Is it ok to add sugar or fat to a kidney diet?
Lots of people with kidney disease have other health problems–like diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. They may have been on a fat restricted or low sugar diet prior to being diagnosed with kidney disease.
When a person starts on hemodialysis, their body needs more calories than before starting dialysis. Appetite may be decreased or nonexistent for some end stage kidney disease patients.
In some cases, the dietitian instructs them to add extra sweets or fats to help boost calories. Why? Because foods that contain sugars and fats have more calories than low sugar, low fat foods. By easing up, it’s easier to eat enough calories. This helps stop unwanted weight loss and muscle breakdown related to not getting enough calories.
For people with diabetes, they still need to monitor blood sugars and keep carbohydrates in balance, even if higher sugar foods are added.
Peritoneal dialysis patients receive extra calories from glucose in the dialysis solution, so they may not need to increase calorie intake from extra fat or sugar.
Additional Kidney Diet Resources
Visit DaVita.com and explore these diet and nutrition resources:
DaVita Kidney-Friendly Recipes
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Consult your physician and dietitian regarding your specific diagnosis, treatment, diet and health questions.
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