I will be doing a final Sjogren's Awareness post, a kind of putting it all together, and my thoughts on it all, in a few days. But, for today, I want to share a typical lunch that I have chosen to eat almost daily. I do once in a while eat something else, but for most days this is it, with variations. I drink one Sprite a day, no dark colas, and I am trying to be soda free altogether, but you know it is hard to give up everything. Sprite is low in sodium, and has no phosphorous. If you are diabetic, I am not, any soda is a not so good choice. I alternate any of the items listed below, depending on what I have in the house.
Lunch for anti-inflammation caused by Sjogren's and health for CKD.
Since bread causes inflammation in the body, and is high in sodium, I avoid bread at all cost. I do eat pizza here and there, but I use no sauce, and thin crust. So instead of sandwiches, I eat a salad with any, or all of the following depending on my supplies.
Baby spinach, instead of lettuce. Why? Lettuce has phosphorous in it, and while spinach does have potassium in it, it is a wonderful source of iron. I try to eat small amounts of meat only, so I need to get my iron from somewhere besides a supplement which is horrible on the bowels.
For other veggies, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, no carrots, tomatoes, croutons, bacon bits etc.
I put loads of fruit in my salad like strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, apples, and sometimes grapes. CKD patients can eat lots of berries, and grapes. However, citrus fruits, except lemons,and melons except watermelon should be eaten in limited amounts only, or avoided altogether.
For cheese, I use Sargento Baby Swiss only. It is very low in sodium, and I use only small amounts since dairy increases inflammation, and has phosphorous. Not all Swiss has low sodium like Sargento, though it is still lower than other cheeses. Read the label, to be sure.
I always like to add a meat to my salad. Since lunch meat is really high in sodium, I try to use lower sodium options, and still only a couple of pieces chopped up. One egg can substitute as a meat source. Eggs are high in phosphorous but are also a great source of Vitamin D, which is extremely important for kidney health. Always use caution when eating too many eggs.
For the dressing I use Raspberry Vinaigrette, or Strawberry Vinaigrette with one teaspoon of regular Italian dressing. The vinaigrettes are low in sodium in comparison to other dressings. I was making my own Raspberry Vinaigrette, but it isn't exactly cheap, and only makes a very small amount, so I gave it up.
For a beverage, I drink only one cup of coffee a day, with either no sugar or honey in it, and small amount of french vanilla creamer. I am going to get decaff so I can make my iced coffees, but I will have to limit the creamer. Like I said one Sprite, and I add two lemon slices to it. I reuse the lemon slices in my water, to which I add a small amount of any Ocean Spray juice. I use pretty much only Ocean Spray because it is low in sodium, and it uses no preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and is all natural. It is worth the extra 50 cents or so to buy it. I use it to make my own flavored water. A note about water, CKD patients should not drink tap water, apparently, but filtered water only. We have a filter on our fridge, so that works, but just take note that not all bottled water is filtered, so bring your own, or read the label to find out.
I will discuss dinner later, a much trickier meal for anti inflammation and CKD. Always remember, this is informational only, and not intended to be medical advice. Always research options, and talk to your doctor before you make drastic changes to your diet, especially if you already have other illnesses. Again, I do not have high blood pressure, or diabetes, but many people with CKD, do so my choices might not fit your needs.
Lunch for anti-inflammation caused by Sjogren's and health for CKD.
Since bread causes inflammation in the body, and is high in sodium, I avoid bread at all cost. I do eat pizza here and there, but I use no sauce, and thin crust. So instead of sandwiches, I eat a salad with any, or all of the following depending on my supplies.
Baby spinach, instead of lettuce. Why? Lettuce has phosphorous in it, and while spinach does have potassium in it, it is a wonderful source of iron. I try to eat small amounts of meat only, so I need to get my iron from somewhere besides a supplement which is horrible on the bowels.
For other veggies, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, no carrots, tomatoes, croutons, bacon bits etc.
I put loads of fruit in my salad like strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, apples, and sometimes grapes. CKD patients can eat lots of berries, and grapes. However, citrus fruits, except lemons,and melons except watermelon should be eaten in limited amounts only, or avoided altogether.
For cheese, I use Sargento Baby Swiss only. It is very low in sodium, and I use only small amounts since dairy increases inflammation, and has phosphorous. Not all Swiss has low sodium like Sargento, though it is still lower than other cheeses. Read the label, to be sure.
I always like to add a meat to my salad. Since lunch meat is really high in sodium, I try to use lower sodium options, and still only a couple of pieces chopped up. One egg can substitute as a meat source. Eggs are high in phosphorous but are also a great source of Vitamin D, which is extremely important for kidney health. Always use caution when eating too many eggs.
For the dressing I use Raspberry Vinaigrette, or Strawberry Vinaigrette with one teaspoon of regular Italian dressing. The vinaigrettes are low in sodium in comparison to other dressings. I was making my own Raspberry Vinaigrette, but it isn't exactly cheap, and only makes a very small amount, so I gave it up.
For a beverage, I drink only one cup of coffee a day, with either no sugar or honey in it, and small amount of french vanilla creamer. I am going to get decaff so I can make my iced coffees, but I will have to limit the creamer. Like I said one Sprite, and I add two lemon slices to it. I reuse the lemon slices in my water, to which I add a small amount of any Ocean Spray juice. I use pretty much only Ocean Spray because it is low in sodium, and it uses no preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and is all natural. It is worth the extra 50 cents or so to buy it. I use it to make my own flavored water. A note about water, CKD patients should not drink tap water, apparently, but filtered water only. We have a filter on our fridge, so that works, but just take note that not all bottled water is filtered, so bring your own, or read the label to find out.
I will discuss dinner later, a much trickier meal for anti inflammation and CKD. Always remember, this is informational only, and not intended to be medical advice. Always research options, and talk to your doctor before you make drastic changes to your diet, especially if you already have other illnesses. Again, I do not have high blood pressure, or diabetes, but many people with CKD, do so my choices might not fit your needs.
