A renal diet is an eating plan designed to diminish or limit the effects of kidney disease or impaired kidney function. If you have a kidney disorder, your doctor may recommend that you begin a diet of this type. In part, a renal diet is aimed at limiting kidney dysfunction's effects on your body's supply of calcium.
Renal Diet Basics
If you have chronic kidney disease, you may need to make a number of changes to your normal food consumption patterns, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus. Common components of a renal diet include limiting your fluid intake, restricting your intake of salt and potassium and increasing your calorie intake to combat any weight loss. In some cases, your doctor may also recommend restrictions in your protein intake. In addition, you will need to control your intake of the mineral phosphorus.
Phosphorus and Calcium
Under normal circumstances, your kidneys help control the amount of phosphorus circulating in your bloodstream, according to Dr. Erik Castle of the Mayo Clinic. However, when you experience decreases in your kidney function, your blood levels of phosphorus will typically elevate significantly. As phosphorus levels in your blood rise, they deplete your blood levels of calcium, Medline Plus reports. To compensate for this depletion, your body will begin to pull calcium from your bones into your bloodstream. Eventually, this shift of your calcium supplies will weaken your bones and increase your risks for experiencing a bone fracture.
Limiting Phosphorus Intake
Almost all foods contain some amount of phosphorus and you cannot completely eliminate this mineral from your diet, the Mayo Clinic reports. However, you can avoid high-phosphorus foods and replace them with more suitable low-phosphorus options. Relatively high-phosphorus foods include organ meats, legumes, milk, hard cheeses, seeds, beans, whole grains and nuts. Low-phosphorus alternatives include lamb, pork, poultry, beef, refined grains, cottage cheese, butter, cucumbers, beets, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants and starchy vegetables such as rutabagas and potatoes.
Calcium Supplementation
To compensate for the calcium-depleting effects of phosphorus, your doctor may recommend that you take calcium supplements, Medline Plus notes. In addition, she may recommend that you take supplemental doses of vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption in your small intestine and helps regulate your body's phosphorus/calcium balance. If you have difficulty controlling the phosphorus content of your diet, your doctor may additionally recommend that you take substances called phosphorus binders, which reduce your body's ability to absorb the mineral from food sources.
Considerations
If you undergo kidney dialysis, you doctor will typically tell you to increase your protein intake, Medline Plus explains. Be aware that protein-rich foods are frequently high in phosphorus. Food manufacturers sometimes add phosphorus to their products, and you may need to examine food labels closely to avoid unwanted phosphorus intake. The Mayo Clinic lists a number of common names for phosphorus additives, including phosphoric acid, disodium phosphate, pyrophosphate polyphosphates, calcium phosphate, monopotassium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate. Consult your doctor for additional advice and guidance in limiting phosphorus' calcium-depleting effects.
Member Comments