The Vegetarian Diet for Kidney Disease: Preserving Kidney Function with Plant-Based Eating

My wife Caryl (pronounced "Carol")and I are vegetarians, and she is also a diabetic, plus she has high blood pressure and needs to watch her cholesterol. She had gotten her diabetes under control when the "other shoe" fell -- she now has first stage kidney disease. The doctor recommended a low potassium diet and gave her a list of no-no foods -- which were all things we vegetarians rely on: beans, potatoes, lentils, soy, oranges, avacados, tomatoes, squash, nuts, and a ton of other veggies. A search online revealed kidney disease diets that were all heavily meat-oriented -- not an option for us, both because of our commitment to vegetarianism and the fact that we keep kosher and live in a rural area where kosher meat is not easily available. This was so disheartening to Caryl that she plunged into depression. What on earth COULD she eat? Food just did not seem interesting or palatable anymore.Then I found this book. Not only does it deal with vegetarianism and kidney disease, it talks about combinations of diseases -- such as having both diabetes and kidney disease. As Hogan explains, it used to be believed that vegetarianism and kidney health did not mix, and that animal proteins were superior to proteins obtained from plants, based on early studies of baby rats. But this is now changing. As Hogan says, "This theory is now history, for we are not rats."Hogan's approach to menu planning is much more sensible than the old renal diet. Rather than outrightly forbidding foods, she classifies them as high, medium, and low potassium. Sort of a "Chinese menu" approach where you can choose one from list A, two from list B, and three from list C per day. So, for example, Caryl can have an orange (high) if she doesn't have a tomato (high) the same day. Or she could have half an orange at breakfast and a slice of tomato later in a sandwich. This allows for a whole lot more flexibility and variety in the menu. (The same goes for other nutrients in other charts, but since potassium is what brought us to this book, this review focuses primarily on that.)Plus there are lots of charts for various foods to compare levels of protein, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, etc., as well as a useful chart on commercial meat substitutes. (Which is why you should buy the book version, NOT the kindle version, which renders the charts totally unreadable. Besides, having the book on the shelf right there next to your recipe books is more convenient.)There is also a very useful list comparing various types of beans, where I learned that pinto beans have half the potassium of white beans -- so by changing the beans we use in a favorite soup, we could cut the potassium way down and still enjoy it in smaller portions.One thing that the book does not have is more info on how cooking and other preparations affect various foods. There are recipes with stats for the complete recipe, but not for individual cooked ingredients. For example, she mentions "soaked potatoes" in a chart but does not say how long to soak them, or how soaking affects their potassium level. I assume she means soak them raw and pour off the water? I do know that potassium is water-soluble, so when we cook potatoes (and a lot of other veggies) we no longer use the water they were cooked in for soups. Ditto for beans, which we first soak overnight, then pour off that water and use fresh water for cooking. I assume this lowers the potassium levels of the foods, but some statistical comparisons between raw and cooked vegetables would be very helpful. And how does sprouting lentils and mung beans (both high potassium but also soaked first and rinsed repeatedly as they grow) change their statistics?Still, those are pretty advanced questions and I'll probably find my answers elsewhere. At least the book has pointed me in the right direction. We found it VERY helpful. And for people who don't know much about a vegetarian diet, it is an excellent introduction as well as a permanent reference on the shelf. For us, it was a real godsend. Caryl is no longer so depressed and we are now enjoying food again. Plus her potassium was normal last blood test. Ten stars!

I am newly diagnosed with CKD. My nephrologist recommended eating vegetarian to reduce protein. I have read this book three times. The first time, I thought it was just too far out. The second, it seemed pretty sensible. The third time it begins to seem like a helpful friend. I am finding the switch to vegetarian eating not as difficult as I feared. I still eat eggs and dairy and my CkD is showing an improving trend. This book is very helpful.

This is an excellent book for someone new to Chronic Kidney Disease and is vegetarian, vegan or gluten free. The renal (kidney) diet is worse than a diabetic diet, in my persoal opinion. A registered dietition is recomended for all with this disease. This book is a big help in following such a diet and helping as a guide to work through the diet. When one has CKD even the vitamins that one takes can affect or damage one's kidneys further. This is, as far as I can tell, the ONLY book at this time that addresses CKD and vegetarianism. It also addresses someone who is gluten free, whether due to Celiac Disease or is just due to gluten sensitivity. It is current, having been published in 2010, (this is being written in 2011) which is very important since new information is available in a disease and such material often becomes obsolete in a short time frame.

I’ve been following a paleo diet for a number of years now and was recently diagnosed with CKD, so I was looking to incorporate more vegetarian meals into my diet as a way to reduce my animal protein intake. Sadly if you want to avoid gluten or soy there are very few recipes you can use in this book. I have a sensitivity to both gluten and soy, but not legumes so I was able to find a couple of recipes to try. If you are following a strict Whole30 or an AIP diet, in addition to managing CKD, this book won’t help.Otherwise, it did have a fair amount of recipes for those with no food allergies or sensitivities which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 1.

I am a registered dietitian, RD, working in the dialysis setting. I bought this book for a research project that I completed for my Master's degree. I liked how this book was written by an RD. I thought this book had excellent content and was well-written for both healthcare professionals and the public. In my opinion, this book could be a great resource for one looking to switch to a more plant-based diet to help manage a condition such as chronic kidney disease.

very good book for kidney patient they can get knowledge about what food they can eat (vegetarian) who are suffering from kidney problem

Clear understanding, I was hoping food measurements were in English as I'm not familiar with cups (American) I've googled the conversion 1 cup = 1.5 of a pint. A very useful book. Thankyou

This book is very informative, it tells you about the disease and what you should lookout for. However if you are looking to chart your diet through it, then you should consult a dietician.The recipes enlisted are good change for indian pallette.I am giving three star because of the cost.

Good advice clearly given with many relevant kidney information facts.Should improve the chance to retard kidney failure for longer. A regime that should hopefully prove successful.

Not explained what is required for kidney transplant patience