Dark chocolate has many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving vascular system function, and reducing total cholesterol and LDL. These significant benefits could reduce chronic kidney disease or kidney failure complications. However, milk chocolate bars can also harm those with kidney disease.
When the kidneys do not work well, phosphorus may build up in your body. Too much phosphorus may cause your blood vessels to harden and cause problems for your heart and other vital organs. Chocolate is high in phosphorus, so people with kidney problems need to limit, or eliminate, their intake.
It can also lead to dehydration. People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) should avoid consuming chocolate because it can worsen their condition. Chocolate can increase the risk of developing kidney stones and can also cause an increase in blood pressure.
Better sweet snacks include: • jelly sweets • fruit gums • marshmallows • Turkish delight • mints • doughnuts • shortbread • ginger biscuits • rich tea biscuits • digestive biscuits. If you do fancy some chocolate, opt for chocolate coated varieties such as a Kit Kats or chocolate digestives.
Phosphorus and Dairy Foods
Most dairy foods are very high in phosphorus. People with kidney disease should limit their daily intake of milk, yogurt, and cheese to ½ cup milk, or ½ cup yogurt or 1-ounce cheese. If you do eat high-phosphorus foods, ask your doctor for a phosphate binder to be taken with your meals.
Many chocolate products are high in phosphorus. Unlike potassium, nutritional labels don't often list phosphorus levels. This can make it hard to determine which chocolate products you can eat when you have kidney disease. It's best only to consume 20–30g of dark chocolate with a minimum percentage of 70% pure cocoa.
Choose soy, almond, cashew, or rice milk for less phosphorus and less potassium than cow's milk. Avoid cow's milk substitutes that are "Enriched" or have the word phosphorus or "phos" in the ingredient list. For a change, try hot cereal like oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream of rice, or Malto-meal.
Smart, kidney-friendly choices for dessert are fine when you have CKD. Low-potassium desserts, such as cake and fruit pies, can fit into a kidney diet and be a delicious sweet treat. It's healthier to enjoy goodies that are baked in your own kitchen than to eat the store-bought kind.
Conclusions: About half of the patients with stage 3 CKD progressed to stage 4 or 5, as assessed by eGFR, over 10 years.
I recommend whole grain, whole wheat or multigrain bread for people with kidney disease. Be careful to check the sodium in whatever bread you buy. Bread is a surprising source of salt! Historically, white bread was recommended because it has less phosphorus in it.
Avoid foods that have salt in the first four or five items in the ingredient list. Don't eat ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, lunch meats, chicken tenders or nuggets, or regular canned soup. Only eat reduced-sodium soups that don't have potassium chloride as an ingredient (check the food label.)
Yet people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have to limit dairy products in their kidney diet. High levels of phosphorus, potassium and calcium in something like low-fat milk are not good for someone on a kidney diet.
3) Butter: Skimp on the spread! Butter is made from animal fat and contains cholesterol, calories and high levels of saturated fat. Margarine is made from vegetable oil and is higher in the "good" fats, but may not be a better choice because it often contains trans fats. When possible, use canola or olive oil instead.
The aim of this review is to discuss the role of dark chocolate, as a source of cocoa rich in bioactive flavanol food, as a treatment option to mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress in CKD patients.
Carrots and the Kidneys
Research shows that beta carotene is one of the best nutrients for helping the kidneys flush out toxins. Beta carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A, also has anti-inflammatory properties and is especially helpful for preventing and managing urinary tract infections.
Most people with CKD can safely eat one medium (80g) tomato daily (as a one of your 5 a day), perhaps served with a cooked breakfast, lunch or salad. Canned tomatoes used in cooking are often divided into several portions for the finished meal.
FOODS TO BE AVOIDED
Salted food items like salted biscuits nuts, Popcorn, chips, pickle, chutney, pappad, mixtures etc. Refined sugar (in excess amount), honey, glucose, jaggery, jam and jelly Refined starch products like corn flour, jelly powder, custard powder etc.
Cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are all from the cruciferous family of vegetables. They're on the alkaline side, making your diet less acidic and providing less pressure on your kidneys. Plus, they are loaded with vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and other important minerals.