PREVENTION

CKD is a serious disease, but it is also a largely preventable one. Hypertension and diabetes, two main contributors to CKD, are often avoidable through a healthy diet and exercise. Both are critical factors in improving health and vitality. This is as true for people who have already developed CKD as it is for individuals who are at risk for developing kidney problems later. The exact diet CKD patients should follow will depend on the diagnosis and stage of their disease. This is why CKD patients should ask their doctors to recommend a registered dietician to help them plan the details of their diets.

Once a patient has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, one of the most important things they can do will be to carefully watch what they eat. Different foods have varying amounts of chemical compounds. Some are high in sugar or fat or vitamin C, for example, while others are high in calcium, sodium or iron. When these different foods are digested, various kinds and amounts of wastes are produced. This, in turn, can either raise or lower the levels of these wastes in the bloodstream. Because a CKD patient's kidneys are no longer as effective in removing wastes from the bloodstream, a special diet can help minimize the buildup of those wastes and thereby decrease the workload on the kidneys.

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