Anyone who is suffering from kidney disease should pay extra attention to their diet chart. What to eat and what not? A perfect renal diet includes meat, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. But what if you are a pure vegetarian or vegan? In such a case you need to modify your renal diet according to vegetarian foods or vegan foods. It is important to get a verified renal diet by a nephrologist and dietician.
Only professionals can help you find the best alternatives to what you cannot eat and what you can eat. The renal diet for vegetarians and vegans in this article has been designed for your reference only. Your dietician and nephrologist know the condition of your kidneys the best. In a renal diet, the management of nutrition is done in such a way that you can get an appropriate amount of nutrients like protein, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. A renal diet is designed to maintain an adequate amount of fluid in the body. The waste developing from the foods you eat should be decreased. But...
People who don’t eat animal-based products except for dairy products are known as vegetarians. In India, dairy products are considered vegetarian and not animal-based products because it doesn’t include cutting and hurting animals. Vegetarians only eat foods obtained from plants, trees, and dairy-based products. A vegetarian needs to focus on their intake of protein, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins:
Your body requires protein to build muscles, repair the damaged tissues, and form the cells to fight infections. If you cannot eat the richest sources of protein like eggs and meat, there are substitutes available in the market in the form of pulses and milk. But the main factor that you should not skip from your mind is to maintain a healthy balance of protein in your diet. Following is the list of protein-rich foods that a vegetarian can consume:
Soy protein (tofu, tempeh)
Wheat protein (seitan)
Nut butter
Soy milk or yogurt
Beans
Peas
Unsalted nuts
Low-sodium or reduced-sodium cottage cheese
Whole grains
Usually, raw vegetarian foods are sodium-free but when the food is cooked few people add sodium in the form of salts to their foods. Consume sodium in the lowest amount possible. Consume only fresh fruits and avoid the following:
Avoid frozen foods such as frozen peas, canned soup, dried soups, and pre-cut vegetables and foods. They are rich with a high amount of sodium as preservatives.
Avoid soy-based cheese.
Avoid processed cheese, mayonnaise, and other processed foods.
Avoid normal salt and common salt, soy sauce, and all the sauces containing sodium and salt in high amounts.
If you are fond of salt then try to consume rock salt or saindhav namak only; that too in the lowest possible amount.
When you talk about renal diet for vegetarians it is mandatory to limit the amount in the intake of potassium. Fruits and vegetables are the great and primary source of potassium that needs to be limited in a renal diet. Wise choices of foods can help in bringing down the high levels of potassium. You need to verify the intake of potassium with your dietician to consume rich foods. Following is the list of foods that are rich in potassium:
Soybeans
Soy nuts
Soy floor
Natto (soybean paste)
Wasabi
Melons
Tomato products
Tropical fruits
Potatoes
Textured vegetable protein
Avoiding the amount of phosphate intake in high amounts is always recommended for the healthy functioning of the body. To keep the kidney’s functioning healthy and in the favour, you must:
Avoid dark colas
Processed foods
Concentrated phosphorus
Foods containing phosphorus additives
There are phosphate binders present in the market to absorb the consumption of phosphorus. But the consumptions should be taken with the advice of your dietician and nephrologist.
Vegan is the one who doesn’t believe in harming animals in any way. They consume only plant and tree-based foods. That means no dairy and no dairy products. Rules for the renal diet include the same applies to a vegetarian except for the dairy and dairy products. Dairy products are replaced with milk obtained from plants and trees, such as:
Soy milk
Coconut milk
What are the perks of being a vegetarian and vegan? In most of the cases, the vegetarian has given the proven results:
Decrease protein in the urine (Proteinuria)
Slow the decline of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and kidney blood flow
Result in less kidney tissue damage when compared to animal proteins
Reduce kidney cyst growth
Improve lipid (blood fat) profile of the blood
Modification in the diet can be more effective than leaving. Replacing animal-based protein with plant-based protein can boost the energy levels more than consuming animal-based protein.
Vegetarian diet help in slowing down the progression of kidney diseases without even making any comprise in the diet and taste.
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Soy
Cottage cheese (Paneer)
Bitter gourd
Carrot
Boiled potatoes
Mustard oil
Olive oil
Rice-bran oil
Bottle gourd
Sponge gourd
Round gourd
Pointed gourd
Green pumpkin
Ridge Gourd
Breakfast
Veg Upma (once a week) or roti with 1 bowl of vegetable
1 bowl wheat namkeen broken wheat with vegetables
1 bowl wheat roasted vermicelli with vegetables
Stuffed boiled onion roti without oil or roti with 1 bowl of vegetable
Brown bread sandwich 1 time in a week but without edges
Lunch
Roti with 1 bowl vegetable
Roti with 1 bowl vegetable and 20 gm fresh curd
Roti with 1 bowl vegetable or cottage cheese curry 25 gm but once a week
Evening
1/2 cup tea with a marigold biscuit
Dinner
Roti with 1 bowl vegetable
Roti with 1/2 bowl of vegetable and radish but once a week
Roti with 1 bowl of vegetables and carrot but once a week
Pre-Breakfast
Drink soaked fenugreek water 1 cup
Mid-Morning and Evening
Milk/tea-50 ml/ ½ cup without sugar and
Marie gold biscuits-2
Breakfast
1 bowl wheat namkeen broken wheat with vegetables
1 bowl veg oats or 2 pieces of Rava idli and ½ bowl of sambar
1 bowl wheat roasted vermicelli with vegetables
Toned milk 100ml
1 bowl sprouted salad
2 piece of brown bread potato sandwich and cucumber
Pre-Lunch
½ plate salad and 1 bowl vegetable like bitter gourd, carrot, paneer, capsicum, and ridge gourd and 2 tortillas
Pre-breakfast
½ cup tea with whole wheat biscuits/marigold biscuits
Mid-morning and evening snacks
Apple
Pear
Guava without seeds
Papaya
½ cup tea with whole wheat biscuits
Veg roll
Breakfast
Stuffed paneer parantha in less oil
Before Lunch
Apple
Watermelon
Papaya
Pear
Blackberry
Lunch and Dinner
Roti with 1 bowl of vegetables like raw papaya or pumpkin
Avoid alcohol
Avoid smoking
Avoid processed foods
Avoid pre-made foods
Avoid processed foods
Avoid foods that are oily and spicy
Drink fresh juices
Eat fresh fruits
Cook food at home and don’t just order it
Keep control on your blood pressure
Keep control of your sugar levels
Avoid anti-biotic
Practice yoga and meditation every day
Keep intervals in eating anything
Consume foods in small meals
Drink a limited amount of water (approx: 1 liter - 1.5 liters).
Make a fixed time for lunch & dinner.
Don’t consume any raw vegetables.
Don’t consume any vegetables with seeds.
Don’t consume milk directly in raw form, or boiled form (if, given).
Remove the peel and seeds of the fruit.
Boil vegetables properly before cooking.
Use Rock salt (3-4 gm per day).
Use olive/mustard/ rice bran oil (1-3 teaspoons per day).
Use more steel utensils for cooking.
The efficiency of Ayurvedic treatment is a bonafide fact. But it is sad to know that people know the Ayurvedic practices for beauty treatments more. Ayurvedic kidney treatment has been in existence since ancient times, the times when artificial methods were not invented. People in ancient times used to lead the Ayurvedic life and they lived more than the average of people living in this modern era. An aforesaid renal diet is a part of the Ayurvedic treatment for kidney diseases that we recommend to our kidney patients at Karma Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the foundation of Maharishi Charak and Acharya Shushrut. They have explained why the Ayurvedic diet is important for survival and leading a disease-free life. It is believed that Shushrut was the first physician and surgeon who conducted the first-ever surgery and followed the Ayurvedic treatment to heal the damaged tissues and cells.
It is a major factor to have a proper diet to live young and disease-free. Above mentioned renal diet plan for vegetarians is purely based on the Ayurvedic ideology and methods. Following are the three aspects that are most important in treating Ayurvedic treatment for kidney diseases:
Quantity of food: How much you are consuming food at a time. According to Ayurveda be it a kidney patient or a healthy person, one should never eat food to fill the appetite. You should always eat food less than your appetite.
Time: It is recommended to eat freshly cooked food. Ayurvedic treatment recommends the same including that you should eat food at an interval of 2 hours.
Process: It may sound old school to some but it is most important to pay attention to the process of preparing the food. Not only the ingredients but the thoughts while cooking the food matters a lot. Ayurveda recommends being optimistic about things and food should be cooked by keeping positivity in you.
Digestible: Foods that are recommended in Ayurvedic treatment are easily digestible. The diet chart provided according to the ayurvedic treatment for vegetarians is rich in fiber that helps in digesting foods easily.
An adequate amount of food provides an adequate amount of nutrition: If the renal diet chart for vegetarians is followed according to the recommended Ayurvedic treatment; the renal patient can get the adequate amount of nutrition that the kidney patient needs precisely.
Saves from falling sick: If followed renal diet for vegetarians properly then this part of Ayurvedic treatment can do wonders in saving the lives from falling ill or sick. Herbs like onion, turmeric, celery and garlic that are popularly known as vegetables can save you from falling sick.
Disclaimer: "This article is for your reference only. Kindly consult your doctor before consumption". Best Renal Diet Plan for Vegetarians, Renal diet for vegetarians, Vegetable-Based Diets for Kidney Disease.
Certificate no- AH-2023-0186
JAN 05,2023-JAN 04,2026
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