ArticleKidney Help
A Dietitian’s Role in Helping You Manage Your Health and CKD
A renal dietitian with 23 years of experience explains how a registered dietitian assesses, educates and supports people with chronic kidney disease.
Articles from Renal Dietitians
Practical, referenced articles on living with chronic kidney disease: what to eat, what to limit and why, written largely by registered renal dietitians.
29 articles
ArticleNutrition Basics
Additives and Preservatives: What Do the Claims Mean?
“Preservative-free” and “natural” labels can mislead. A dietitian explains what additive claims mean and how to choose wisely with CKD.
ArticleKidney Help
Advice for Individuals Newly Diagnosed with CKD
Just diagnosed with chronic kidney disease? A renal dietitian outlines the first steps, from regular checkups to working with your care team.
ArticleSugar & Sweeteners
Artificial Sweeteners: Can They Be Consumed with CKD?
What the evidence says about artificial sweeteners: are they safe, how much is safe, and how they fit into a kidney diet.
ArticleKidney Help
Best Foods to Eat for Kidney Stones
How diet affects kidney stone formation, which foods and drinks may help, and why oxalate, sodium and hydration matter.
ArticleSugar & Sweeteners
Daily Intake of Sugar: How Much Should I Be Consuming?
Recommended daily sugar limits for women and men, how added sugar affects insulin and weight, and why it matters for kidney health.
ArticleNutrition Basics
Essential Vitamins for the CKD Patient
The 13 vitamins your body needs, which ones people with CKD may lack, and why supplements should be chosen with your renal team.
ArticleKidney Help
Heart Health: Ticker Talk with Renal Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in kidney disease. Tips on home cooking, sodium, fiber, potassium, fats and fluids for a healthier heart.
ArticleNutrition Basics
High-Quality Protein Versus Low-Quality Protein
What makes a protein “high quality”, how essential amino acids work, and how protein needs change with CKD and dialysis.
ArticleKidney Help
CKD Pantry Staples: Be Prepared During the Pandemic
A renal dietitian’s tip sheet of shelf-stable pantry staples for phosphorus and potassium restrictions when fresh food is hard to find.
ArticleKidney Help
Infection Prevention With or Without CKD
Simple infection-control habits, starting with proper handwashing, that protect people with CKD and everyone around them.
ArticleHoliday Cooking
How to Avoid the Dreaded Holiday Weight Gain
Treats and parties make holiday weight gain easy. A renal dietitian shares strategies for managing weight and CKD through the season.
ArticleHoliday Cooking
Let’s Talk Some More (Renal-Friendly) Turkey, Part 2
How to flavor a natural whole turkey with herbs, spices, citrus and aromatics instead of salt, brines or injected solutions.
ArticleLow-Sodium Cooking
Love and Care for Your Heart and Kidneys: Tips to Cut the Sodium in Your Diet
Our taste for salt is acquired, so it can be retrained. Why sodium matters for your heart and kidneys, and practical ways to eat less of it.
ArticleKidney Help
Managing Food Costs with CKD
Budget-friendly strategies for eating well on a kidney diet, from meal planning and label reading to cooking at home.
ArticleKidney Help
Oxalate Food List: A Complete Guide to Oxalate Content in Foods
Which foods are high and low in oxalate, how oxalate contributes to kidney stones, and cooking and diet tips for managing oxalate intake.
ArticleNutrition Basics
Plant-Based Eating: What It Is and How It Applies to CKD
What “plant-based” really means, the research on plant-based diets in CKD, and how to include plant proteins safely.
ArticleKidney Help
Quick Guide to Managing Kidney Disease and Diabetes
How high blood sugar damages the kidneys and five ways to take control: glucose monitoring, A1c, diet, exercise and medications.
ArticleKidney Help
Realistic Resolutions for Continual Health
Why New Year’s resolutions fail and how to set realistic, sustainable health goals when you are managing kidney disease.
ArticleSugar & Sweeteners
Understanding Sugar and Kidney Health
How excess sugar strains the kidneys, its links to diabetes and obesity, and prevention and treatment strategies for protecting kidney health.
ArticleSugar & Sweeteners
Sugar: Toxic or Part of a Healthy Diet?
Is sugar “toxic”? A dietitian explains the different sugars, how to spot them on labels, and their impact on CKD management.
ArticleNutrition Basics
Superfoods: Health or Hype?
“Superfood” is a marketing term, not a health claim. What that means for nutrient-dense foods on a kidney diet.
ArticleSugar & Sweeteners
Sweeten Your Day the Kidney-Friendly Way
Many candies are high in phosphorus and potassium. How to choose renal-friendly sweet treats when you have CKD.
ArticleHoliday Cooking
Ten Tips for a Kidney-Friendly Holiday
Ten practical tips from a renal dietitian for navigating holiday parties, family gatherings and festive food with kidney disease.
ArticleNutrition Basics
The Best Juice for Kidney Disease
Why cranberry juice is often recommended, other juices that may fit a kidney diet, and which high-potassium juices to limit.
ArticleKidney Help
Top Kidney Disease Myths
A renal dietitian separates evidence from myth on common chronic kidney disease beliefs, from diet rules to detox products.
ArticleNutrition Basics
Unsaturated Fats and Kidney Disease
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6, and what the research says about healthy fats in kidney disease.
ArticleNutrition Basics
What Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets and How Do They Affect CKD?
The different types of vegetarian diets, what a vegan diet is, and whether these eating patterns can be balanced with CKD restrictions.
ArticleKidney Help
Why Infection Is a Big Deal with Chronic Kidney Disease
Why people with CKD are more vulnerable to infection and practical ways to balance infection control with everyday life.