even strokes due to the inability of one’s blood to clot properly. While most negative side effects subside rather quickly by reducing your dosage, it is important to talk to a doctor if you have any negative side effects to prevent a decline of kidney function.

It is also essential to talk to a doctor or dietitian to make sure you are taking the correct amount of this supplement for your current diet and renal function.

 

Can I Use an Omega-3 Supplement If I Have CKD?

 

You can absolutely use an omega-3 supplement if you have kidney disease, in fact, it has so many renal-friendly benefits it is encouraged that you take the supplement. It could improve inflammation of the renal valves, give you more energy, and has even been shown to slow the progression of the disease.

 

Is It Better To Eat Fish or Take a Fish Oil Supplement for Kidney Disease?

 

Since the oils used in fish oil come from fish, they are similar in many ways. Since you can get fish oil and omega-3s through your diet, it is really up to you which way you would prefer to consume them. If you choose to eat fish instead of taking the supplement, it is recommended that you eat fish at least twice a week. You can also discuss with your dietitian if you need to eat more omega-3 rich foods instead of taking the supplements if you choose to do so.

 

The Best Fish & Fish Oil Supplements for CKD Patients

 

Webber Naturals

 

This brand usually runs around 20 dollars a bottle, and comes in different styles such as easy-to-swallow soft gels, extra strength, and Alaskan salmon fish oil.

 

Kirkland Signature

 

Kirkland signature is likely the most cost-effective option you will find at just over 19 dollars a bottle for 1000 mg of fish oil and 400 softgels. It also comes in a variety of different choices, such as Alaskan salmon fish oil and omega-3 only supplements.

 

Carlson Labs

This brand may not be as popular, and you may have to order this one online, but it is a liquid formula if you are averse to taking large pills. It also comes in a lemon flavor, so you can have no fears about that fishy aftertaste.

 

If you have CKD make sure you are getting enough fish oil and Omega-3 in your diet in order to treat your kidney disease.

 

Omega-3s and fish oils have an abundance of health benefits, some of which are especially helpful to those managing their kidney disease. So, if you are looking for a supplement or have been thinking about taking omega-3s, you should look into proper dosages and begin to reap the health benefits of these amazing fatty acids.

The post Fish Oil, Omega 3s, and Kidney Disease, Yay or Nay? appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

What Fish to Eat With Kidney Disease RDHQ Podcast 110: 5 Easy Food Tweaks To Reducing Inflammation In Your Body Best Low Phosphorus Meats for Kidney Disease

What To Eat When You Don’t Feel Like Eating On a Renal Diet

What To Eat When You Don’t Feel Like Eating on a Renal Diet

We have all been victim to that feeling of needing to eat but just not feeling hungry. This can especially be a problem when you are trying to follow a renal diet and need to keep up your energy and appetite to feel your best. In this post, we will discuss renal-friendly foods to eat when you just don’t feel like eating, what causes this loss of appetite among those with kidney disease, and how to gain back your appetite and hunger levels.

I Am on a Renal Diet, and I’m Not Hungry! Why?Is Fatigue From Kidney Disease Causing My Loss Of Appetite?

Loss of appetite can be caused by many things, but if you have chronic kidney disease, then the fatigue caused by your disease could be the main culprit. Many of those with CKD suffer from fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, upset stomach, and even anemia.

All of these symptoms can be caused by the main effect of kidney disease, which is a buildup of toxins in your blood. With kidney disease, your kidneys do not filter impurities and toxins out of your blood properly, so the resulting buildup can cause many adverse effects and just generally make you feel sluggish. Many other aspects of life or mental health conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression can also cause a decrease in appetite and make you feel fatigued.

Should I Eat If I Don’t Feel Hungry?

While you should not eat if you feel full or force yourself to eat after a meal, eating enough calories and meals per day to make sure you are healthy is essential. Feeling as if you are not hungry can put you off from foods, but it is important to make sure you are following your dietitian’s renal diet, and actually eating at least small foods that can sustain you and give you the vital nutrients you need so your body feels it’s best.

What To Eat When You Don’t Feel Like Eating Anything & Have Kidney DiseaseSoup

When you don’t feel like eating, soup can be a great alternative to a heartier meal that you can’t stomach right now. There are many healthy soup options for those following a renal-friendly diet, such as carrot and zucchini, chicken chili, and chicken noodles.

It is important to remember to replace any high sodium or high phosphorus ingredients with kidney-friendly alternatives to make sure these choices are the best for your health. It is also important to talk with your dietician about your fluid intake when it comes to soups if you are on a fluid-restricted diet.

Pasta

Pasta is a much healthier choice than soup, but it can feel you up quickly and be very delicious without the effort of cooking a four-course meal for yourself. You have to remember to be mindful of sodium and phosphorus in the pasta types you are using as well as any toppings or sauces. A quick and cold pasta salad with chicken is a great lower protein way to eat a small meal without much cooking. The fact that you can eat the pasta salad cold is another help with the appetite as it may make it more appealing than a warm and filling pasta.

Fat-free Yogurt

Yogurt is a quick and easy snack to eat when you are not feeling like a full meal. Fat-free or low-fat yogurt can be a great way to help get some nutrients in despite a lack of appetite. You can also add plant proteins like sunflower seeds or various nuts to the yogurt so you can make sure you are getting a nice balance of all the things you need to be present in your diet and foods for the day.

 

Tips For Treating Loss Of Appetite on a Renal DietEat Small Meals

Loss of appetite is not something that is only happening to those with CKD. It happens to a lot of people. One of the best ways dietitians have found to combat the possible side effects of appetite loss and lowered hunger signals over a period of time is to eat small meals. Small and more frequent meals seem less intimidating and will still help you get your proper food and nutrient intakes in for the day. Feeling as if you are not hungry means the thought of a large meal may seem nauseating and cause stomach upset, which is reduced by having smaller renal-friendly meals or snacks throughout your day.

Schedule Meals & Snacks

Much like eating small meals you can help your body to restart your appetite by scheduling meal and snack times. By putting your body on a regimented eating schedule, you should slowly begin to get accustomed to the meal times you have set. If this is the case, then your stomach will likely start feeling empty around those times because that is when you usually eat! This way, you can help to get your body on a schedule that you can both agree on and combat the loss of appetite for food with a schedule of your favorite foods that will meet your stomach’s demands and prevent stomach pain.

Add Nutritional Supplements

If you are still struggling with a loss of appetite and a poor relationship with food and you feel as if you are not getting the required minerals and nutrients, you should speak to your renal care dietitian or a health professional. Some medications can cause loss of appetite, but it is important to not let it keep you from eating entirely.

Suppose you have anemia or know that you are not eating enough protein or vegetables. In that case, you can add nutritional supplements to your diet to ensure your body is in great shape while discussing how to get your appetite back.

It’s not uncommon to be tired and lose your appetite on a renal diet.

Use the tips above for what to eat when you don’t feel like eating to stay as healthy as possible when this happens.

Losing your appetite can make you feel sluggish and cause stomach discomfort, just like chronic kidney disease can, but the important part is not letting this keep you down and feeling this way. Try these healthy foods and tips to get your energy, appetite, and body back on track.

The post What To Eat When You Don’t Feel Like Eating On a Renal Diet appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

Can You Eat Pasta on a Renal Diet? RDHQ Podcast 111: What Are Symptoms of CKD For Kidney Patients – Renal Diet HQ1 RDHQ Podcast 110: 5 Easy Food Tweaks To Reducing Inflammation In Your Body

Fresh Ginger & Kidney Disease: Is It Good or Bad for CKD Patients?

Fresh Ginger & Kidney Disease: Is It Good or Bad for CKD Patients?

When you think of a chronic kidney disease diet, ginger may not come up readily, but it is actually a good thing to include for those following kidney-friendly diets. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, contains antioxidants, and is even used in many detox drinks as tea. For kidney health, ginger has actually been shown to assist in removing toxins, reduce kidney inflammation, and boost antioxidants for kidney health.

What Is Fresh Ginger?

Ginger can come in many forms, but fresh ginger usually has only two: mature or spring ginger. Spring ginger is a little less common than mature ginger, and it has a very thin and translucent skin that does not require peeling. It is also a white color outside and pale pink on the inside.

This is the type of ginger usually used in pickled gingers. Mature ginger is the version most of us may be familiar with. It is a strong root with a pale brown skin that is yellowish-orange on the inside. This version is good for additions as an herb or grated over dishes that would benefit from the earthy and bright flavors.

Is Ginger Healthy?

Ginger has many properties that make it widely regarded as healthy. From its anti-inflammatory properties and its antioxidant benefits, it has even been shown to reduce fasting blood sugar for people with diabetes and aids in the reduction of heart disease risks.

Is Ginger Good For CKD Patients & Kidney Disease?

With so many health benefits, it’s a no-brainer to see that these properties can be used to assist the health of patients with kidney disease by adding this root to their renal diet.

Why Is Ginger Good for Dialysis Patients?

Ginger is good for dialysis patients due to its ability to provide health benefits in small amounts. You don’t have to consume large amounts of liquid or even turn this root into a tea to get the assistance of its properties, which is a huge plus for dialysis patients who will need to be closely watching their fluid intakes.

Ginger has even been shown to improve metabolism and aid in weight loss in some instances, which is helpful for those on dialysis who may need to be watching their weight for water retention.

Is There Anything About Ginger That Is Bad For Your Kidneys?

According to current research, there is nothing shown that states that any properties of ginger will damage one’s kidneys, in fact, it is quite the opposite. A research study from 2012, even states that there is a correlation that ginger protects the kidneys from damage from certain intoxications. There are many beneficial properties that compound to help those with many different conditions from chronic kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, and even those suffering from obesity.

How Does Ginger Affect Creatinine Levels?

Not much research has been done on the effect of creatinine levels specifically in relation to ginger but, this research study from 2007 states that creatinine levels remain mostly unchanged by the consumption of ginger in mice. However, it significantly lowered BUN levels and showed promise in the removal of urea from the blood of the mice.

How To Eat Fresh Ginger When You Have Kidney Disease

Fresh ginger is delicious and has many health benefits, but the pungent earthy flavors may put some people off. It can be very spicy if you eat a lot, so be careful not to get an upset stomach. So, we will discuss a few different ways that those on chronic kidney diets can consume this root.

Ginger Root Tea

Ginger root tea is one of the best ways to get the benefits of the root without too much of an overbearing flavor. By steeping the grated root into the warm water, you have a soothing tea that can be sipped at your leisure and you can sweeten or add any other flavors you wish to, to get creative with this tea. The only issue with this method is that you should be very vigilant about how much you are taking in with this tea if you are restricting your fluids.

Eat It Raw

If you are not bothered by the taste of ginger, then you can eat it raw. Simply peel the root and grate it over toast or any other dishes you could be preparing to add some of the benefits and unique flavors. It is especially delicious in desserts, soups, smoothies, or other recipes. You can also enjoy it by itself by consuming a spoonful of the freshly grated product.

Pickle It

As we mentioned before, young spring ginger is the way to achieve that tangy pickled ginger we may be familiar with from sushi and other Japanese recipes. It is very simple to make. All you have to do is thinly slice the spring ginger and create a pickling brine of rice vinegar, sugar, and kosher salt.

While salt should be avoided in large quantities, the amount used to pickle the ginger should not cause any alarm. Once the pickled ginger is completed after a few days, you can add this tangy creation to other Japanese recipes you want to try or on top of toasts or salads.

Can I Drink Ginger Ale on Dialysis? Will It Help?

If you are on dialysis, then ginger ale is acceptable in small quantities. For ginger ale, it is not the ginger content that needs to be monitored, it is the water and the carbonation. If you are on dialysis, you have to stick to a regimented fluid intake to make sure you do not take in too much fluid that your kidneys cannot get rid of. Ginger ale helps with nausea and renal inflammation, but with most brands you should watch out for sugar, phosphorus, and potassium additives and levels.

Eating fresh ginger is good for CKD patients and can help with treating kidney disease.

Ginger may be a small root we don’t think about much, but it packs a punch of healthy qualities that can be used to assist treatments of kidney disease. Ginger has only been shown to be helpful to kidneys through many research studies, and it's impact on kidney function is shown through evidence of improved kidney function in mice and protection against further kidney damage. With all of these great qualities, you should definitely feel comfortable adding ginger or a ginger supplement to your chronic kidney diet.

The post Fresh Ginger & Kidney Disease: Is It Good or Bad for CKD Patients? appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

RDHQ Podcast 111: What Are Symptoms of CKD For Kidney Patients – Renal Diet HQ1 The BAD Effects of Energy Drinks on Kidneys CKD Creatinine Lab Values, What You Need To Know!

How To Leach And Remove Potassium From Potatoes

How To Leach and Remove Potassium From Potatoes

Being on a kidney-friendly diet means watching things like your potassium content intake and fluids, among many other factors. One of the most potassium-rich foods someone on a renal diet can eat are potatoes, and the best way to reduce that potassium intake amount is through leaching them. This way, anyone who is on a low potassium diet for their kidney disease management will be able to enjoy the vegetable and promote healthy kidneys.

What Does It Mean To Leach Potatoes?

Leaching potatoes refers to a method of soaking or boiling the potatoes in water for some time before cooking them. You can boil the potatoes for a quick ten minutes and then set them aside before you cook with them, or you can place them submerged in water for several hours at room temperature or with warm water.

Why Would I Leach Potassium Out of Potatoes?

If you have kidney disease and have been put on a low potassium diet, then leaching potassium out of potatoes is essential for your health and health goals.

Is Potassium Bad If You Have Kidney Disease?

Chronic kidney disease and levels of potassium have a direct correlation. This is because excess potassium that we take in through foods gets removed from our blood by our kidneys. Still, if you have kidney disease, the excess potassium can remain in your body and cause something called hyperkalemia. So, while a certain amount of potassium in the body is essential to function properly, an excess can lead to severe health problems like muscle cramps, fatigue, chest pains, unusual heartbeat, and difficulty breathing.

How To Leach Potassium From Potatoes

 

Step 1 – Peel and Cut

The first step to leaching potassium from potatoes is to wash, peel, and cut them. You want to cut them in thin slices or grate them to get the most potassium leached out by the volume of water.

Step 2 – Prepare the water

Leaching requires the potatoes to be placed in water, but there are several different options one has regarding the temperature of the water. A critical facet of this is to have a large amount of water compared to the number of potatoes. So, you will fill a large pot with warm or room temperature water and then place your potatoes in it. Ideally, you want the water to be warm because it will allow you to leach more potassium out. You will also want at least ten times the volume of water compared to your potatoes. Do not leach in cold water as little leaching will occur, and it will not be as helpful.

Step 3 – Soak or Boil the potatoes

There are two effective ways of reducing potassium in potatoes, soaking for the leaching or quick boiling them. Leaching is slightly less effective at removing potassium and takes quite a bit longer than quick boiling. However, leaching by soaking is quite easy.

You will just soak your cut or grated potatoes in the warm water for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, ensuring the water maintains a slightly warm temperature throughout. Quick boiling is exactly what it sounds like and only requires you to boil your cut potatoes for 10 minutes to leach out about half of the original amount of potassium in the potato.

Does Soaking Potatoes Reduce Potassium?

Yes, soaking potatoes does reduce potassium, but the level of potassium removal depends on the cut of the potato, the amount of water used, and the temperature of the water.

How Long Should Potatoes Be Soaked to Remove Potassium?

Ideally, potatoes should be soaked for no less than 2 hours, with the usual methods stating 2 to 4 hours is optimal for potassium removal. Always use warm water, if possible, though.

How Much Potassium Can Be Leached From a Potato?

[image error]To truly maximize the amount of potassium removed from potatoes, you want to make sure you cut the potatoes thinly or grate them before soaking them in a large pot of warm water for several hours. One scientific research study focused on the effectiveness of potassium removal by soaking potatoes after cooking them and found that if you leach the potassium with this method, you can remove up to 70 percent of the present potassium.

 

Which Types of Potatoes Are Lowest in Potassium?

According to a research study on potassium levels in raw potatoes, the Idaho potato was shown to have the least potassium, with the Viking purple potato having the most.

Raw Idaho potato – 259 mg

Raw Sweet potato – 438 mg

Raw Viking potato – 448 mg

Do Potatoes Lose Potassium When Cooked?

Yes, potatoes do lose potassium when cooked, especially if they are boiled. The previous study we discussed talked about leaching methods and showed that actually cooking the potatoes first and then soaking them could remove up to 70 percent of the potassium.

How Long Do Leached Potatoes Last?

Leached potatoes that have been cut and stored in water only last for around 24 hours and should be cooked within that time frame. If you have boiled the potatoes and placed them in the refrigerator, they should last up to 4 days.

How To Store Potatoes That Have Potassium Removed

The best way to store potatoes that have been leached of their potassium is to put them in the refrigerator after they have been cooked. This increases their shelf life from 24 hours to several days.

Leaching or removing potassium from potatoes is an important and healthy step for those eating a kidney diet.

Leaching potatoes is the best way and most effective method for those on low potassium renal-friendly diets to enjoy a normally high potassium vegetable. This allows you or people with kidney disease in your life to eat things they still want without risking increasing health concerns.

The post How To Leach And Remove Potassium From Potatoes appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

How To Leach Potassium out of Vegetables Can A Person On A Renal Diet Eat Sweet Potatoes? How Much Potassium Should I Eat Per Meal On A Low Potassium Renal Diet?

RDHQ Podcast 108: The Mistake I Made When I First Started Working With CKD

I'm talking about my new program the Love Your Kidneys: Healthy Meal Planning and the early bird price ends on February 26th. I wanted to give you a chance. I just wanted to keep talking about it make sure that I am answering questions. I'm going to pop that in renaldiethq.com/lyk for Love Your Kidneys. Will get you to the sales page, tell you all about the course. 

Today I wanted to talk about the mistakes that I was making when I first started working with renal disease that my mother was diagnosed with CKD and that we kind of work with learning and changing and part of that is creating my website but is happening is that we went through a process and we made a few mistakes and so I want to mention those mistakes because you might be making it too.

The first mistake is when we were first starting with chronic kidney disease, we kind of treated it like a New Year's Resolution. You know you think about everything like “I can do all this, I can do everything” and you've changed everything and then just like a New Year's Resolution, you realized it's hard and you quit. And so we would try to change everything, try to do a bunch of different changes so you're motivated.

I know you're motivated when you first have kidney disease and I like that but I want you to understand that it's kind of like a long game so treating it like it's a push of a button is kind of the wrong one. I see it as more like a step-by-step process.

You might be thinking like and we were thinking this too like “what if I do this?” but we don't want to do anything to make it worse. So, up to this point we didn't know but know all of a sudden and we know all these things need to change and there's this huge gap, two things they need to go through differently and then you just want to change everything and then it's completely overwhelming because you have so many things that you're trying to juggle. You're trying to get this one done, you're trying to limit your protein, you're trying cut potassium, phosphorus and you're wondering what the heck's left to eat.

We often think like if some is good a lot might be better but the truth is that it is better to do some portions. Where I come from is your food changes at a time, over time and otherwise what's going to happen is the food's going to be bland and it's hard to follow. Now, all of a sudden you have alarm of things that you can't eat and those long things that you can. And my mom was just talking about it. But when you chose to keep a plan and you don't have like a step by step then you are asking for problems.

I always think when you fail because you don't have a plan. So, truly you could accomplish so much in a month, in two months, in three months but all that in a week, it's going to be overwhelming and you're not going to get it done.

Thinking about it like making a plan and kind of knowing what are the things that you need to do so you don't know what to do next. When you have a plan like what I'm talking about is when you go through this plan, you know the things that needs to be changed. 

Today, this on we change, next week. I want you to make a plan and it easy to change. So, making a plan to making it possible is as simple as writing down what you're gonna eat everyday and kind of stick to that. Now, you may not have a pattern, you may not know what's going to be on that list but you at least then you can go back over the week and you can look at that and say “okay. This is what worked. This is where I kind of fell short. This is where I kept going back.”

In the course, I prepare meal plans and patterns that you can use to start with that I just did last night but I wasn't planning on doing but I because I'm so excited with the number of people that are signing up. I made a like a  journal but it's like a food tracking log. In there it had the track what you're eating and kind of highlights with those in for track and then you'll use your meal plan and pattern to work through and document. So, I just wanted to jump on today and kind of talk about what issues may come up. That's just one that I have.

I really want you to be successful. In the course, you'll kind of go through in like week one which is February 26, and we're going to go through different ways that you can real labels, how to make a meal plan, how to get it updated and how to track that and look through. We also are going to go through and talk about it each week. You're really just kind of tracking what you're doing and getting a better understanding.

And then week two, you really go through and you talk what are the different things that you need to use in your pattern. I'm going to give you a sample pattern, calculating your own calorie needs and then I'm going to talk you through how to make and adjust it and at that point you know over the next few weeks and you'll be able to do your meal plan for the week that quick.

Week three, we talk about recipes, we talk about ways that you can make meal plans and meal patterns that you can adjust your current recipes and so we're going to go through all that and then week four, we kind of talk about how those, if you have overall changes you've made and then what's next and also three of those weeks, we have a

Question and Answer.

I'll go through and talk you through any sort of questions and issues that you have. I urge you to head on over to renaldiethq.com/lyk for Love Your Kidneys.

That's my new program and I'm talking about questions so I'm going to go ahead and jump off because I already told you about the program this morning and kind of those mistakes that we made and my big advice to you is don't do like a New Year's Resolution. Treat it like your training. You don't start out training for a marathon right away. You want to start out doing sprints or doing a mile and then you slowly run miles. I want to encourage you to do that when you're dealing with your kidney disease diet. 

So, thanks have a great day!

The post RDHQ Podcast 108: The Mistake I Made When I First Started Working With CKD appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

RDHQ Podcast 107: Frequently Asked Questions About My New Love Your Kidneys: Delicious CKD Meal Planning Program
RDHQ Podcast 106: What I Learned From My Family Member Having Kidney Disease
RDHQ Podcast 105: What If You Could Get Your Meals Planned Faster?

RDHQ Podcast 107: Frequently Asked Questions About My New Love Your Kidneys: Delicious CKD Meal Planning Program

I want to talk program Love Your Kidneys Meal Planning. I have some frequently asked questions that I kind of wanted to go through.

I launched my new program and I'm so excited because it's Meal Planning. When you have kids, how do like work to commit and making it healthy yet delicious and time and it's going to be a 4-hour program.

Let me tell you a little bit of the course-specific notes right here. This week through Friday, we have something which is $297 one time charge and from February 26 through March 23rd, every week on Wednesdays at 7:00 AM Central. So, the 26th of February, the 4th of March, the 11th of March, 18th of March we're gonna have calls and those are each week, we have different topics.

The first week is like Meal Planning. Like understanding what those are and then the second week is some things like Meal Patterns. I'm going to give you some meal pattern samples. I'm going to teach you how to cut some foods in your list. I'm going to teach you how to use some lists to kind of how to input some foods just in there and then going to talk about recipes, how to adjust recipes, how to use some standard recipes to adjust their own recipes and then the last week is going to be about how to do Go Forward Meals.

You're going to be excited, you're going to get through it to keep it going, how do you bulk food prep, how do you do your grocery shopping to some ideas. Those will be live classes so it'll be interactive. We're limited to 20 each course, because I don't want to overdo it. I don't have too many… it's hard to answer questions.

The other thing that is about this is that I'm going to have three days where I do a Question and Answer. Monday the 9th of March, the second week and the third week of March, I'm going to do a question and answer with the group and just go through what questions. What things you know came up for you in the last week, answering those so it's like getting me live, getting me to answer questions about your kidney disease, questions about your diet.

I'll be online. It'll be through a program called Zoom and then all the sudden, you may have questions so you're expected to attend the classes. One of the things is you're going to go to the class and you're going to provide suggestions, provide comments. Let me know what those are and then once you are onboarded, it'll be available in a members' area. We'll have transcripts, closed captioning on it. You'll be able to submit your questions before the Question and Answer call or on the call for the questions and all individual appointments.

This is going to be a small group work. We're excited to do it because I want to do this little small group of 20 people. This is a program that I've done with other people that I really am excited to see how it can work in kind of the group setting. You're getting a lot of information. It's going to be the orders of education and questioning and answer. It's picking my brain.

Let's talk about some frequently asked questions. A lot of questions you know “if this is for me?” and my answer is if you have if you're taking care of someone with kidney disease, this is for you. Whether you were at the patient level or at a family or friend level this is not going to be written at the medical level. I'm going to do my best to answer all the questions you have. I'll make sure that it's clear and understandable.

We'll need to commit to attending the calls. It's going to be a great opportunity to learn more and get a great meal plan whether you have kidney disease or not. It's all going to be a cam call in on the calls in audio but the problem is the same calls you'll need to do a video on your computer as you will need to be able to see the slides as I'm talking to them. 

Question and Answer call you can do live call only and again those will be replays. Let's take it to finish. It starts on February 26th and it ends on March 23rd. During that time and we're going to have the ability to give feedback that intense like “how do you get through these different tasks?” You need to participate, you need to do the calls. You're going to buy and then we start next Wednesday.

A week after and we're going to start and do the program. The promo is just this week. The early bird price is $297 yesterday through Friday at midnight Friday. At midnight is $597 and then the cart closes on the 26th of February when we start our first course. Well, then there's always an opportunity but I just don't want you to miss to get it at the discounted rate. We give you value and give you information about like I'll probably do a tracking form or you can tell me a little bit when kind of where you're at with your diet and then you'll have worksheets and stuff working on prior to the course.

Our refund policy is that because it is so it's affordable for $297. It starts February 26 through March 11. If you're not happy, if you don't like it this is something I can't do, I'll gladly give you a refund of $197. That does seem like what you're getting is a lot. What you're getting it's 4 live webinars that are in over an hour a week with me you're going to get printable transcripts, going to get recording over and over, you're going to get three hours of Question-and-Answer time with me. Which is a wonderful opportunity to talk through kind of where you're at and what are you having issues with. You're also going to get lifetime future updates. You're going to be able to subscribe again; you're going to be able to participate again. You're getting so many worksheets, a meal plan and pattern worth $1500, $1800 and you're getting PDFs that are going to be for tracking your meals, you get PDFs about recipe kind of things and all of that I value it over $600 so this is 80% off, $297 through Friday.

You're getting a lot. This is an early bird price. This is what it's going to cost you and you are to participate, you're going to have lifetime access. Think about contacting me in a month. In a month you're going to be still where you are. Whether that you're unhappy with your diet, whether that you seeing progress or not or in a month you can tell me and I'll have an idea of what you're going to eat. You can have a meal plan for the week in about 15 minutes and then quickly do a grocery list for the items you're going to have in your pantry, you can have kind of other things. We're going to work through all of that and your meal plan and you will be so much better prepared for that.

I can't imagine if you not doing it. But so, is this another frequently asked question, “is this a replacement for your doctor's?”

My answer to that is No. Like always it's not medical advice. This is me walking through a pattern that I've used with other people and through and you're going to make decisions, you're going to do the changes and I'm going to direct you to view what is the guidelines, what do they say and you're going to make decisions. I'm not going to write you a meal pattern. I will give you a sample just a start but it's your responsibility to talk to your providers before changing. It's either you're comfortable not comfortable with it.

Starting on February 26th at 6PM so that's when we're going to get together. You will get a lot information about that. But that's when our first live class is going to be. You're going to have life time access. The courses like early bird price because I'm building it as I go. When you think in the live class and I need to go for it, I'm gonna make the handout for it. It's one of those things that's kind of part of this program is understanding kind of what you need and what else you need. But you're going to have access to the program lifetime.

Another frequently asked question is “how much access do I get to you Mathea?” The answer is you know you'll have time on each contact. There'll be a chat where you could ask questions. I will go through call and we're it's a recall so there'll be one that's a teaching call and you'll have some time for some questions and then they'll be one a few days later where you can have implemented what we talked's about and you could do question and answer and talk through kind of what changes you want to make, what you know maybe I didn't explain it right. I may need to understand it a little better. That's always helpful to me too.

Those are views that people have asked me. Last question for pricing and how do you sign up?

You go to renaldiethq.com/lyk Love Your Kidneys and my program is called Love Your Kidneys CKD Meal Planning. The early bird is going to end Friday at midnight. Prices to change then and I think you get just a ton of value and I'm so excited to work with you with those small groups and work together with program and improve your health in 30 days. I love to hear these “I lost about 30 pounds this last year doing these stuff” that's so exciting for me because you know more about it and help you to do those things, you learn how to manage your meals and how to manage your day and how to plan ahead and just kind of get it together with your meal planning.

So really exciting and I hope you have a chance to go look over the Sales page if there are any questions you have, any other FAQs and I look forward to talking to you again soon! Thanks!

The post RDHQ Podcast 107: Frequently Asked Questions About My New Love Your Kidneys: Delicious CKD Meal Planning Program appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

RDHQ Podcast 106: What I Learned From My Family Member Having Kidney Disease
RDHQ Podcast 105: What If You Could Get Your Meals Planned Faster?
Commonly Asked Questions about CKD Diet

RDHQ Podcast 106: What I Learned From My Family Member Having Kidney Disease

Hi everyone! Its Mathea Ford, Registered Dietitian and creator of the Love Your Kidneys. It was just a CKD Meal Planning course. Today, I wanted to talk about what I learned from my family member having kidney disease and if you've ever heard my story you know that that family member to my mom.

I want to talk through a little bit about what that experience was like of her having kidney disease and kind of how its shaped what I do today. How I eventually made kidney disease the work that I do every day?

I'm a registered and licensed Dietitian which just means that I went to school and attended college did an internship and passed a national registration exam all about how to have food and nutrition works in your body and how your body responds to food. I've been a Registered Dietitian for over 22 years and I passed my exam in '97 and so for the last nine years, I focus really solely on kidney disease and that is because of a few things that happened in my family and made me realize how big of a need this was.

It all started with my mom was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. I was working at a hospital as the food service kitchen manager. I loved writing menus, I loved making recipes, I loved somewhat doing the nutritional analysis although that's not my favorite. I liked testing recipes though. I made menus for all the diets, I knew how to cook on a large scale so I worked at the local Veterans Hospital. We had over 100 inpatients probably 300 and we would cook meals you know three times a day for them and so I knew a lot about how to make a recipe that would feed a lot of people.

I enjoy making food that is great and healthy and tastes good and you might think that hospital food tastes bad or you may have seen the hospital foods going to taste bad but I personally was impassioned to make the food as good as I could so I never accepted that it had to taste bad. It was always my best effort to make it taste good. That's where it all started. She got diagnosed and I knew very little specifically about kidney disease. As a dietitian you learned kind of a broad brush of a lot of things and then most of the time you become kind of specialized and I had specialized into the bulk food kitchen feeding and doing a lot of management if you've ever been in a management position you know that a lot of it is people time. I spent a lot of time doing that but once my mom had kidney disease I knew she needed my help.

I've told you before that I do work, my dad lives with us and my mom lives locally and I help them both as much as I can but one of the things that happened is I realized you know “hey! I didn't know that much about kidney disease” so I started to spend a lot of time researching and learning more about it and the restrictions on how to manage the disease and that's where I started to realize that there was something wrong. I used a lot of “Don't” list like don't eat all these foods on this list and I found it frustrating because instead of starting from that place of  “yes, I can have this or yes I can try this,” I was always starting with no and many of the food portions of the recipes that we found that seemed to be good were too big so it was really a need to cut them down or have leftovers and my mom hated wasting food she lived by herself and she was really just cooking for herself and she hated wasting food and having either a bunch of leftovers are just not having the right proportion make for one person or two people. 

I was stressed out because I didn't know at the time what dietary changes need to be made to help the most. I'm very much from the point of “what can I do that will make the biggest difference?” With you know what effort can I make that'll make the biggest difference. We both who my mom and me we're both frustrated and tired and exhausted and just overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information but lack of direction that we found that we were able to get you know you can…

Everybody's got a lot of a little bit of stuff in a little bit of direction but there was nothing that was clear that like this is what you need to do next and I'm sure you can relate to that. I'm sure you've experienced that yourself so I'm not telling you anything you don't know. 

Most of the recommendations that we could find at the time nine years ago were to cut out all the fruits and vegetables with high amounts of potassium and to reduce salt intake while I still agree today with the recommendation to reduce salt intake, I don't agree with the recommendation to cut out all the good food. But when we did it, that left us very bland very gray meals to eat – corn, rice, chicken – you know just the bland and while she does love baked chicken it got old quickly.

The biggest thing was we were afraid to make a mistake. We didn't know if you know she ate too many tomatoes was that going to be the thing that pushed her over the edge and make her condition worse and I was beside myself I was trying away and count and measure and read and looking everywhere. I started to look a little bit in some different places into health and diet recommendations in different areas to see you know how I could make those work for her.

Even though I'm trained in Nutrition, I struggled with this. I was able to make the changes to improve her health finally by looking into other areas to looking at better patterns, better ways to kind of get her diabetes under control and keep everything manageable and we did try lots of things and I know that that's not any different from you I know you can relate you've probably tried a lot of different things. I know it's hard to make a choice when it's like you're afraid of food it's like you're afraid of “what is this food going to do? This suddenly, I mean I'm told and should I eat it or not?” and I did figure it out and I know you can too I'm not special I'm not different and as a matter of fact I started probably in a lot of ways in a very similar situation to you it's just that I had the knowledge to kind of take it and weed out what was not working. I want to show you how I made the changes that make life easier to handle and manage her diet.

I do teach this to people, I teach it all the time, I talk about it all the time and I do have a program coming out on February 17th. It's called Love Your Kidneys. Let's just CKD meal planning and if you want to know more about it I have a guide book that kind of goes through the steps if you go to renaldietHQ.com/mpckd and that'll put you on the waitlist but it'll also give you the information about the course.

Kind of a little preview talking through like what I did, what I change and how it's changed. But this class is going to be… so it opens on February 17th. You can purchase it and then starting on February 26th, we're going to do an hour to an hour and a half every week a different training, different module to learn about what changes to make, what to do that week and I also have three days where I'm going to have Question and Answer for an hour to an hour and a half specifically about what you're doing that day or that week and and those all will be live and recorded.

I'll give you the chance to adjust to what you need but it'll also give you the chance to get specific answers and know kind of where we're going with it make sure that you're on track. I'm excited to bring that to you. I've worked this out. I've worked out this method and my goal is that at the end of the program that you'll be confident in planning meals, putting meals together that work for your diet.

At the end of the time I want you to be able to say “okay, I can make a meal plan in 15 minutes a week. I know what to do I know what to change.” Recipes, meal plans, meal grocery lists, all that stuff. We're going to talk about all of it. We're going to talk about how I tweaked our process and what you can do to improve your process and then how you can go forward.

How do you adjust and how do you change? That's my goal at the end of the program. If you want to head on over to there and grab the waitlist, it's going to have a guide book that talks about the four ways, the four steps to progress and improving your diet.

Thanks guys! I really love talking to you. Let me know what you have questions about and be looking for another email from me. I will be talking about the special opening on February 17th and what that's going to involve. So, I'll talk soon.

The post RDHQ Podcast 106: What I Learned From My Family Member Having Kidney Disease appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

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RDHQ Podcast 105: What If You Could Get Your Meals Planned Faster?

Good Morning! Hey! It's Mathea Ford, Registered Dietitian and creator of the Love Your Kidneys Delicious Meal Planning for CKD course. 

Happy Saturday! It is Saturday morning before Superbowl Sunday I hope you've got some delicious food planned for that and you're going to have an enjoyable time. If you don't enjoy football, at least I hope you enjoy the commercials right? That's my favorite. I love watching all the commercials and stuff.

This morning I want to talk about some what ifs in your future. Your future, my future, all of our future is not necessarily set in stone. It's something that we can change and I know some of the things that people talk to me about and tell me that they struggle with when it comes to being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and trying to plan meals.

I know that there's a lot of issues that come up for people so I wanted to talk through those a little bit. If you're struggling with these things that I talked about, you're not alone. You are experiencing things that people feel. It's really overwhelming to think about the diet, to do something about it be very overwhelming because it is a complex diet that's made a lot of times more difficult by all the restrictions that may or may not need to have and all the information that's out there.

There maybe plenty of information that's out there on the internet about it but you don't necessarily know which information is the right thing to worry about or concern about. Most people are aware that it's a pretty major life event when you get diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and yet it seems like you get very little help. You get an informational sheet or you get help from Dr. Google but what do you do? 

Like I talked about a couple days ago, unfortunately, initially, people start out with some pretty complicated restrictions that may be outdated information. All of a sudden, you feel like [tell me if this is you] you feel like you have to cook all your meals and you don't have all the time anymore. Like you didn't have two hours to prep and plan meals before you got diagnosed and now all of a sudden, you don't have those hours either.

You may have to cook meals for yourself or other people I know a lot of people my audience are women and one of the things a lot of times we as women do have to be responsible for cooking family's meals, planning family meals so that can make it even more difficult. You could eat healthier, can't we all? But you're not sure which changes you need to make. So, you have a list of Nos, things that you can't eat because will cause further damage and yet knowing what to eat is like evades you. It just doesn't seem like you know what to do. I hate it when somebody tells me I can't do something because that's the only thing I think about.

Where do you start with? Many times often when people get chronic kidney disease they will have other health-related conditions. You may have had PKD, you may have a low oxalate diet because you may have kidney stones, you may need gluten-free. All those things added into these restrictions are just making it even more complicated and you think to yourself I need to be a dietitian to figure this out. How do you eat anything at all now that you have all these restrictions? Putting together a meal is kind of a one at a time thing you can even think I had to think “oh! I need a whole plan.” 

Let's go-to recipes. Like do you love finding recipes on the internet? I love finding recipes. I love using Pinterest for recipes. But when you have chronic kidney disease, all of a sudden, you need a little more information than maybe it is in that recipe. A lot of times recipes don't even provide nutrient values but all of a sudden you need to know, you think other nutrients.

Now, on Thursday, a couple of days ago, I talked about why those restrictions may or may not be necessary when you first get diagnosed with chronic kidney disease but if you do need them it's not there. I will say that I've been looking at the new nutrition labels and I'm pretty excited about the fact that they now have potassium on them. I've seen them so they either tell you potassium as a percentage or potassium milligrams per serving. Again, knowing the serving size is important but in each you have a little bit more information about potassium on labels now on processed foods. But a lot of times the recipes are also set up for like four to six or more and you may only have to cook for one to two people and so it's adjusting the recipe now and everything else coz you feel like you need to make special food for yourself.

If you believe that that's how that's possible like just too many restrictions too much time too much energy then it's no wonder that a lot of times people feel like “I could never do this, I can't do this, I can't achieve this diet” but it doesn't have to be that way. 

I want you to think about this morning a little bit about how it might change with some very specific changes that you can make. How would it feel, think about these things, how would it feel to have your weekly meal plan done in just a couple minutes one day a week and then grocery shopping and preparations for the week are easy to finish after that? I know that there are simple combinations of food that when you make them together they're healthier and delicious for chronic kidney disease but they're easy to make but maybe you've been afraid to try these things or adjust because you're so concerned about possibly having further issues with your kidneys.

Think about what it would be like if you had the staples in your kitchen. If you knew kind of what should I keep in my kitchen so that I can always make a healthy meal even if it feels like you know like whatever I planned it's not the right thing for the day because that's one of the things I hear from people when they make a meal plan they're like “oh! When I get to Thursday I just don't feel like it.” What can you have in your kitchen that you can substitute that you can change? And what if you knew what to do to make it easy and healthy and just always have it or how would it feel to know that your personal needs are being met regardless of your restrictions. Instead of the feeling like everything is overwhelming, feeling like you're in control and feeling like you're doing what you need to do to limit and control your kidney disease progression and I know that when I work with people and I talk them through this and I work with them on these topics that feeling of not being overwhelmed anymore and of knowing kind of what to do and what are the simple things has been really helpful to them.

How would it be different for you if you suddenly were like “okay! Meal Planning is not a problem, not an issue?”

I want to talk through some of the questions. I see I have one question so let's see. Linda says “I have stage 4 CKD with high potassium. How do I know how much potassium I should have in a day?”

Linda I am going to defer specifically to your doctor or a nephrologist but in general, if you have high potassium, high potassium can be from several things. When you talk to your doctor you want to talk to them about not only your nutritional limit but also are there medications that you're taking that are causing your potassium to be higher? Hopefully, you've already gone over those so if you have I would encourage you to.

Most people, so we recommend a lot higher than this but most of the time the limitation for chronic kidney disease with high potassium is 2,000 milligrams a day. That can be easier or harder. It just depends but what you can do a lot of times is kind of make yourself the low potassium food list and then sometimes you can have those higher potassium foods and what we found is that there's no need for leaching vegetables to get potassium out of them as long as when you cook them if you boil them. I'm just talking about like boiling or you know that type of thing. If you boil them and then you discard the water that's just as good you know in a general sense as leaching and then cooking.

I would encourage you to do that for your potassium, for your vegetables. Obviously, I'm not your doctor and your doctor may be the final one but I would say in general 2,000 milligrams potassium is a good place to start but it's also there's a lot of things like blood pressure medications and some other medications that you a lot of people may not even be aware of that could affect potassium levels so just work with your nephrologist or your physician specifically about those types of things and look at all your herbals and other things that you're taking and make sure that they're within those restrictions. Sometimes people take vitamins you know like a daily multivitamin and you may not realize that it has a lot of potassium.

There is a renal specific vitamin that is on Amazon and it's called RenalVite but I am not sure. I had it in my Facebook group and so I will find the name of it and put it in the comments on this and a link to it on Amazon that has no potassium and phosphorus so it's great for people with kidney disease. Of course, it doesn't contain necessarily all the nutrients that you may need but it's a good general vitamin for people with kidney disease.

I do want to tell you that I am working on a course and I'm using this as a way to kind of get some feedback and information when you guys are asking questions. I am working on a course and let me tell you a little bit about it. It's going to be called Love Your Kidneys and it's going to be open in a couple weeks.

February 17th is going be the date that I open the cart for that so you'll be able to buy it but what it is going to be is four weeks of me teaching you about creating meal plans, using patterns that work for chronic kidney disease and other related conditions.

I have been teaching this information for years to both my patients and through my book called Create Your Own Kidney Diet and I'm basically taking the information in that book and expanding it with all the information I've learned in the last few years with working with people with kidney disease and working on my own health and so I'm expanding that into this course. It's going to be a live course so I'm going to teach you new information every week so it's going to happen as you're going to sign up for the course and then February 26, in the evening we're going to have a training class and then going forward every week, we'll have training.

You'll have the opportunity to ask questions, you'll have the opportunity to help me help you figure out what you need and then I ask the question and answer sessions built-in as well to help me expand and explain things even better so that you'll have this totally full and complete training and learning about kidney disease and meal planning that you can use to do all those things like making your life easier, make your meal planning easier. I'm going to work on that and help you make your life you know better.

If you want to know more about that, if you're interested in that go to renaldiethq.com/mpckd which is on the screen and I am going talk to you more about that in my next video to my story and talking about being interested in kidney disease and being like an advocate and so passionate about it for you guys and I am excited that you

shared your time with me this morning. 

Head over to the website to check on the waitlist and I don't see any other questions. If you have any questions or you're watching the replay feel free to pop them in below and I would be glad to answer them. I'll be watching them. So, I look forward to talking to you in a couple days on Monday about my story and thanks for

joining me this morning. Have a great Sunday!

Have a great Saturday and Sunday!

The post RDHQ Podcast 105: What If You Could Get Your Meals Planned Faster? appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

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RDHQ Podcast 104: Why You Need To Stop Using The Lists Of Foods The Nurse Gave You (Do This Instead)

Hi everyone! Today, I wanted to talk about why you need to stop using the list of foods that your nurse gave you and to do this instead.

I wanted to talk today because I'm talking about something not to do because it's something that I recently had an epiphany about and what's going wrong and making people like have really such a hard time eating healthy and following their kidney diet is because of this concept of lists.

I realized that this list of foods that the nurse is giving you or the doctor is giving you when you got diagnosed is outdated. You might not have even realized that but that's an outdated concept and it's not the current standard it's not the current evidence-based that it's making you afraid to even eat something like as simple as a cherry tomato because you're afraid of the potassium in it and I think it really has to stop.

Let's go over this. If you are using a list of foods as what not to eat as a way to restrict your diet and keep your kidneys healthy, I believe that that's the wrong way to do it. I tell you not to do something is that not the only thing you think about. I don't know how many people have told me that they can't eat potatoes anymore and that's all they think about so.

I realized that you think that it's the right thing to do because your doctor's office said it or because you read it on the internet or that's what a lot of the old information used to be.

Not everybody's like internal medicine doctors or whatever up to date on the latest KDOQI Guidelines so that's a lot of people giving this concern so that's kind of why I wanted to call it out today. Those guidelines that used to say to restrict potassium would say. They give you this list and they say to restrict this potassium and that's what's on the list is high potassium fruits and vegetables and it's been updated those guidelines and now they're different.

Now, what they say is that you need to manage your potassium only if you have elevated potassium levels which I'm willing to guess that when you got initially diagnosed with CKD that they didn't even test your potassium levels. So, who knows how many times that the list was copied and handed out you know since the 1990s and they didn't even pay attention to you like your specific needs.

If you need to restrict potassium or you need to restrict phosphorus because those levels are elevated you certainly should. Don't take this as you know not to do that but if you haven't been told that your potassium is high then you really don't need to restrict that. What do you need to do? What do you need to manage?

It's that list of foods is not going to help you slow down the progression of your kidney disease. It's only basically slowing your progression of making any progress with your diet.

Let's talk about what you should do. Let's say that the KDOQI Guidelines which are the Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative Guidelines show that potassium and phosphorus are not the first things that need to be limited or watched or managed.

Again, should be managed if your blood levels are high but if they're not then what you should do is this what should you do instead. Watch your protein and your salt intake. Now, really? It's that simple? That's it! That's where you start. You should pretty much you can still eat all the fruits and vegetables you don't need to throw all those outdoors and I eat all these colorful plates and stuff. You really need those to fill in that extra split space on the plate. 

What is protein?

Meat, a lot of dairy like cheese and milk is protein and you should eat you know three to four ounces of meat at a meal at your lunch and your dinner. Three to four ounces, three ounces the size of the palm of your hand and you know maybe about that thick and that way that's the portion size and then you fill in the rest of that plate with those lettuce and peppers and tomatoes and you know if you're concerned so I wouldn't go overboard you need to fill in that plate with other things like potatoes and rice and vegetables so you can have been full without that extra protein that you're limited and your sodium. That's probably not where you got told to get started but really that's what the guidelines say you should start. And so you're trying to fill up you know that plate with those higher fiber things like salads, veggies, and fruits.

You also should toss the salt shaker you should not use salt on your food, you could not add salt to your food at the table or at the stove or wherever else you're cooking it you know as a traditional. You want to read all your spices and make sure that they don't have extra salt in them that they're not made with salt like using garlic powder instead of garlic salt, using salt-free spices. I do sell those over on nickannyskitchen.com but you really just want to get some more oomph in there without the salt and some zest and some peppery kind of flavorings added so more onion and garlic too.

I love onion and garlic. I think they make a great addition to any recipe but I know a lot of people talk to me in there like I love onion and garlic. Add more of that. Add that flavor into your meal just don't use onion salt use onion powder or use actual onions. But using less salt takes a little bit to get used to. We've had so many things processed and so many things that already have the salt in them and so it's hard to get used to but then you'll notice yourself in like a week or two so it'll kind of be bland, you add that pepper, you add Tabasco that type of thing and that will make it a little bit more seasonably flavorful plus you're adding those fruits and vegetables and then you get something that salty and all of a sudden you're like “oh!”

I think I may have told the story before but my family we eat low-sodium bacon when we eat bacon and so we'll go to a restaurant and we'll eat like the regular bacon that's on the cafe or whatever and it's like “oh! That's really salty!” So, you will get used to it it's not the easiest thing but really if you add those vegetables and those fruits that you've been keeping off because of that list then you're going to be in a much better space have much more flavor for a while until you see that your potassium is changing.

The biggest change?

What's happening is protein is creating waste product in your blood. Not potassium, not fruits and vegetables. It's the protein so you get that extra waste product in your blood and your kidneys can't clear that out as quickly so that's why you decrease the amount of protein because then you don't have as much waste products and your

kidneys have an easier time managing it and then you're still getting those vitamins and minerals and nutrients that you need from fruits and vegetables and potatoes and all those other things so now you don't have like this very limited plate with almost nothing to eat.

All of a sudden, you have this smaller portion of meat or protein but you have more food on your plate because you can add those things and we all know you need fiber and I don't know how many times people tell me like all of a sudden it's not the healthy diet that they've been told to eat all along and the reality is is that that's because

they may have been told incorrectly that they need the limit potassium first and what you really need to limit is the protein and salt. Mrs. Dash is a great just all-around seasoning. She has a couple that are a little spicier so you can grab that in the store.

I would just start there and realize that it's going to take some time to transition but that transition is a very important part of your process because that salt is going to lower your blood pressure and lower the amount of fluid that your body retains because your kidneys are not going to have to manage that as much. 

Blood pressure is huge when it comes to how your kidneys filter. If there's a lot of blood pressure, if you have high blood pressure it's damaging those little nephrons that are filtering your kidneys blood so damaging them making it harder for them to filter leads to more difficulty with your kidney disease so you want to decrease protein and salt.

I'm wondering, you might be wondering for a few more details about what this is about. I'm going to teach this and I have a better way to teach you kind of more than this so not just don't you know listen to your nurse but also other things like what to do so how to approach meal planning besides having list of foods that you can and can't eat and it's one of those little pet peeves of mine that drives me crazy when people are like I have this list of foods and it's not because you didn't know better.

I mean it's not because you knew you got told by a source that you trust and respect to follow this list but what you need to know is that maybe that's not the best solution anymore that managing your protein is the best and especially when you have early-stage kidney disease but I have a program coming out in a couple weeks February 17th and I'm excited to tell you a little bit about it. It's going to be called Love Your Kidneys Delicious CKD Meal Planning and my goal is that you will be – by the end of the time do your meal planning for chronic kidney disease in 15 minutes a day or 15 minutes a week to do your meal planning and then from that you're going to also do your meal grocery shopping and stuff like that so not promised in 15 minutes for grocery shopping although if you do online grocery shopping. It hopes to speed that up. So, let's see.

There's a way to jump on the Waiting List. You may already be on the Waiting List if you are, great! Thank you. I will get you more information coming soon. If not head on over to renaldiethq.com/mpckd and now put on the Waiting List and I've got some great videos coming for you that are gonna be free so no worries.

Questions:

Nancy: Why does most the salt-free seasoning contain crush red pepper? I do not like spicy.

Nancy, they're just trying to give you that zest without really doing you know having the salt. Like I said before a little bit of onion, a little bit of that toasted flavor, adding some garlic so you may find that that's you know gonna be a good substitution for the salt. If you find it really hard to find just try not to try to buy the lower sodium stuff; try to not add it at the table. There are truly some recipes that you need to have a little bit of salt for them to work but usually not as much as the recipe asks for. Just try not to add in your cooking.

When I was growing up, we would put salt so we'd make corn on the cob and boil it in the water and then my grandma would a whole stick of butter in there are probably margarine because she likes margarine and then when you take it to the table and you to add more margarine. I just finally figured out okay maybe I don't need to

do margarine in dish while I'm cooking it I can just add a little bit at the table. You seem to find that balance but I hope that helps a little bit. 

Diane says “Oh grow your own herbs, dehydrate and grind them.” That's an excellent idea and you can have this little herb gardens in your kitchen and I love fresh herbs they are so good and you don't even have to dehydrate them all the time but it is helpful but you grab them you put them in there. I love basil, I love oregano, I love cilantro too. I know some people think it tastes like suits so but it doesn't to me.

“Where do I find these new guidelines you're referring to?”

They're called the KDOQI Guidelines and if you just google KDOQI, you will see that in there there's it's extensive set of guidelines 500 or more pages and you just need to look for the Nutritional Guidelines and they talk about how you should limit protein and sodium and then as you progress in kidney disease once your last start showing that you have potassium restriction then you limit that potassium and then if you have a phosphorus elevated phosphorus levels then you should limit the phosphorus. But for the most part, I'm trying to think what the other there's another set of guidelines too but I can't think of the name off the top of my head.

Cindy: What do you do when you're eating out?

When you're eating out, I recommend a couple things so you look at the menu ahead of time. You ask them not to add salt when they're preparing it and you also kind of have a couple go tos that you can use that are not as salty.

Know that the sauces usually are their source of a lot of sodium but also the highly processed foods. If you're getting like a mixed dish or something or something that comes with gravy on it ask for that on the side. You know do just a little bit of it. Those are some of the things that I do to help with eating out to lower the sodium levels of those foods. Just something as simple as asking them not to add salt when they're cooking it on the grill will make a huge difference because they just tend to shake and put it on everything.

Diane says “salt-free butter.” Excellent point! Sal-free butter is great and very helpful and obviously a simple like swap. Just don't use don't buy the salted butter you use the salt-free butter and you're in good shape.

Okay, so I just want to remind you next video I'm doing this Saturday and I'm going to talk about better options when you're making a meal plan. Some that are options, some better choices and ways to do that a little bit improved and I look forward to that and I'll ask you if you wouldn't mind sharing this with your friends and families if they're interested in this kind of thing and head on over to the website renaldiethq.com/mpckd to learn more to get on the Waiting List. I'll be giving you more information. Again, that's coming out February 17th. It's going to talk of your kidneys, delicious CKD meal planning.

Risa: What is phosphorus and what foods have it?

Phosphorus is it's actually a mineral that's part of your bones. Your bones or calcium and phosphorus combined and phosphorus can be a lot in like beans or meat products. One of the best things that you can do and milk also has a lot of phosphorus so does regular dark-colored sodas. If you drink soda you'd want to drink the light color sodas.

But again you don't have to limit phosphorus unless you have elevated phosphorus levels or like stage 5 End-Stage Renal Disease but phosphorus tends to be poorly absorbed out of normal food products, out of natural food products but it is highly absorbed when it's an inactive form or it's an added phosphorus not inactive, inorganic is the right word. When it is added to a product as like a flavor enhancer or to help process it then it's really helpful for people and it can be a way that you get a lot of… Your body absorbs out at like 95 percent so you want to avoid inorganic phosphorus which you can when you're reading the labels. You're looking in the nutrient in the Ingredient section which I don't have what in front of me but when you're looking in the ingredient section you are looking for the word PHOS phosphorus so it may say monophosphatase which would mean it's got phosphorus that means it added phosphorus you want to pick a better a different version of that product that doesn't have added phosphorus.

The post RDHQ Podcast 104: Why You Need To Stop Using The Lists Of Foods The Nurse Gave You (Do This Instead) appeared first on Renal Diet Menu Headquarters.

Suggested Reading:

Foods To Avoid When You’re on Dialysis
What Foods Should I Avoid On A Renal Diet? Let’s Talk About High Potassium Foods
RDHQ Podcast 101: 5 Handy Tips For Eating To Remember When You Have Kidney Disease