Renal Diet - Final Reflection

Aside from the obvious goal of gaining empathy for patients on this diet (which I did), the most positive aspect of this experience was the fact that it forced me to go outside of my comfort zone and try some new foods that I don't normally include in my diet. I found some new recipes that I will definitely keep around! I also realized that I don't have to be perfect and follow the rules I have established for myself all the time. For example, I started this blog as a challenge to myself to meet the MyPyramid recommendations every day for a month. I gained some really good habits from that which I have tried to continue as much as possible. However, on this diet, I was not able to do so seeing as I wasn't allowed to have any whole grains or anywhere near an adequate amount of milk products. And guess what - I didn't die and neither will anyone else who doesn't meet their recommendations every day. It is great to follow those recommendations for a general healthy lifestyle, but when you're on a diet for a major medical issue that becomes much more important. It's better to keep your kidney function and avoid dialysis than to have your 3-a-day dairy servings!

The most negative aspect of this diet was the difficulty of meeting my goals, especially for protein. It was stressful for me to try my best to follow the restrictions but still wind up going over. Perhaps I was obsessing over the numbers a bit - I suppose the important thing is that I made the effort and definitely included less protein than I normally would have had. Another negative aspect was being hungry all the time. I am not used to being starving between meals, at least not to the extent that I felt so on this diet.

I have learned some important things through this experience and definitely have some tips I might share with patients in the future.

1. Rice milk-not worth the money. I paid nearly $4.00 for a small carton and hardly used it all week. I did not find it to be a good substitute for milk at all, and it made my pudding flop. It's better to just stick to 1/2 cup of actual milk every day and just plan the rest of your meals without it.

2. The Davita website! What a great source for recipe ideas. And they were all submitted by RD's :) (not that I am biased). There are lots of other great resources on there too, including information about renal disease, blogs, and support from peers through discussion boards.

3. Don't be afraid of fat. It is the one thing you get to eat that will keep you full on this diet! I had to get over my "fat phobia" this week and add more than I normally would have.

4. Spread out your fluid consumption. If you have a cup of coffee in the morning, don't also have juice with your breakfast. Take sips of water throughout the day rather than drink it all at once.

5. You seriously have to limit your meat servings to stay within the allowance for protein. I'd recommend only having meat at one meal so it looks like a decent size portion.

Thanks to those who followed me this week, and to Matt for being supportive and always being open to trying the foods I make!