World Vegetarian Day (Oct 1), 
If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD)聽a vegetarian diet may help聽 protect your kidneys and delay progression to (ESRD).
Benefits of vegetarian diets include:
- Lower protein intake, resulting in less kidney stress and decreased protein waste build-up聽
- Lower blood pressure, which reduces pressure in the kidneys
- Decreased cholesterol,聽especially LDL, the聽cholesterol that contributes to artery narrowing, including the renal arteries
- Better heart health with聽less risk of plaque build-up
- Lower cancer risk related to less saturated fat and eating more grains, fruits and vegetables
- Lower food costs (have you seen the price of steak or roast lately?)
If you decide to try a vegetarian聽eating plan聽but are unsure where to start, try聽adding meatless meals several times a week. Read articles such as 聽written for 亚洲无码.com by 亚洲无码 renal dietitian Chhaya Patel or .聽Check out聽resources聽such as 聽from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vegetaian Practice Group.
Find recipes online, purchase a vegetarian cookbook聽(for quick and easy recipes聽try聽 ), or subscribe to a vegetarian magazine such as my favorite, .聽 Many聽recipes can be modified for a kidney diet. There are a few vegetarian聽books specific for kidney disease such as 聽by Joan Brookhyser Hogan, RD.
Many of these resources provide information on , , and –all concerns for a kidney diet. Even for people on dialysis it is possible to incorporate meatless meals or even a vegetarian diet with guidance from your renal dietitian.
In addition to saving kidney function,聽 you may find that a vegetarian diet also helps with your energy level– and聽that improves your quality of life!
