Following the kidney diet can be difficult for many chronic kidney diseases (CKD) patients. Living with diabetes can add even more dietary challenges. To help with these challenges, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Davita Kidney Care teamed up to create recipes for diabetes and CKD patients, whether you are newly diagnosed, in stage 3 or 4, or on dialysis.* 

How are diabetes and CKD related?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 37 million Americans have diabetes. This is about one in every 10 people, most of whom also have type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes are at risk for developing CKD. In fact, diabetes is the number one cause of CKD. 

How does the CKD stage affect kidney diet restrictions? 

Dietary restrictions vary for each patient, depending on their stage of CKD. For instance, earlier-stage CKD patients may have fewer dietary restrictions and more of a focus on a generally heart-healthy diet and lifestyle. Focusing on blood pressure and blood sugar management is vital for delaying CKD progression.

As CKD advances and wastes build up, a lower-protein diet will help to reduce the wastes and overall workload of the kidney. For people on dialysis, a higher protein diet is usually recommended. Depending on their lab results, patients may also need to restrict minerals like phosphorus and potassium. 

How can I use ADA’s recipe page to find kidney-friendly recipes?

The ADA’s Diabetes Food Hub allows you to browse recipes, plan meals, and create your own grocery list based on recipes chosen. Each recipe comes with a nutrition facts label that will provide basic nutrition information as well as information on kidney-specific nutrients like protein, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. 

To make meal planning more personal, their recipe filter feature allows you to choose different tags based on cuisine, meal type, and nutrition. They’ve added tags that are kidney-specific and include “kidney-friendly,” “CKD Dialysis,” and “CKD Non-Dialysis.” The “kidney-friendly” tag meets the guidelines for lower sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. “CKD Dialysis” and “CKD Non-Dialysis” also meet those guidelines but have added guidelines based on the different protein recommendations of those conditions. 

According to the ADA, these recipes are also suitable for CKD patients without diabetes, with the appropriate kidney restrictions. If you are unsure of your stage of kidney disease, and whether you need to follow a protein restriction or not, ask your physician about seeing a registered dietitian for more nutritional guidance. 

*Diabetes FoodHub, American Diabetes Association. (2021, June 1). Recipes to Help Manage Kidney Disease. https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org/articles/new-recipes-to-help-manage-kidney-disease.html