Nutrition Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease
Updated: Jun 26
What is CKD?
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) occurs when the kidneys don’t work properly for more than 3 months.
The kidneys have many jobs, including(1):
Keeping your blood from becoming too acidic or basic
Keeping your electrolytes balanced
Removing toxins from the blood
Maintaining your blood pressure
Keeping your fluid balanced
Making red blood cells
So, when the kidneys stop working properly, this can cause some big problems. Someone with kidney disease may have symptoms like fluid retention, high blood pressure, nausea, fatigue; or they may have no symptoms at all.
Why does CKD occur?
There are many things that can damage the kidney cells. Some are within our control - smoking, poor diet, poor blood pressure control, and poor blood sugar control. Some are not - cancer, genetic abnormalities, aging.
What is eGFR?
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) is a number that your healthcare team will look at to see how well your kidneys are functioning.
It’s completely normal for this number to go up and down a bit between visits to your doctor.
There are many things that can affect eGFR like:
How hydrated you are
Illness
Medications and supplements that you’re taking
Your diet
So, we’re going to focus on nutrition therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease because diet is one of the biggest ways to increase your eGFR.
By the way, higher eGFR is good and lower is…less good.
What is nutrition therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease?
Your Nephrologist or Dietitian may recommend limiting different things when you have kidney disease. They may suggest that you eat less protein, less sodium, and/or less potassium.
Recommendations can - and should - vary between people and can also change between appointments.
These recommendations are to keep kidney function from getting worse and to help improve it.
It’s important for me to point out that chronic kidney disease is not reversible. I don’t care what your cousin says. But, CKD can be improved with diet(2).
If you like to have a specific set of rules to go by, the DASH diet or a whole-food, plant-based diet may work well for your kidney disease - though you may have to make some adjustments to them.
The kidney diet is kind of funny though. Because it is super individualized to you. This is why working with a dietitian is really important. A renal dietitian can go through your labs with you and help you to find ways to make the diet work for your health and your lifestyle.
When should I worry about a diet for my CKD?
It’s good to look into a healthy kidney diet as soon as you find out that you have kidney disease. And don’t worry if you have Diabetes or high blood pressure. Those diets can work with a kidney diet. It doesn’t have to be a “this or that” situation.
What else can I do to control my CKD?
A CKD diagnosis can be overwhelming. So, here’s a quick checklist for you to make sure that you’re controlling your CKD the best that you can.
See your Nephrologist regularly
Take care of other conditions that you may have, like Diabetes
Schedule an appointment with a Renal Dietitian
Also, it’s important to make sure that you’re being open and honest with your healthcare team about what you can and can’t do for your CKD.
What if you can’t afford your blood pressure or diabetes medication?
Please, please, please let your doctor know. Sometimes they can order more affordable medications or ones that are better covered by your insurance.
You can also download savings cards for some medications from their website. Your pharmacist is a great person to talk to about this as well!
Where can I go to learn more about my CKD?
You can and should talk to your Nephrologist if you have any questions at all about your CKD.
I always recommend checking out the National Kidney Foundation’s website.
If you're looking for a Renal Dietitian who is licensed in your state - check here.
And you can subscribe to my email chain below to get weekly updates with information about how to manage your chronic kidney disease with diet from a renal dietitian.
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