Fruits and potassium for CKD patients

Chronic kidney disease refers to  inability of your kidneys to filter wastes and simultaneously, wastes build up in the body leading to severe complications. This disease damages your kidneys slowly over a long period  . Chronic kidney disease proceeds through 5 stages ultimately leading to kidney failure. CKD is common among adults mostly found in the United States. Recent studies say that about 37 million American adults may suffer from CKD. 

The leading causes of CKD are :-

  • Diabetes – Prolonged diabetes has become a major cause of CKD.  The high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels of kidneys. 
  • High blood pressure- High blood pressure is the second major reason for CKD. High blood pressure also damages the blood vessels of kidneys by putting high pressures on the vessels. Almost 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure suffers from CKD. 
  • Heart disease – People with heart disease have a higher risk of suffering Kidney damage and vice versa.
  • Genetic factors – If your family member suffers from CKD, then likely you also have chances to get affected by the same.

Symptoms of CKD 

The early  CKD may not show any symptoms. But as you start leaving it unchecked, the case may get severe and ultimately lead to other body damages.

The well noticed symptoms of CKD are :-

  • Chest pain
  • Itching
  • Dry skin
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Increased urination
  • Loss of appetite
  • Sleep problems
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Breath shortness
  • Weight loss
  • Muscle cramps.

Importance of potassium for CKD patients

Potassium is an important mineral that helps to keep your heartbeat regular and maintains a perfect condition of muscles. A right amount of potassium is maintained in the body to keep the proper functioning of kidneys. Otherwise, when kidneys are not healthy, it is mandatory to limit certain foods that increase potassium levels as it  may prove  dangerous . Certain symptoms start appearing at the first  stage such as weakness, numbness and tingling.

The increase in potassium levels in your blood can cause irregular heartbeat or even a heart attack.

The safe level of potassium in the body

Visit a doctor or a dietician to check your potassium levels in the body. The safe levels of potassium in the body are

  • If the level lies in the range of 3.5 to 5, congratulations you are in a safe zone.
  • If the level is between 5.1 to 6, this is a caution zone. You need to talk to a doctor and take mandatory precautions.
  • If the potassium level is higher than 6, then you are in a danger zone. must consult a doctor immediately.

How to regulate potassium levels in the body?

  • Limit your food intake that is high in potassium. Plan your diet to get the right amount of potassium in the body.
  • Increase varieties of fruit but in moderation.
  • Vegetables with high potassium levels can also be included in your diet but leach them before using. Leaching is a process that refers to the pulling out of potassium from the vegetables. check this out with your dietitian on the amount of leached vegetables or fruits that are safely added in your diet.
  • Avoid liquid from canned vegetables and fruits.
  • Almost every food has some levels of potassium in it. the amount of servings should be taken into consideration. A large amount of low potassium foods can also turn out to be a high potassium food if served in a large amount.

A proper diet should be maintained for CKD patients  to regulate the potassium levels in the body. unbalanced levels of potassium are very harmful for the body. Increasing the amount of any fruit or vegetable must be checked before including them in the new renal diet. An anticipation or research upon fruits must be done to avoid any misconception.

What are the fruits that are low in potassium?

Every kind of fruit has some levels of potassium. but still there are fruits that have relatively low levels of potassium.

Fruit that contains 200 milligrams or less per serving are considered low potassium fruits. some low potassium fruits that you can include in your diet are

  • Berries, strawberries and blueberries.
  • Apple
  • Grapes
  • Fruit cocktail
  • Mandarin oranges
  • Melons
  • Apricot
  • Cherries
  • Pears
  • Peach
  • Plums
  • Watermelon
  • Satsumas

What type of fruits to avoid?

The fruits that are typically having 400 milligrams or more of potassium are considered as high potassium foods. They should be strictly excluded from your diet to prevent your kidneys from having many contradictions.

  • Some of the fruits that have high potassium levels are
  • Avocado
  • Banana
  • Dried fruits
  • Honeydew
  • Kiwi
  • Mangoes
  • Oranges and orange juice
  • Cantaloupe

 

Depending upon your kidney functions, you may include a few amounts of high potassium foods depending upon your renal situation after consulting your doctor. Check regularly your potassium levels in the body to keep your kidneys safe.

How does chronic kidney disease affect other nutritional needs?

Maintaining a best chart of nutrition levels in the body is a mandate job for you. strictly adhere to the healthy renal diet that takes care of potassium levels as well as other nutritional needs.

Potassium levels of protein should also be regulated in the body.

  • Eat smaller portions of proteins such as chicken or beef. Increasing the amount of protein may cause your kidney to work too hard. Cut your protein intake as it may relax the kidneys. or contact your dietician to enquire how much protein should be included in your doubt diet.
  • Sodium generally is a hidden ingredient in many packed foods that may increase your thirst and cause you to drink too many fluids or cause body swelling, which is very bad for your kidneys. so make sure to control your sodium intake as well . And  must read the labels on the packaged foods as if they may contain higher amounts of sodium.
  • Reduce the amount of salt in your diet. Instead of using salt for seasoning your dish, opt for some flavourful herbs and other seasonings that don’t include sodium and potassium.
  • Also limit your cholesterol and total fat intake. As during CKD, the kidneys don’t work effectively and increasing fat intake makes it harder for the kidneys to filter out waste products. Also, becoming overweight may add some stress on your kidneys.

 

Back to Top