The human body uses protein to build muscle, transport nutrients, maintain normal fluid levels, produce energy and maintain healthy skin, but too much protein leads to complications in people with kidney disease. This condition makes it difficult for the kidneys to filter waste products from the circulatory system and maintain normal electrolyte levels. Because protein plays a role in the production of some wastes, your doctor may tell you to follow a low-protein diet if you have kidney disease.
Goals
The main goal of a low-protein diet is to stop or delay the progression of kidney disease. Kidney disease has five stages, which range from mild loss of kidney function to end-stage renal disease. Delaying the progression of kidney disease from one stage to the next prevents complications and helps preserve remaining kidney function. This type of diet also aims to reduce the amount of work the kidneys do each day.
Considerations
Your disease stage determines how much protein you can safely eat each day. Those with a mild or moderate loss of kidney function should restrict their protein intake to 0.6 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight, as recommended by the National Kidney Foundation Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative. Those who have end-stage renal disease -- also called renal failure -- and undergo hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis should increase their protein intake. The dialysis procedures remove wastes from the blood when the kidneys fail. Both processes result in a loss of protein from the body, resulting in the need for increased protein intake. Discuss your diet with a physician or dietitian, as the amount of protein you need varies based on weight, overall health and other factors.
Protein Intake
Before planning your daily diet, you must determine how much protein to consume each day. If your doctor recommends a daily intake of 0.6 g of protein per 1 kg of weight, divide your body weight in pounds by 2.2 to determine your weight in kilograms. Multiply this result by 0.6 to determine how much protein to eat. A 125 lb. person would need 34.1 g of protein each day using this recommendation.
Eating Tips
Eggs, meats, fish and poultry offer high-quality proteins, but you should eat small servings of these foods to avoid exceeding your daily protein intake recommended by your physician. One 3-oz. serving of salmon has 21.9 g of protein, a significant amount if your maximum daily intake is 34 g of protein. Reducing the serving size to 2 oz. cuts the protein content down to 14.6 g of protein. Adding low-protein fruits, vegetables and grains to your diet allows you to consume enough calories without eating too much protein.
