Can kidney patients eat chicken?

Eating right can be quite stressing for you when you are at the risk of losing your kidneys. It becomes necessary for you to eat that right diet that is well planned and balanced. Karma Ayurveda is one such combination of the treatment center that provides authentic treatment with a customized diet plan. Today, we will discuss the question that has been running in the minds of you guys for so long, “can kidney patients eat chicken?” We gave it a thought and decided to give a little more. So we will be telling you about chicken for kidney patients and the other diet that you should follow during kidney disease.

Kidneys play a crucial role in transferring the filtered blood throughout the body. They are responsible for clearing the wastes from the blood and balancing the fluids therein. Once the Glomeruli, small clusters in kidneys start to get damaged; they lose their efficiency of filtering the wastes and toxins. This Dysfunctioning can lead to various kidney diseases. And so it becomes crucial for a kidney patient to be on the right diet throughout the treatment and after then. Back to the answer, you were looking for `can kidney patients eat chicken?‘ well this depends on the stage and type of disease you have. There are majorly three types of kidney diseases:

Acute Kidney Disorder: It is the type of disorder where your kidneys stop working all of a sudden.

Chronic Kidney Disease: It is the type of kidney disease where your kidneys were affected by an extended period. But the symptoms were mild, and because of that, you didn’t take any precautions to manage kidney diseases or complete failure.

Polycystic Kidney Disease: It is a type of kidney disease that is more genetic, and individuals inherit the disease from biological parents.

Before we talk about `can kidney patients eat chicken?’ We must tell you about the right diet. The following are the steps that will help you in creating the right type of diet you should consider.

Step One:

Choose the type of foods that lacks the nutrients; sodium and salt

Blood pressure is one of the common problems that a kidney patient suffers from. Usually, patients with kidney disease have high blood pressure as the sign, but in severe stages, it also appears as the complication of CKD. Your body can accept the intake of sodium and salt up to 2000 milligrams only.

Consume only fresh food: Fresh fruits and vegetables. Get familiar with the seasonal fruits & vegetables as the frozen ones contain a high amount of sodium and salts for the preservation.

Start cooking the food instead of buying processed foods. They have added flavor and preservatives.

Use “rock salt” or saindhav namak and quit other types of salts.

Check the nutritional values for anything you buy, add only low sodium food to your cart.

Step Two:

Eat that right type of protein

Before you get too excited to eat chicken, you must be aware of the type of kidney disease you have. Not every kidney disease is the same, and not everybody has the same adaptability to bear the consequences. You should always consult your doctor before taking any steps like this.

Your doctor knows the best. When you consume protein, the amount of waste that kidneys have to filter increases. Eat small parts of protein-rich foods. The following are the types of foods that are rich in proteins.

Animal Protein:

Chicken: Choose a skinless chicken breast. A skinless chicken is low in potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. A chicken breast that has its skin contains a high amount of aforesaid nutrients that may adversely affect kidney patients. Following is the nutritional value of chicken breast of 84grams:

Sodium 63 mg

Potassium 216 mg

Phosphorus 192 mg

Fish & Red Meat: We usually avoid recommending these types of meat to anyone. However, there are a few of the circumstances in which we allow patients to consume tuna fish during Ayurvedic therapy. But red meat should be avoided.

Eggs: Egg is the most significant source of protein. It is known that a kidney patient should consume only the egg white part, as egg yolk contains high amounts of potassium, phosphorus, and sodium, counted as risk-bearing for any kidney patient.

Milk & Milk Products: Milk is an excellent source of calcium, protein, phosphorus & potassium. Hence it is again, not recommended to every kidney patient.

Plant-based protein:

Beans

Nuts

Grains

Legumes

These significant sources of protein should only be consumed with the advice of a certified nephrologist.

Step Three:

Choose foods that can strengthen the heart and the kidneys health

Why are we talking about cardiovascular health when you want to know about the kidneys? This is because of heart & kidneys work by coordinating with one another in the proper circulation of filtering the blood. Kidneys filter the blood and transport it to the heart. The healthy the kidneys work, the healthier the cardiovascular health would be. Foods that are healthy for cardiovascular health are as follows:

Grilled food

Boiled food

Roasted foods

Stir-fried food

Use of olive oil or castor oil

Skinless chicken & tuna fish

Use of Rock salt and black pepper

Fresh fruits & vegetables

Low-fat milk

Egg white

Step 4:

Eat the type of foods that are less in phosphorus

Consume the type of foods that are not rich in phosphorus. A high amount of phosphorus intake can lead to bad heart health and kidneys’ health. It is essential to protect your bones and blood flow. Here are some tips:

Eat only fresh fruits & vegetables and avoid canned, frozen & processed foods.

Replace bran cereals and oatmeal with bread, boiled rice, and pasta.

Replace milk with rice milk

Replace dark-colored colas and soda with green tea and lemonade

So to conclude, Kidney patients can eat chicken by peeling of the skin. It should not be spicy and oily. Use olive oil or castor oil to cook chicken. Red meat should be avoided.

Book an appointment with Dr. Puneet Dhawan for more assistance.

Disclaimer: The article mentioned above is just for your reference. Kindly consult your doctor before adopting any dietary change.