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Christmas is just around the corner and there are so many tempting foods and plays. However kidney patients on dialysis may have some concerns for their illness. Dialysis is one important renal replacement therapy for sustaining life activities for end stage renal disease patients. There are some restrictions for kidney dialysis patients in their daily life. For example, they should limit the intake of fluid, salt, potassium and phosphorus. So how should they have a happy and satisfied holiday without aggravating their illness conditions? The followings are some healthy Christmas tips for patients on dialysis.
The most important aspect is of cause how to prepare dialysis-friendly and kidney-friendly daily diets which are at the same time tasty and delicious.
1. Salt intake. Dialysis patients should not have too much salt or sugar or they will feel thirsty and drink a lot of water and this might increase difficulty for the next dialysis. Therefore it is recommended that they should cook turkeys and meals by themselves. While buying meat products, white meat is better than dark meat and choose fresh meat, fish and poultry instead of cured meats like ham, bacon and sausages. And while cooking meals, herbs and spices like onion, pepper and garlic should be used to replace salty seasonings such as salt, soy sauce and broth.
2. Water intake. Proper water intake is very important for dialysis patients. Excessive consumption of water can cause edema, weight gain, difficulty in breathing and increased blood pressure and increase additional difficulty to dialysis. However if the water intake is inadequate, patients might have dehydration. As for the proper amount of water intake, you should ask for your doctor's advice because it depends on several factors including 24-h urine volume, the weight gain during dialysis sessions, blood pressure and swelling conditions. And please remember that gelatins, gravy and any food or beverage that is liquid at room temperature.
3. Vegetable and side dishes. While choosing vegetables and fruits for Christmas, it is necessary to pay more attention to their potassium and phosphorus contents. And this is particularly important for those that are on hemodialysis. Low potassium vegetables include lettuce, cucumber, onions, bell pepper, etc and low phosphorus fruits include apple and pear,etc. High potassium vegetables can be leached to lower the potassium content such as leached smashed potatoes.
4. Dessert. Use whipped cream or non-dairy topping to replace ice cream and avoid eating too much candies or chocolates.
Some notes:
1. Always ask for the doctor or dietitian's advices for healthy eating whenever you are unsure about the kind and amount of foods and drinks.
2. Do not have too much alcohol. A little alcohol is beneficial to the body, but the healthy amount for dialysis patients is very little and it is better that they should avoid drinking any alcoholic beverages and there are many good substitutes such as cranberry juice.
3. Remember to take phosphate binders or directly after meals and snacks.
4. Keep warm and prevent catching cold.
