Hemodialysis (cont.)
How Diet Can Help
Eating the right foods can help improve your dialysis and your health. Your
clinic has a dietitian to help you plan meals. Follow the dietitian's advice
closely to get the most from your hemodialysis treatments. Here are a few
general guidelines.
- Fluids. Your dietitian will help you determine how much fluid to
drink each day. Extra fluid can raise your blood pressure, make your heart
work harder, and increase the stress of dialysis treatments. Remember that
many foods-such as soup, ice cream, and fruits-contain plenty of water. Ask
your dietitian for tips on controlling your thirst.
- Potassium. The mineral potassium is found in many foods,
especially fruits and vegetables. Potassium affects how steadily your heart
beats, so eating foods with too much of it can be very dangerous to your
heart. To control potassium levels in your blood, avoid foods like oranges,
bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, and dried fruits. You can remove some of the
potassium from potatoes and other vegetables by peeling and soaking them in
a large container of water for several hours, then cooking them in fresh
water.
- Phosphorus. The mineral phosphorus can weaken your bones and make
your skin itch if you consume too much. Control of phosphorus may be even
more important than calcium itself in preventing bone disease and related
complications. Foods like milk and cheese, dried beans, peas, colas, nuts,
and peanut butter are high in phosphorus and should be avoided. You'll
probably need to take a phosphate binder with your food to control the
phosphorus in your blood between dialysis sessions.
- Salt (sodium chloride). Most canned foods and frozen dinners
contain high amounts of sodium. Too much of it makes you thirsty, and when
you drink more fluid, your heart has to work harder to pump the fluid
through your body. Over time, this can cause high blood pressure and
congestive heart failure. Try to eat fresh foods that are naturally low in
sodium, and look for products labeled "low sodium."
- Protein. Before you were on dialysis, your doctor may have told
you to follow a low-protein diet to preserve kidney function. But now you
have different nutritional priorities. Most people on dialysis are
encouraged to eat as much high-quality protein as they can. Protein helps
you keep muscle and repair tissue, but protein breaks down into urea (blood
urea nitrogen, or BUN) in your body. Some sources of protein, called
high-quality proteins, produce less waste than others. High-quality proteins
come from meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Getting most of your protein from
these sources can reduce the amount of urea in your blood.
- Calories. Calories provide your body with energy. Some people on
dialysis need to gain weight. You may need to find ways to add calories to
your diet. Vegetable oils-like olive, canola, and safflower oils-are good
sources of calories and do not contribute to problems controlling your
cholesterol. Hard candy, sugar, honey, jam, and jelly also provide calories
and energy. If you have diabetes, however, be very careful about eating
sweets. A dietitian's guidance is especially important for people with
diabetes.
- Supplements. Vitamins and minerals may be missing from your diet
because you have to avoid so many foods. Dialysis also removes some vitamins
from your body. Your doctor may prescribe a vitamin and mineral supplement
designed specifically for people with kidney failure. Take your prescribed
supplement after treatment on the days you have hemodialysis. Never take
vitamins that you can buy off the store shelf, since they may contain
vitamins or minerals that are harmful to you.
You can also ask your dietitian for
recipes and titles of cookbooks for
patients with kidney disease. Following the restrictions of a diet for kidney
disease might be hard at first, but with a little creativity, you can make tasty
and satisfying meals. For more information, see the NIDDK booklet
Eat Right to
Feel Right on Hemodialysis.
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