Since the 1980s, there has been an international consensus on the need for patients with chronic kidney disease to undergo a "low protein diet". Nowadays, most kidney disease patients are told by doctors to eat less protein rich foods such as fish, poultry, meat, and eggs after diagnosis. But many kidney patients cannot truly understand the doctor's meaning, so they simply give up animal based foods and only eat vegetarian food all year round. Especially for vegetarians who do not eat soy products, this dietary structure not only fails to delay the development of kidney disease, but may even accelerate the deterioration of the condition.
To be precise, the full name of "low protein diet" should be "high-quality low protein diet that ensures sufficient calories".
Ensure sufficient heat
The importance of heat to the human body is just like gasoline to cars. Without sufficient heat, the human body cannot function properly. And calories are mainly consumed through diet, and the nutrients that can provide calories include carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. The main source of calories in vegetarianism is a staple food rich in carbohydrates. To ensure the normal functioning of the body, kidney friends who adopt a vegan diet need to consume a large amount of staple food. But the protein in the staple food is all non high-quality protein, and consuming too much staple food goes against the original intention of controlling protein intake. Most refined staple foods have a high glycemic index, and excessive consumption at one time is likely to cause large fluctuations in blood glucose, which is dangerous for kidney friends with diabetes.
High quality low protein
The low protein diet of patients with chronic kidney disease is not only "low protein", but also emphasizes "high-quality protein".
After protein is decomposed and absorbed by the human body, nitrogen-containing waste products such as creatinine and urea are produced, which are filtered by the kidneys and ultimately excreted in urine. Therefore, patients with chronic kidney disease should limit their protein intake. For chronic kidney patients who have not undergone dialysis, it is advisable to control protein at 0.8g per kilogram of standard body weight per day (standard body weight can be estimated at (height (cm) -105) kg), which can not only ensure the human body's need for protein, but also protect residual kidney function and delay the deterioration of kidney function.
What does high-quality protein mean? Protein is composed of various amino acids, of which 8 must be consumed through food. A protein with sufficient quantities of essential amino acids and a reasonable proportion is called high-quality protein. Kidney friends have certain problems with their kidneys and are unable to excrete protein metabolic waste normally. Therefore, limited protein intake indicators should be given to high-quality protein, which should account for more than 60% of the total protein intake. The main sources of high-quality protein include animal foods such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, milk, and soy products.
What are some unscientific aspects of just being a vegetarian?
Vegetables and fruits are ideal foods for supplementing vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Many minerals have great benefits for the human body, such as potassium ions, which can help control hypertension; Dietary fiber can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation.
However, if kidney friends experience edema, oliguria, anuria, and other conditions, consuming too many vegetables and fruits is highly likely to cause hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, and other adverse consequences.
Kidney friends can meet the needs of the human body by consuming four taels (200g) of fruit and one kilogram (500g) of vegetables every day. Before consuming vegetables, blanching can also remove most of the potassium and phosphorus ions.
In addition, animal based foods contain nutrients that some plant-based foods do not possess.
For example:
Red meat foods contain a large amount of ferrous ions, making them a good source of dietary iron for anemic kidney friends;
White meat food contains a lot of unsaturated fat acids and fat soluble vitamins, which can protect cardiovascular health;
Dairy products are a good source of calcium for kidney friends, and drinking one cup a day can help prevent renal bone disease.