Why Do I Need a Pre-Dialysis Diet Plan?

A kidney is an essential organ in our body which serves vital life sustaining functions. When our kidneys become impaired due to diseases they are unable to remove waste from our body. Then the procedure of dialysis helps to remove waste from our blood as an alternative to kidney function. Dialysis is not as efficient in removing wastes as a healthy kidney can do, so to get maximum benefit from dialysis we have to limit the accumulation of waste in our body by adjusting our diet.

Which Pre-Dialysis Diet to Follow?

Learning how easy is it to follow a pre-dialysis diet plan is something that anyone can do.

There are 5 different stages in kidney deterioration. The dietary needs at different stages of disease advancement are different. A person at the initial stages of kidney disease should have a lower protein diet, but those who are at the end stage of the renal disease should increase their protein intake when on dialysis.  It is a bit challenging to identify when to make changes in diet plans, and your doctor will give you more specific information based on your laboratory values.  But as you progress, there is still an opportunity to slow down the damage to your kidneys through careful management of meals and diet planning.

Protein Intake and Pre-Dialysis Diet

According to the American Association of Kidney Patients, those who are in the initial stage of renal disease should reduce the intake of protein and should control their blood pressure, so that the progression of chronic kidney disease to end stage renal failure can be slowed effectively. A daily intake of 40 to 50 gram of protein is optimum for most patients, i.e. about 0.6 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. The objective of a low protein diet is to preserve the existing kidney functioning. Fish, lean meat, egg white etc. are good choices for attaining your desired protein intake, but you will have to limit the consumption. 1 ounce of chicken contains about 7 gram of protein.

Sodium and Pre-Dialysis Diet

A low sodium diet will help preventing high blood pressure and will assist your kidneys in retaining water in our body. This in turn will ease the kidney from some of its burdensome functions. You should choose fresh, frozen fruits and vegetables rather than those treated with preservatives or salt.

Fluid Intake and Pre-Dialysis Diet

The amount of fluid you take in should be restricted as the kidney will have to work more if you take in more fluid. A fluid intake of 5-7 glasses a day would be ideal in a pre-dialysis meal plan.

A Sample Pre-Dialysis Diet Plan

An English muffin with unsalted margarine, grapes, and a cup of tea with sugar substitute will be an ideal breakfast for a pre-dialysis patient.  A sample lunch would be 1 ounce of unsalted tuna packed in water, 1 slice of whole grain wheat bread. An ideal dinner would be 2 ounces of chicken breast, 6 ounces of asparagus, and one medium potato, one slice of angel food cake and fresh strawberries or grapes.  While this is a sample, and it seems limiting, you can follow much more structured diet plans to achieve the best control and improvements in health.

Is Creating a Pre-Dialysis Diet Plan a Hard Job?

Making a pre-dialysis diet plan is a somewhat hard if you are planning to do it alone. There are many reliable online sites which offer you a pre-done online pre-dialysis diet plan that are easy to follow. Considering the changes in your kidney functioning as the time passes there will be need for frequent analysis and regulations of diet plans.

Therefore it is better to take the advice of a physician and nutritionist who will make sure your blood pressure is low and your intake is sufficient to provide your daily nutritional needs. Preserving your kidney functioning as long as possible is ideal.  This can best be done with a pre-dialysis diet meal plan that is good food for all stages of kidney disease.

Renal Diet HQ offers a healthy and dietitian designed pre-dialysis diet plan that you can easily follow because it contains all the necessary steps and grocery lists for you to make healthy choices.  Read about our pre-dialysis diet plan on our information page!

Also published on Medium.