If you're scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant, you're probably more focused on the surgery itself than on your diet after the procedure is complete. However, you may be happy to learn that your diet following the transplant will not be as restricted as it has been while you've been on dialysis, and you'll be able to eat foods that you cannot eat now.
Significance
A kidney transplant represents major surgery in which the surgeon removes your diseased kidney and replaces it with a healthy donor kidney. Your own kidneys may have failed for many reasons, including damage sustained from diabetes and high blood pressure. A new kidney will hopefully operate normally, doing its job to filter your blood and remove waste products from your body.
Diet
When you were diagnosed with kidney failure and while you have been on dialysis, you've most likely been eating a diet with very little protein and plenty of carbohydrates. That's because too much protein can be difficult for your diseased kidneys to handle, notes the Medical College of Wisconsin. But once you have a new, fully functioning kidney, you'll be able to eat a more normal diet.
Protein Function
In the initial two months after your transplant surgery, your surgeon will likely recommend boosting the amount of protein you consume to above-normal levels, says the University of California-Davis Health Care System. The additional protein will help you heal completely from the surgery, provide some extra energy and fight off any infections related to the surgical procedure.
Sodium/Potassium
You'll still need to watch how much sodium and potassium you consume, just as you've probably been doing before your kidney transplant surgery. If you eat too much salt, you can retain water and raise your blood pressure. Meanwhile, some of your post-transplant medications may raise your blood levels of potassium, so you'll need to steer clear of foods that contain high levels of potassium, including bananas, chocolate and tomatoes.
Considerations
Once you've fully healed from your transplant surgery, you can resume a normal diet, says Columbia University Medical Center. However, you should follow medical guidelines for a healthy diet, avoiding fat and cholesterol-laden foods while emphasizing fresh produce and whole grains. Some kidney transplant patients develop weight or cholesterol problems due to the high doses of medication they take to avoid rejection of their new kidneys, so you should attempt to ward off these problems by avoiding fried foods, choosing low-fat dairy products, eating smaller portions and avoiding junk food.
