Eat plant seeds to treat kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease

People with Chronic kidney disease should follow a healthy diet. The kidney’s job is to filter bloodstream. When the kidneys don’t function properly, there are certain minerals and wastes that are no longer filtered. Eating properly and avoiding foods that are harmful can help renal disease patients protect their kidneys and avoid complications. Seeds and nuts are common foods in our daily life. When diagnosed as kidney disease, can people eat nuts and seeds?

Nuts and kidney health

As is suggested, nutrients from nuts include 36% protein, 58.8% fat and carbohydrate 72.6%. In addition, nuts also provide vitamins (vitamin B and vitamin E), mineral elements such as phosphorus, calcium, iron and zinc, and dietary fibers. People with Chronic kidney disease need to restrict their intake of proteins because an excessive protein intake produces more urea nitrogen to worsen renal condition. Kidney disease also requires low sodium because excessive sodium will retain water and raise blood pressure. Processed nuts which contain rich sodium should thus be avoided for kidney disease patients.

While there is a high fat content, the fat in peanuts is mostly unsaturated fat, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat; healthier types of fat than saturated fat. Fibers from nuts may help to stabilize blood sugar and lower blood cholesterol levels. Nuts, such as peanuts, are also a good source of proteins. People at earlier stages of kidney diseases are allowed to eat nuts; however, if they develop into advanced stages, nuts should be restricted because of the phosphorus and potassium provided.

An Accredited Practicing Dietitian experienced in the area of diet and kidney disease can explain how it all works and help plan your meals. This Dietitian will take into account how you are feeling, your age, lifestyle, weight, muscle size, health and blood test results. 

Seeds and kidney health

Pumpkin contains many nutritions such as starch, protein, carotene, vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, etc. However, pumpkin is also rich in potassium and phosphorous, the intake of which should be taken consideration by dialysis patients. Due to damaged kidney function, the electrolyte balance is broken and the levels of potassium and phosphorous are abnormal, which can cause many complications such as itchy skin, numbness, vomiting and abnormal heart rhythm. 

What are the advantages of pumpkin?

- Polysaccharides: It is a nonspecific immune enhancer, and it can stimulate the formation of cytokines and regular the immune system by activating the compliments. Therefore, dialysis patients will have a strong immunity and can be protected from being catching a cold or infection.

- Carotenoid: Carotenoid can be transformed into vitamin A that is related to the growth and differentiation of epithelial tissue. Carotenoid is beneficial for the development of vision and bones.

- Mineral elements: Pumpkin is high in calcium but low in sodium, and thus is a good choice for patients who have high blood pressure.

- Amino acids: Pumpkins contain many essential amino acids and high levels of immunoglobulins, which are essential for the repairing of cells

such as pumpkin, sunflower or watermelon seeds, provide rich purine. So seeds are unwise choices if people have gout disease or already high uric acid. In addition to this, seeds such as sunflower and watermelon seeds contain rich fat, proteins, zinc, proteins and various types of vitamins, which are helpful for boosting digestive function and improve your appetite. Certain compounds from seeds may benefit kidney disease patients. For instance, grape seed exact which comes from the seeds and skin of the red grape is a known antioxidant that fights against free radical damage. The bioflavenoids from seeds also help to strengthen blood vessels and encourage blood flow.

The benefits of seeds also include other aspects. For instance, sunflower seeds contain rich unsaturated fatty acids which lower serum cholesterol level and prevent occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. Seed products are beneficial for kidney health, and people may seek for an expert doctor’s guidance for a proper eating plan and maintain a balanced diet to boost your health status.

Want to learn more knowledge of kidney disease, please consult our website

Valor nutricional de las peras tienen un impacto significativo en la enfermedad renal

Diabetic nephropathy

Fruits can provide the abundant vitamins, mineral substance and dietary fiber. In the past, people thought that Diabetes patients could not eat fruits, which is because that fruits contain lots of sugers.

As a matter of fact, most of the sugars in fruits are fructoses. The absorption and metabolism of fructose don’t need the help of insulin, but diabetics can not eat too much, that is because fructose has an influence on blood fat. From the point of view of the glycemic index (GI) of blood sugar, the GI of most fruits is less than 55, they are belong to low-GI foods and don’t have a big effect on the blood sugar, except for watermelon and seedless grape. So Diabetes patients can choose some fruits with low GI. The higher the acidity of fruits is, less it affects the blood sugar, such as plum and tangerine.

Certain foods must be avoided to maintain the best possible health. However, while eliminating or greatly reducing electrolytes or other food elements that are potentially harmful to someone with CKD, the person may also be eliminating essential protein, vitamins and minerals. Therefore protein, vitamin and mineral supplements are often prescribed as replacement therapy. Medicines that help patients eliminate unwanted levels of other electrolytes found in many foods are also prescribed. So the renal diet can be a difficult balancing act.

What should diabetics pay attention to when eating fruits?

1. Diabetes patients had better not eat fruits immediately before or after dinner. The suggested time is 10am or 3pm or one hour before going to bed.

2. When the blood sugar has not been controlled well, it is ok for diabetics don’t have fruits temporarily. When blood sugar is controlled well, they can enjoy the yummy fruits.

3. The carbohydrate content in all kinds of fruits is about 6%-20%. Diabetics should choose the fruits with low sugar content and low GI. Generally speaking, orange, apple, pear and kiwi are suitable for diabetics. Fruits with high sugar content like ripe banana, leechee, red dates, pineapple and grape should be eaten less. There are no fruits which are forbidden strictly.

4. When eating fruits, you should consider your physical condition. Patients with deficiency-cold in spleen and stomach should avoid eating cool fruits, such as pear, watermelon. Patients with endogenous heat should avoid leechee and red bayberry.

5. The amount of fruits you eat should not be much. 200g per day is ok. You can eat different kinds of fruits with different CI every day.

Para obtener más información, por favor consulte a nuestros expertos

Are Prunes Bad for Kidney Disease Patients

Kidney disease

Prunes are common fruit in our daily life, and some people also drink prune juice. However, when patients are diagnosed with kidney disease, they may be recommended to pay highly attention to the consumption of prunes. This is because some people think prunes are bad for kidney patients. Is this thought right?
Dried plums contain many nutrients and non-nutritive substances known as phytochemicals, some of which function as antioxidants and contribute to health.

The main reason is that prune is rich in potassium. When kidney disease progresses into end stage, kidneys are unable to filter out extra potassium. Then, the deposits of potassium can cause many complications such as irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, breath problems, etc. Therefore, if patients’ blood potassium level is higher than the normal values, they are suggested to limit or even avoid prunes.

Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate found only in plant foods that cannot be broken down by our digestive enzymes. There are two types of dietary fiber—soluble and insoluble—with different effects on our health. Dried plums provide both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. About 60 percent of the dietary fiber in dried plums is pectin, a type of soluble fiber that may lower blood cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber works mainly in the large intestine (the colon), acting like a sponge and drawing in more water. This results in less pressure on the walls of the colon and a softer stool that is eliminated more quickly.

Fiber-containing foods provide an array of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and complex carbohydrates that have a positive effect on our health. Working together, these nutrients may help to lower the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and regulate blood-sugar levels. Increase your daily intake of dietary fiber with tasty and versatile dried plums.

Besides, if kidney failure patients have begun hemodialysis, high-potassium foods should also be avoided since hemodialysis is unable to eliminate potassium efficiently. But, if they do peritoneal dialysis, the condition will be quite different.

If kidney disease is still in the early stage or patients are doing peritoneal dialysis, they don’t need to avoid prunes or prune juice. On the contrary, prune can bring some health benefits for these patients.


Now, we can know the level of serum potassium is the main factor to determine whether patients can eat prunes or drink prune juice. If you want to know how much prune you can eat every time, you can consult the doctor online.
For more articles please consult the website

Are Bananas Okay For High Creatinine Sufferers

Are Bananas Okay For High Creatinine Sufferers

Are Bananas Okay For High Creatinine Sufferers

Bananas are good source of dietary fiber:  16% of the daily recommended dietary fiber intake for a normal adult - that’s substantial for a single serving of any food. Fiber improves laxation (smooth bowel movements). Fiber-rich diets have also been linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease and of type 2 diabetes. Also, view this information in light of the following facts (references: Health.gov, NIH PubMed - abstract is sufficient):
Current recommendations suggest that adults consume 20-35 grams of dietary fiber per day. Children over age 2 should consume an amount equal to or greater than their age plus 5 grams per day. Yet the average American eats only 14-15 grams of dietary fiber a day.

For patients with kidney disease, if they have high creatinine, that is often a dangerous sign, because high creatinine may indicate sever kidney damage. And patient with kidney damage needs to have many restrictions in what they eat, because diet can make a significant influence in patient’ s health condition.

In fact, whether banana is good for high creatinine suffers are also decided by patient’ s condition.

Kidney has the function of regulating our body’s internal balance, and when an important function of kidney is regulating our body’s mineral balance. For most patients with kidney disease, when their disease progresses into a certain stage, their kidney function will also be damaged severely, which will cause the metabolic disorder of minerals in their body, and some minerals’ metabolic disorder, like potassium, calcium, potassium, etc, can cause many health problems to patient’s health.

Banana can provide many benefits to healthy people, but for patient with high creatinine, it may not be a good choice, because it contains lots of potassium. While high creatinine often means severe kidney damage, and patients often have hyperkalemia. So if patient increase the intake of potassium, that is very likely to aggravate patient’s health problem.

On the other hand, hyperkalemia is more likely to appear in patient’s with kidney disease, but hypokalemia sometimes can also appear in patient’s body. Patient will need to increase his potassium intake at this point, and potassium will be a good potassium source. Besides, for patients who are accepting peritoneal dialysis, they also need to increase his potassium intake, because potassium in patient’s body often has great loss in this process.

Thereby, whether bananas are suitable for patient with high creatinine is decided by patient’s body condition. In the end, if you want to know what foods are suitable for your condition, we are glad to help you.