Your body needs protein to help build muscle, repair tissue, and fight infection. If you have kidney disease, you may need to watch how much protein you eat. Having too much protein can cause waste to build up in your blood. Your kidneys may not be able to remove all the extra waste. It is important to eat the right amount of protein each day. The amount of protein you need is based on your body size, your kidney problem, and the amount of protein that may be in your urine. Protein intake should not be too low, or it may cause other problems.
Protein needs might change as kidney disease progresses. You should talk to a dietitian or clinician about how much protein you should eat based on your specific medical situation.
If you need to lower your protein intake, here are some tips for eating less protein:
- If you need to eat less protein, eating a low-protein diet helps keep wastes from building up in your blood. This gives your kidneys a lighter workload, which helps keep them working longer.
- In sandwiches, use thinly-sliced meats in sandwiches and fill them out with lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, chopped celery, apple, parsley, or water chestnuts
- In soups, use lower protein foods such as milk substitutes for cream soups, or rice or pasta to make soups more filling
- In main dishes:
- Think of vegetables and grains as the "main dish" and meat as the "side dish" to your meal.
- Try kebabs, using small pieces of meat and more vegetables.
- Make fried rice with vegetables and less meat or shrimp.
- Toss a chef's salad using crisp vegetables and small strips of meat and egg.
- When making casseroles, decrease the amount of meat; increase the starch, pasta or rice and use low sodium soups when the recipe calls for soup.
- Add low-protein pastas and breads to keep protein within limits.
