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Diet for a Stage 3 Kidney Disease

Aug 11, 2011 | By Deirdre Denholm

Your kidneys act as filters flushing wastes from the body. Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located in the upper portion of the lower back on either side of the spine. Kidney disease results when the filtering units of the kidneys, the nephrons, cease to function normally. The disease follows five stages. At stage 3, kidney filtering dysfunction is moderate and symptoms are mild. Kidney failure, which occurs at stage 5, requires dialysis. Following a proper diet is important to help prolong kidney functioning. To manage kidney disease, you will need to follow a diet based on the assessment of a registered dietitian. Nutritional requirements will depend on general health, disease symptoms and blood and urine test results.

Dietary Fat

High-fat foods can provide needed calories as determined by a dietitian. However, over the long-term, you should choose foods low in saturated fat to protect your heart and arteries, states the National Kidney Foundation. Cardiovascular disease is often a complication of worsening kidney disease. If you eat desserts, try to eat those made with unsaturated fats such as non-hydrogenated vegetable oils. These include canola, sunflower, soy and peanut oils.

Protein Requirements

In stage 3 kidney disease, you should consume high-quality protein. The National Institutes of Health recommends that daily protein intake be about 1 gram for each kilogram of body weight. Most complete proteins -- proteins that contain all nine essential amino acids -- come from animal sources such as eggs, meat and dairy, although soy and quinoa are complete proteins as well.

Anemia

One of the main symptoms of stage 3 kidney disease is anemia, which causes fatigue. Anemia results from a lack of the hormone erythropoietin in the kidneys through disease progression. Erythropoietin is important as it triggers the production of red blood cells in bone marrow. Your dietitian may recommend extra folate, B-12 or iron. Iron and B-12 are available from red meat, while folate is abundant in green leafy vegetables such as spinach.

Importance of Vitamin D

Damage to bones begins in stage 2 of kidney disease. If you are at stage 3, you are at a high risk for a vitamin D deficiency. The kidneys, along with the liver, help to make vitamin D available for use in your body. Vitamin D is necessary for strong bones. Vitamin D may also help in the treatment of kidney disease. According to an article published in autumn 2009 in "Ethnicity and Disease," studies in animals indicate that vitamin D helps regulate angiotensin II, a hormone that can damage your heart, arteries and lead to high blood pressure. You can take vitamin D supplements, but it is also available in fortified foods, fish oil and through sunlight exposure. Speak to your physician or dietitian about the best sources of vitamin D for you.

Fructose

Consumption of fructose may worsen your existing kidney disease. An experiment conducted at the University of Florida found that fructose produced unhealthy effects on the kidneys of rats. The research, published in the "American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology" October 2007 indicates a high-fructose diet caused more kidney damage than another sugar, dextrose. The researchers concluded that controlling fructose may be prudent, pending further studies. If you have stage 3 kidney disease, you should speak to your dietitian about limiting fructose. Fructose occurs naturally in fruit, but is added to many foods. Be especially careful to read product labels and avoid foods containing high-fructose corn syrup.

References

Article reviewed by Mia Paul Last updated on: Aug 11, 2011

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