Surviving the Holidays with CKD!

If you follow this blog, or even read it occasionally, then you will know that Christmas last year started a very rough time for all of us. I thought I was getting the Flu, but come to find out one of my kidneys had been slowly become atrophied, and began to fail. Since I didn't know it was my kidney, I was taking flu meds, and cough meds, all bad for the kidneys. Anyway to make a long story short, after we finally discovered the problem, some very drastic lifestyle changes had to occur. I am optimistically healthy now, but managing the disease can be tricky, especially during the holidays. Halloween through New Years, are very tricky months. I ate way too much candy at Halloween, chocolate and nuts are not good for kidneys. I had to get back on track, and it took a lot of will power to not eat that candy lying around the house. Thanksgiving wasn't too bad, I did quite OK. But, Christmas is proving to be a challenge. So many parties, and get togethers, and tempting delicious things to eat, most of which are not kidney healthy. So here are some tips from what I have been trying to do for Christmas holiday.

1- If you are going to a party, potluck or other Christmas event, be sure to bring a dish that is kidney safe, so at least you can eat something that will be for you. I use Davita for great recipes, some aren't great, lol, and an app by the National Kidney Foundation, that I love. I put in all my info and it tells me how much I should eat per day, and meal, for all the triggers like Sodium, Potassium, Protein, and Phosphorous. For example, I started a new job, and the lovely lady I work for loves to eat. She is older so she buys a lot of already made meals, that are typically very high in sodium, and phosphorous. She made a Mexican pizza the other day, and I was careful to eat only 2 pieces. But, I brought a nice large fruit salad, for us all to share. I used kidney friendly fruits like strawberries, grapes, one small orange, cherries, and a banana could be added for anyone that wanted it. A few sliced almonds, and whipped topping to be added if desired. This gave me the ability to eat a good healthy option, but not hurt her feelings too. We will be doing this again next time I work, but I am supposed to bring potato salad. I will leach my potatoes before making the salad. I do this by soaking the potatoes for two hours, rinsing, then soaking again for another 2 hours, then rinse again, add new water and then boil the potatoes. This decreases the potassium by up to 50%, and red potatoes have less potassium than other potatoes. If you peel them it decreases the potassium even more.

2- Try to eat half size portions of items that you know are not kidney healthy, especially items full of sodium.

3- Try to find items that are made from scratch, or fresh ingredients, rather than processed .

4- I am not diabetic, so sweets are not really too much of an issue for me, it is the salt I love. Salty, crunchy snacks, are my favorite things to snack on. So chips and dip, or veggies and dip, are things I would need to avoid, or eat in small amounts. If there is any Hummus, that is a better option than say ranch dip. I do not care for Hummus, so I would have to eat just a very small amount of other dip, or avoid it altogether, which probably won't happen, lol. If there is popcorn, or pretzels, those are better options, but still watch out for too much salt.

5- Avoid large amounts of alcohol. I do have a bit here and there, but one glass would be my limit. Why avoid alcohol? Because, it has no real nutritional value, and it can raise your blood pressure which is a big no no for CKD.

6- Avoid dark sodas, they contain large amounts of Phosphorous.

7- Avoid processed meats, used in a lot of appetizers, at parties and events.


You can still go to parties, and enjoy yourself, just be careful, and moderate. If you are stage 4 or 5, you need to be even more careful when at parties or events. For me, if I do eat too much of something I shouldn't, I try to increase my water intake. Not everyone can safely do this. If you are on fluid restrictions, you should not be doing this without the guidance of your doctors. None of these tips are medical advice, and should not be taken as such. They are tips, and ideas for things I do to help keep my CKD under control.