The first stages of kidney disease usually bring a restriction on the amount of protein you are allowed to have.
This will change a great deal as the disease progresses.
You will always have to be careful about which nutrients you get and in what amounts when living with kidney disease, as well as the amount of fluids you can have, but you will probably have to increase your intake of protein.
Your nutritionist will know the exact details you need to keep your health as close to optimal as possible.
It will be of vital importance to follow your nutritionist's advice very carefully once dialysis becomes necessary.
The process of dialysis depletes the level of protein in your body, which can leave you feeling listless and lacking in energy.
It can also reduce your lean muscle mass.
Low protein also weakens your immune system, leaving you prone to more infections and slower healing.
It also leads to edema, or swelling, generally in the feet or ankles.
Your body needs protein to promote healing and prevent the development of anemia.
Extensive blood work will be done by your medical team to ensure that you have the proper levels of protein.
Together, a doctor, a nurse and a dietician will look for how much albumin (a type of protein) is in your blood.
Extremely low levels of albumin are linked to lengthier hospital stays and a further decline of health for dialysis patients.
Dialysis is only necessary when a patient reaches end stage renal disease, so it is not unusual to feel weak and have much less of an appetite.
Tastes will often change as well.
Foods heavy in protein especially will often taste different to a dialysis patient.
This is mostly in regard to animal-based protein, which means ingesting more plant-based proteins and protein supplements.
The proteins that come from plants are almost always incomplete, meaning they do not contain all of the essential amino acids your body needs.
A dialysis patient will need protein to be somewhere between 50% and 75% of the total diet.
Why is Protein So Necessary? In addition to the reasons mentioned above, protein also helps regulate every cell and most functions of your body, such as creating the hormones and enzymes that aid in digestion, ovulation and sleep.
The amino acids found in protein are used to create new amino acids.
Protein also increases and restores your lean muscle mass, helps you heal more quickly and fights infections.
Protein gives your body the strength to fight kidney disease, which means you should have as much as your doctor will allow.
The Many Ways to Get Your Protein Proteins derived from animals are considered to be complete - they contain all the essential amino acids.
Animal protein does not just mean meat.
It can be found in eggs (which some call "the perfect protein"), milk and cheese.
If you crave meat, but are trying to avoid fat, there are lean choices in turkey, chicken breast and fish.
When fat isn't a concern, there is a lot of protein in beef, lamb and pork, but these should be eaten sparingly.
Plant proteins are also an option.
They are incomplete, as stated above, but also low in fat and calories.
If you are concerned because you have food allergies or may potentially have them, be careful when adding new foods to your diet.
It is always a good idea to keep your diet healthy and varied with a good selection of foods, but you don't need to have traditional food sources to get your protein.
Supplements come in many shapes and forms, including protein bars, protein shots, protein powders, puddings and shakes.
If you are looking for a lighter taste, something relatively new is protein water.
Before you take any protein supplement, however, you should consult with your doctor to find out where it can fit into your diet.
Some of these may not be as good for you as other protein sources.
For example, some bars can be a great way to get your protein, but some of them have a high fat and sugar content.
Too much sugar can actually cause more problems than the protein solves, not the least of which is weight gain, something an end stage renal patient should especially avoid.
There are a variety of protein powders to choose, including egg, rice, soy and whey.
Each one of these has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Out of the four of them, only whey is not a complete protein source.
Protein powders can be mixed into a number of different things so they can be eaten, but they have to be mixed well.
Not doing this properly will make the powder and the food unpalatable.
There is another option for protein - the protein supplement shot.
Eating with End Stage Renal Failure Meat may be too much to handle at this stage, so there will have to be other ways to get protein.
Maybe you'll find eggs are still alright.
Eggs are a perfect protein, the source which all other proteins are judged.
There are many different ways to cook eggs, so you shouldn't get tired of them any time soon.
It doesn't hurt to add supplements and protein bars if necessary.
Other nutrients are still important to avoid any additional health difficulties.
Itchy skin, for instance, is often a sign of too much of some nutrient in the blood stream.
You will probably need to get your blood drawn regularly so that a doctor can monitor the levels of nutrients in your blood.
Dialysis may leave you feeling tired and a little irritable.
A protein supplement shot may give you the pickup you need to make it through rest of the day feeling at least a little stronger.