One of the most common New Year’s resolutions involves losing weight. And even though you have kidney disease, you are not immune.

You have things in your life you want to change, and one of them just might be to lose some weight. Or get healthier. Something along those lines. Let’s face it, you are dealing with a lot of changes, whether or not you have had medical issues for a while or it’s new to you.

But with kidney disease, you can’t just read any blog post and eat more vegetables, because you have to make sure they aren’t going to sabotage your health! You need to focus on eating those healthier vegetables for you. And fruits. And pastas.

Now, I am not going to tell you that this will help you lose weight, because you might not need to. These changes are about making your overall diet healthier, not necessarily trying to lose weight.

I took on the challenge this year to walk for 30 minutes (at least) every single day. Will I lose weight? Not if I continue to eat too much, but I will be healthier. So, it’s a good start. I have managed to get it done for the last 2 weeks, except for one day when I had a monstrous migraine. But, I have managed to make the change. Some days it is very hard, as I am very busy – but so are you – and you can make time and make a way to get the work done. I have to plan to do this walk and not just let the day go by without thinking about it. I have even added it to my to do list.

But back to the topic of this post – I want you to make some healthy choices instead of just saying “lose weight” or “improve my health”. Make them specific choices as well.

1. Eat more fruits. Not more juice, and not the high potassium fruits, but there are many fruits you can eat. Apples, grapes, and berries. You can add them to your salad, to your meal, to lots of things. I love fruit, and I think it’s something you can eat a lot of without getting into trouble. Think of how much room a whole apple takes up in your stomach versus ½ cup of juice. It’s a big difference that will keep you from drinking too many calories.

2. Eat more whole vegetables. Again, not the high potassium vegetables, but the ones you can eat. Eat them grilled with a little oil on them and some salt free seasoning. Just as with fruit, it’s easy to fill up and not be hungry. Eat vegetables instead of starches. They have less calories and are more filling.

3. Eat more whole grain pasta and rice if you are in Stage 1-3 kidney disease. Eat higher fiber white pasta or grains if you have a need to limit phosphorus. You usually can eat the whole grain for beginning stages of kidney disease. You can’t eat potatoes as much anymore, but you can eat more grains.

4. Either way, make only ¼ of your plate starches, ¼ meat, and ½ vegetables. That is a well balanced meal.

5. Push back from the table and take a 10 minute walk after your meal. It will keep your blood flowing through your veins and your heart pumping. Possibly even help with diabetes or heart disease.

Doing these things will set you on the path to a healthier 2013 and beyond. Don’t make a general resolution, take some actionable steps and succeed.

Learn more about a renal diet and get on a renal diet meal plan for your New Year's Resolution to make this year the best one yet - Click here to choose the right plan!