The kidneys play an important role in maintaining your health, including keeping your blood clean, removing waste from the body and regulating blood pressure. When the kidneys fail, dialysis acts as an artificial kidney to allow these essential functions to continue. Along with dialysis comes a closely regulated and specific diet that is monitored and adjusted monthly by your doctor or dietitian.
Significance
There are two main types of dialysis--peritoneal and hemodialysis--both of which require patients to follow a renal diet. Hemodialysis pulls blood out of your body, filters it through a dialyzer, and returns the cleaned blood to the body. The process requires surgery to join a vein and an artery, and each treatment lasts about four hours, three times a week at a dialysis center. Peritoneal dialysis is done at home, and requires you to fill your abdominal cavity with a solution that internally filters & cleans your blood. Peritoneal dialysis also requires surgery to place a catheter into your abdomen for the solution to be administered and removed.
Considerations
Although dialysis acts as a replacement for your kidneys, it cannot manage the job as well as your body. Once dialysis starts there are number of dietary restrictions and guidelines that are implemented. The four main areas of dietary regulation include sodium, potassium, phosphorous and protein. Without being tightly controlled, a buildup of these substances in the body can lead to swelling; increased blood pressure; an increased incidence of illness; bone disease; and heart attack.
Portion Control
The amount of food you eat is just as important as the food itself. For example, consider a serving size of 1/2 cup for both a high-potassium food and a low-potassium food. Note that if you eat large amounts of a food that is categorized as low-potassium, you have eaten the equivalent of a high-potassium item. As you can see, moderation plays an essential role in the renal diet.
Fluid Regulation
As kidney disease progresses, decreased urine output results. Fluids build up in the body between dialysis treatments leading to swelling, high blood pressure or difficulty breathing. To prevent this, fluids are tightly controlled within the renal diet. Fluids are anything you drink, like water, soda or coffee. They are also any foods that are liquid--or can melt to liquid--at room temperature, including gelatin, ice cream and soup.
Helpful Tips
The renal diet is a challenging diet: You will find that it's a work-in-progress, which changes based on your monthly labs. You might find yourself making adjustments often, based on your doctor's recommendations. Nevertheless, there are certain things you can do to help yourself. Avoid increased sodium by eliminating table salt from cooking and as an additional flavoring at the table. Instead, experiment with fresh herbs and spices to compliment your meals. Lemon juice, garlic, dill and basil are all excellent alternatives to salt for seasoning your food. Combat thirst and maintain fluid regulation by chewing gum, sucking on hard candies or a lemon wedge, or rinsing your mouth with ice water or cold mouthwash. Above all, follow your doctor's recommendations.
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