Renal Diet - Day 3

I am undergoing these dietary restrictions for the purpose of a project meant to teach patient empathy which will last for one week. I am not suggesting that anyone follow this diet unless it has been prescribed by their physician.

Breakfast: blueberries are my new best friend
8 oz cup coffee with 2 tbsp fat free half and half
1 cup Special K blueberry cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup blueberries
1 slice white toast with 1 tsp Smart Balance Light



I tried Special K because it's one of the cereals allowed for renal patients at the hospital. When I looked at the label, I saw that it's very low in protein and potassium, so I suppose that's why. I decided to use my 1/2 cup of milk serving for my cereal today. I wasn't sure if just the cup of cereal would be enough (it's very low calorie, they market it as a weight loss product of sorts), so I made a slice of toast to go with it.

Snack: Need...sugar....now
4 oz apple juice

I was so hungry by 11 am that I was actually feeling shaky! Maybe I didn't eat enough calories for breakfast, or it just wasn't filling enough. Either way, I felt like I needed something right away or I wouldn't make it until lunch!

Lunch: A sense of normalcy

1 cup rotini pasta tossed with:
1 cup steamed (from frozen) peas and carrots
1 1/2 tbsp pesto sauce
1 tbsp (imitation) lemon juice
1 tsp shredded Parmesan
a dash of pepper



This is pretty similar to a meal I would normally have, so it was very welcome. The only difference I would have made would be to use whole grain pasta and a little more Parmesan cheese. Sometimes when I make this I add chicken too, but I'm saving all of my meat servings for tonight.

Snack: In need of more sugar?
9 vanilla wafers

I went to the store hungry (never a good idea, right?) to get dinner for tonight, and went down the cookie aisle (also never a good idea when you're hungry). I was going to get some graham crackers, but when I saw the vanilla wafers they sounded good for some reason. Like white bread, I also haven't had vanilla wafers in about 15 years. They are nice and sugary though, and do the trick. They are also low in protein (1 gram lower than the graham crackers-bonus!) and cheaper too. I must be getting hungry so often because on this diet I am eating a lot of simple carbohydrates-or refined grains. Therefore everything is lower in fiber and protein-both things that aid in keeping you full. I'm seriously thinking of adding some metamucil to my next glass of water because I don't like this feeling of starvation between meals!

Dinner: A burger without the cheese
4 oz sirloin burger patty
Healthy Life white bun
1 tbsp ketchup
1 cup steamed asparagus
1 1/2 tsp Smart Balance Light



Oh, what a sad fate for a burger to be without its cheese! Am I being a bit dramatic? Well, I used my 1/2 milk allowance for my cereal this morning-so I had to forgo the cheese. I was not willing, however, to give up the ketchup! It would have been much too dry without it-perhaps even a choking hazard. At least that's my excuse. One tablespoon can't make too much of a difference anyway. I was happy, at least, that one of my favorite vegetables was on the low potassium list. I love asparagus, so I wasn't even jealous that Matt got to eat potatoes with his burger.


Dessert: I really am reverting back to childhood!
1/2 cup cherry jell-o
2 tbsp Cool Whip Lite

Misc. H2O record:
8 oz (morning)
8 oz (afternoon/early evening)
10 oz (evening/dinner)
8 oz (evening)

How compliant was I today?
Total calories: 1524 out of 1861 allowed
Total fluids: 1650 mL out of 1861 allowed
Protein: 69 g out of 53 g allowed
Phosphorus: 893 out of 1200 mg allowed
Potassium: 1839 mg out of 2127 mg allowed
Sodium: 2960 mg out of 3000 allowed

My compliance was very good today. I saved all of my meat servings for dinner so I could have a normal sized hamburger, but I still went over on protein. I'm not sure how much less meat I could really eat. I'm guessing the little amount of protein in other foods really add up, or something isn't coming up right in the analysis I'm using (MyPyramid Tracker). Since it doesn't give me the breakdown for each food, and it's usually impossible to find the exact food item in their database, I'll either have to trust it or try another source. Well, I'm pretty proud of myself today anyway. Oh, and I had an interview this afternoon that went very well. So that's something to be proud of too :)