Denielle Saitta

Nutrition 416
April 17, 2014
Renal Challenge
Food diary:
Monday April 14, 2014
All food was prepared at home
Meal:
Breakfast
Lunch

Dinner
Snack
Beverage
s

Food item:
1 scrambled egg
c. grapes
1 c. garden salad1 c. lettuce
4 baby carrots
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1 c. low sodium chicken soup
6 low sodium saltines
2 c. fettuccini alfredo
2 Sister Schubert rolls
1 small apple
1 oz. unsalted pretzels
c. apple juice
2 c. lemonade
2 c. black coffee

Total Phosphorous: 413 mg

Total Potassium: 1350 mg
Total Sodium: 1303 mg

Phosphorous:

Potassium:

Sodium:
65 mg

45 mg

303 mg

50 mg

14.4 mg

3.5 mg

274 mg
34.5 mg
372 mg

301 mg
191 mg
142 mg
480 mg

116 mg
252 mg

120 mg
232 mg

10 mg
50 mg
10 mg

Discussion:
During this assignment I enjoyed learning about the difference of someones diet if they
are on dialysis. At times, the assignment proved challenging to pick foods that did not have a lot
of unnecessary additives while other times were easy to pick healthy options that I enjoyed.
Being informed about the diet as well as having your meals planned out for the day seem to be
the best options when planning a diet for patient that is on dialysis.
For this diet there were several parts that were easy to me such as choosing healthier
foods, not eating too much sodium, as well as making sure to get a balanced course for each meal
or snack that I had. Since I do not live on campus or have a meal plan I prepare most of my own
meals so it was easy to stay away from restaurant meals with extra seasonings or additives when
trying to plan out my day. I also tend to avoid frozen or canned foods when I cook so those more
fresh items assisted in my success of following this diet. By choosing these fresh foods over
prepackaged I was able to not have too much phosphorous, potassium, or sodium in my diet
during the day.
However there were a few challenges and barriers I faced while completing this diet. I
had a tough time watching how much water and other beverages I drank during the day. On a
typical day I will drink about 8 to 9 glasses of water and being on this diet that was not an option.
Since I do normally have so much water throughout the day, it was just a common reflex to reach
for more water while on the diet. Another problem I faced was not planning out my meals ahead
of time during the day. It seems like it is best to have meal courses planned out in advanced to
best follow the required diet.
When completing this diet, I employed several strategies to make the diet more
successful. By selecting fresh food over frozen or canned I was able to have a diet that did not
have large amounts of phosphorous, potassium, and sodium. Dialysis is a treatment used when
the kidneys do not work well. It removes harmful substances from the blood when the kidneys
cannot1. Making sure to avoid foods high in potassium, sodium, and phosphorous are crucial in
achieving the best means for the diet. I also was able to prepare and cook all my meals and
snacks at home which assist in providing the best possible diet choices. In the future if I repeat
this challenge I will look into more recipes to prepare myself as well as other snack ideas.
Making sure to know different foods to eat and ways to prepare them can help in creating the
best diet possible for a patient on dialysis. Being educated on the diet is another key step in
making sure that the food one eats is within the parameters of the diet. Knowing the foods that
are good and bad are key.
After finishing the assignment it occurred to me how much of a struggle it is to find food
that is easy to prepare and that is not overly time consuming. There is not always a lot of time
available to leisurely prepare meals but with this diet there are several necessary measures that a
patient must follow. It did help me grasp a deeper understand of the management of CKD and the
lifestyle that a patient must keep up with. I think as a dietitian it is important to learn and try all
the diets that you will educate your clients on so by applying this diet to my life I now know the
struggles and can more effectively advise my clients. Hopefully this will ultimately make me a
better dietitian and connect with my patient.

References:
1. Dialysis. The Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/dialysisinfo.cfm.
Accessed April 15, 2014.