Renal Diabetic Diet – Five Tips to Follow

The right diet is essential in helping you manage diabetes and renal disease. For those who have been diagnosed with renal disorders due to diabetes, they need to consult a dietitian to learn more about the appropriate eating plan that suits their condition, a renal diabetic diet.

Purpose of a Renal Diabetic Diet Plan

The main objective of a diet plan for renal diabetic patients is to help them ensure the normal levels of their blood glucose. Moreover, the right meal plan can help minimize the amount of fluid and waste that your kidneys must process. Thus, you dietitian will be responsible for setting the recommended amount of calories that you need to consume on a daily basis. The plan will also include the right amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fat that your body needs, as well as an excellent solution to reduce the amounts of fluids, phosphorus, potassium and sodium in your diet.

Five Important Tips to Follow in a Renal Diabetic Meal Plan

While it may seem complicated to manage and maintain the normal blood sugar levels in your body the following tips can help you maximize the benefits you can obtain from your eating plan.

1. Go easy on your sodium intake.

While it is a fact that sodium helps your body function properly, this component is likely to accumulate when your kidneys fail to work efficiently. Furthermore, too much sodium in your diet can cause you to suffer from edema, or a condition when fluid starts to build up in the tissues. In most cases, edema affects your lower extremities, as well as the hands and face.

With this in mind, it is important to limit your intake of sodium. Make it a point to avoid consuming too much of high-sodium food items such as cold cuts, ham, soy sauce, instant soup, pickles, table salt, nuts, and crackers.

2. Limit your intake of potassium-rich foods.

Potassium is an essential mineral that ensures the normal function of your heart and muscles. However, your kidneys may no longer be able to filter out potassium, which can result to an excessive content of this mineral in the blood. When this occurs, you are at risk of certain conditions such as irregular heart rhythm and heart failure.

Renal diabetics should avoid consuming foods with high potassium content including baked beans, chocolate, mushrooms, tomatoes, apricots, broccoli, and molasses.

3. Avoid eating too much phosphorus-rich foods.

Those who suffer from kidney damage or failure should avoid consuming too much food items that are rich in phosphorus because the kidneys can no longer metabolize this mineral. Hence, phosphorus may build up in the body and create an imbalance with calcium. Eventually, the body will start using up calcium from your body and lead to the weakening of bones.

You can prevent this condition from happening by avoiding or limiting your intake of certain food items such as cheese, dried beans, milk, peanut butter, sardines, bran cereals and ice cream, which are rich in phosphorus.

4. Maintain the right portion or serving of food.

Portion control is as essential as having a diet plan for your condition. Thus, you should make sure that you do not exceed the recommended serving size to prevent further health concerns. With the help of your dietitian, you will learn more about the right means of measuring serving size accurately to maintain the normal levels of your blood glucose.

5. Strictly adhere to your dietitian’s recommendations.

After you are provided with certain food restrictions, the next thing for you to do is to follow these recommendations. Keep in mind that the renal diabetic diet designed specifically for you can help address your condition effectively, so you need to adhere to it at all times. In case you have plans of introducing new food items in your diet, you should make it a point to consult your dietitian to prevent drawbacks on your health.

Bottom Line-

By following these important tips, you will be able to manage your medical condition and prevent further issues to arise. Work closely with your dietitian and follow the recommended renal diabetic diet plan, so you can maintain good health and overall well-being.

For more information on renal diets and meal planning for kidney failure please visit my Renal Diet HQ site. You can receive a free three day meal plan by signing up for my newsletter on either site!