If your kidneys are damaged or have failed, your doctor will likely recommend dialysis. Whether you receive hemodialysis treatments or perform peritoneal dialysis on yourself, you will not be able to consume the same foods and drinks you did before your kidney trouble. You will need to work with your doctor and a dietitian to determine the exact amounts of protein, calories and other minerals your should be consuming, and there will be some trial and error involved. However, there are some general guidelines of which you should be aware.
Hemodialysis Diet
Before starting dialysis, you may have been limiting your protein intake to reduce the waste build-up in your blood. Now that you have started dialysis, you can eat a more normal amount of protein because the dialysis will clear your blood of waste products. You should limit your potassium intake by reducing your consumption of potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, milk, yogurt, dried beans, peas and salt substitutes. Limit phosphorous intake as well; hemodialysis can not remove all phosphorus from your body, and too much phosphorus extracts calcium from your bones, causing them to become brittle. Phosphorus-rich foods include milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, nuts, dried beans, peas, cocoa, beer and dark colas.
You will need to limit your sodium and fluid intake as well. Drinking too much fluid will cause you to tax your already poorly functioning kidneys and will likely result in uncomfortable fluid weight gain. High sodium levels cause your body to retain fluids and can create extra work for your kidneys as well.
Peritoneal Dialysis Diet
If you use peritoneal dialysis to cleanse your body of waste, your dietary needs will be slightly different than for those who use hemodialysis. According to the American Association of Kidney Patients, your protein needs will be higher than a hemodialysis patient's. Because the sites of peritoneal dialysis fluid injections can become infected, it is important that your immune system remains strong, and this requires protein. During an infection, you should consume 50 percent more protein than normal. Unlike with hemodialysis, you will not need to limit your potassium as heavily. Phosphorus and sodium should be limited as they are on hemodialysis. Since fluid build-up is not as serious a problem with peritoneal dialysis, you do not need to limit your fluids as much.
Special Needs Diet
If you are already on a special diet because you are a vegetarian or have a condition such as diabetes, managing your dietary needs will become a little trickier. According to the National Kidney Foundation, hemodialysis patients with diabetes commonly need to drink less milk and reduce their intake of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables; this change is not as necessary for peritoneal dialysis patients.
Vegetarian diets tend to be limited in protein. A vegetarian on dialysis, especially peritoneal dialysis, may need to increase the amount of food he eats in general to make sure he gets enough protein to fight infections and heal wounds. For vegetarians on hemodialysis, it is important that the extra vegetables consumed are not of the potassium-rich variety.
