Recipes for Dialysis Patients with Diabetes
Healthful Vitality | 09/28/2021 | By NP Contributor | Recipes for Dialysis Patients with Diabetes
Dialysis means that kidney function is severely compromised. Thus, its function is mainly done by machines. Kidneys help detoxify the body. Kidneys remove all by-products of metabolic activities that come to the blood. However, if such metabolic waste products keep circulating in the blood, they may be harmful to health. Kidneys also play a vital role in maintaining electrolyte balance.
Dialysis patients should switch to the so-called renal diet, a diet that is low not only in fast-absorbing carbs but also low in sodium, phosphorus, and proteins. There is also a need for limiting fluid intake.
Sodium
It helps in regulating blood volume and pressure. It is also vital for nerve function and muscle contraction. In addition, sodium plays a role in the acid-base balance of the blood.
Too much sodium increases thirst, swelling (legs, hands, face), blood pressure, risk of heart failure. It also causes shortness of breath.
People with severe kidney disease should limit sodium intake to 400 mg per meal. It means cooking at home without salt, using spices that do not contain salt, avoiding processed foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be preferred.
Potassium
It plays an important role in fluid and electrolyte balance. It is also needed for heartbeat and muscle contraction. In kidney patients, there is a risk of high potassium (hyperkalemia), causing muscle weakness, irregular heartbeats, heart attack, and even death.
Limiting potassium intake is challenging without help from a dietician. However, some healthy foods like avocado, banana, spinach, beans, citrus fruits, and fish are high in potassium- thus, a need to limit their intake. One even needs to limit intake of dairy products.
Phosphorus
Essential for bone health and muscle movement. It also plays a vital role in maintaining connective tissues in organs. A person on dialysis is at the risk of high phosphorus in the blood. High phosphorus in the blood may pull calcium out of bones and cause serious calcium deposits in the lungs, eyes, heart, blood vessels. Therefore, one should avoid intake of high phosphorus foods like milk, dairy, seeds, red meat, fast food, canned fish.
Protein
Waste of protein metabolism is highly harmful to health, and at the same time person cannot live without proteins. Calculating its daily intake needs huge expertise. Thus, it is always good to consult a doctor to understand how much protein intake is good, what foods to eat, and whatnot.
Fluid
Generally, a doctor would tell how much fluids a day are good to consume. Notably, one may need to pay special attention to fluid intake via food items.
Diabetes recipes
As one can guess, there are no recipes that would work for all. Planning a diet without a dietician and a medical specialist is not possible for those on dialysis and living with diabetes. In addition, there is a learning curve involved. Nonetheless, some online sources may provide recipes for various stages of diabetes disease.
The National kidney foundation is an excellent source to get started with one of the best collections of recipes for those living with dialysis or severe kidney disease.
The National Kidney Foundation has also created downloadable recipe book with numerous recipes and information to get started.
(Related Article: Renal Diabetic Diet Food List)