Food good to eat with polycystic kidney disease?

Answer 1

This information is from the polycystic kidney foundation....join it! It's very informative!

Dietary strategies play an important role in alleviating the symptoms of renal failure or "uremia" and may, in fact, slow the progression toward renal failure as well. In light of this information, it is important to understand how nutrients play a role in maintaining a healthy "internal milieu" in a patient with kidney disease. There are six general classes of nutrients that are essential components of a healthy diet, whether or not one is nearing renal failure: Proteins, Fats, Minerals, Carbohydrates, Vitamins, Water. These nutrients are needed by all people, but for those on renal diets, the requirements may need to be adjusted. It is important, then, to learn how specific nutrients interact with kidneys, cysts, blood pressure, etc., and then learn how to make the necessary adjustments for an individual situation.

Some other recommendations which play a role in a healthy diet/lifestyle include: * Reduce stress in your life: Stress causes cysts to grow faster by elevating adrenaline. * Avoid inflammation: Anything that causes inflammation in the kidney can accelerate the growth of cysts in PKD. * Eat a (mostly) vegetarian diet high in antioxidants: Diets based on plant proteins help lower blood pressure and may help slow the growth of kidney cysts. Animal studies have demonstrated that a low protein diet helps slow the progression of PKD. * Try Soybeans: Studies in lab animals show that soy protein slows the progression of PKD. * Choose low sodium foods and condiments. Try to eat less than 3000 milli-grams of sodium per day. Low sodium diets help reduce blood pressure and in lab animals, helps slow the progression of PKD. * Watch the caffeine. Caffeine may hasten the progression of PKD by elevating blood pressure. * Load up on potassium rich foods: High potassium diets help slow the decline in kidney function (Glomular filtration rate, GFR) in rats. * Get your Omega-3's: Studies with rats show that ingestion of omega 3 fatty acids helps reduce inflammation and slows the progression of PKD. * Eat high fiber carbohydrates: Recent studies have found that people with PKD and other kidney diseases may be mildly or acutely insulin resistant. High insulin levels are linked with Heart disease and possibly faster rates of PKD progression. Although animal studies clearly show a benefit, more human research needs to be done on most of the recommendations above before we know definitively they can work to help slow the progression of PKD. Until then, you can be certain that all of the recommendations are safe and are dietary and lifestyle factors that can improve anyone's health.

Answer 2

Step1

Limit your intake of protein. Your kidneys help to break down protein in preparation for excretion from the body. If your kidneys are damaged, this waste is not transported properly and can build up in your blood. Eating too much protein can put your kidneys under a lot of stress during the breakdown process. Moderating your protein intake allows them the proper time to perform this function and remain strong. The Mayo Clinic recommends consuming between 50g and 175g of protein per day.

Step 2Eat less high-potassium foods and more low-potassium foods. In addition to removing excess chemicals from the body, your kidneys help to maintain the chemicals you need for good health. Potassium supports muscle and heart functioning. If your kidneys aren't functioning properly, potassium can build up in the body, causing weakness and sometimes fatally affecting your heart. Fruits such as apples, grapes and strawberries as well as vegetables like carrots, cabbage and green beans are all low-potassium foods. Step 3Cut down on salt or sodium. Your kidneys work to excrete excess salt. Consuming foods that are high in salt can prevent healthy kidney functioning and increase the risk of salt accumulating in the body. This can lead to dehydration or more severe problems such as high blood pressure. Although you may not add a significant amount of salt to the foods you eat, many processed or prepackaged foods are loaded with sodium. The Mayo Clinic recommends limiting your salt intake to 1,500mg to 2,300mg per day. Pay attention to food labels and keep a mental record of the sodium contained in the foods you eat each day