Nutrition and dialysis are not the best of friends, especially at first. Suddenly you have to pay attention to a lot of things, reduce some things and increase others in order to compensate. Here are a few simple tips to get you started on a dialysis-friendly diet!
1. Understand your key blood values and what they mean
Your dialysis team will do regular blood work to measure important nutritional values. It's helpful to know the most important values and their target ranges. In the Mizu app you will also find a lot of information about phosphate, potassium, sodium & co. Depending on your most recent blood values, you should always try to adjust your diet accordingly.
2. Cook with spices instead of salt
It is important that you have your salt consumption under control, especially to help reduce your feeling of thirst. The more salt you consume in food, the thirstier you will be. There simply is no trick or way around this, because water and salt form a bond in the body. Alternatively, fresh or dried spices can help to make your diet truly tasty.
3. Shop consciously
When shopping, it helps if you have a sense of what contains a lot of phosphate and potassium. The food search function in the Mizu app can be especially helpful, as you can look up the nutritional values of thousands of foods and recipes at any time.
Eat fresh food
Processed products and convenience foods often contain additives to enhance flavor and extend shelf life. In many cases, these contain high doses of phosphate and potassium. To avoid serious health problems, it is better to prepare fresh food as often as possible, and avoid industrially processed foods as much as possible.
5. Dose your quantities
If a food contains a lot of potassium (or something else), it doesn't mean you can't eat it. More importantly, practice balancing the portion sizes. More potassium in one food, combined with less in the other. More phosphate in one meal, but less in the next. At the end of the day, the total amounts in your diet need to fit together.
6. Get advice
Your nephrologist, dialysis team, or a specialized nutritionist will be able to help you best, because they understand your needs and your state of health best.
7. Use the features of the Mizu app
The Mizu app can help you with many nutrition-related topics in your daily life. It was built especially for people with kidney disease. In the app, you can look up your diet, save favorite recipes, or document your diet. Just like you, a professional nutritionist will also always start with understanding how you currently eat. Therefore, you can also use the Mizu app as a basis for a professional nutritional consultation.
