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Running Head: Nutritional support for Kidney Disorder 1

Nutritional support for Kidney Disorder 7

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT FOR KIDNEY DISORDER

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Kidney disorder

A kidney disorder is when an individual's kidneys are damaged and cannot perform their blood filtration function as intended. People with diabetes and high blood pressure are at higher risk of contracting kidney disorders. It is recommendable for kidney disorder patients to make some changes in their diet. They are recommended to have low-protein diets, DASH diets, low potassium diets, plant-based diets, limited fluids, and in case they are overweight, they are advised to consume food with few calories (Cupisti et al., 2020). This diet aims to keep their level of minerals, fluids, and electrolytes at a balanced state for the patients, especially with chronic kidney disorder

, reducing potassium because it is the kidneys' work to ensure that the body has the right amount. Therefore, when the patient's kidneys cannot function properly, it might lead to a very high potassium level in the body, which causes irregular heartbeats, leading to a heart attack. A high level of potassium also leads to the patients feeling numbness, tingling and weak. It is therefore recommended for the patient to take foods with little potassium. Since most vegetables have high potassium content, it is advisable to leach them before consumption (Cupisti et al., 2020). Leaching is the process of pulling out potassium from the vegetables. Vegetables with low potassium include broccoli, cauliflower, peas, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, white mushrooms, zucchini, and yellow squash. Fruits include blue and strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, grapes, cherries, and apples; Other foods with low potassium include noodles, coffee, rice, white bread, and pasta.

Protein is vital for the body's growth, upkeep, and repair. After the body breaks down proteins, urea is produced, and it is the kidney's role to remove it from the body. It would be difficult for a patient with the disorder to remove it, and it may build up in the body. It may cause fatigue and loss of appetite. It is, therefore, recommendable for such patients to consume less protein to avoid overworking the kidney. Foods such as rice, milk substitutes, salads, water chestnuts, and parsley can be helpful.

Plant-based diets are very crucial to patients with kidney disease. Plant-based foods such as grains and vegetables are essential in preventing the consumption of animal proteins. There are three popular plant based-diets. DASH diet is recommended by the National Kidney Foundation to help people with a kidney disorder. The diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. It recommends Foods with low fat, red meat, sodium, and salt (Kidney.org, 2020). The Mediterranean diet is a special diet for individuals in Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Italy, and it entails mainly vegetables, nuts, cereals alongside small amounts of cheese, yoghurt, and fish. Mind diet combines the DASH and Mediterranean diet.

Nutrition intervention for a patient with kidney disorder revolves around numerous aspects. Patient education is crucial in promoting self-management of the disorder risks. Knowledge about self-care helps the patient implement the diets in their daily lives and improve the patient's outcome. nutritionist should train the Family members and caregivers to manage the patient's diet and nutrition. They should make sure that the patient adheres to the mentioned diets and restrictions on fluid intake.

National or local resources to provide nutritional guidance

Family members should learn about their roles to care for their loved ones effectively. The relevant professional should provide nutritional information on what the patient should eat and what they should not consume must be clear to avoid confusion. Technology has also made it easy by offering support to the family and the caretakers. National Kidney Foundation website offers nutritional advice concerning care for a patient with a kidney disorder. The family members should also use the National Kidney Foundation website to gather nutritional information (Kidney.org, 2018).

Expected patient outcomes as a result of following the nutritional plan of care

There are several outcomes expected to occur once a patient adheres to the nutritional plan care. The first outcome is the reduction of symptoms of kidney disorder. The other outcome kidney protection and bone strengthening. The diet also results to regulate blood pressure and sugar level. Moreover, the plant-based- diet also results in reduced urine parameters of kidney injury, a decrease in the production of uremic toxins through gut flora, weight loss. Adhering to the prescribed diet and nutrition plays an essential role in preventing disease progression (Sabatino et al., 2019). The diet plan also helps in managing the symptoms of the disorder. Mediterranean diet is associated with kidney function improvement and a high survival rate. This diet plan prescribes for alkali-inducing vegetables and fruits, which will improve metabolic acidosis and kidney injury. All plant-based diets entail foods with favorable fatty acids, which contribute to kidney protection.

Nutrition therapy on evaluating phosphorous and potassium also has significant effects on the patient. Considering that decreased protein intake can cause hypoalbuminemia and lean body mass, the dietary plan that includes protein supplements helps improve the patient's quality of life (Kidneyfund.org, 2020). A kidney with difficulty in functioning cannot be able to remove the phosphorous from the body completely. Excess phosphorous leads to bone weakness. Diet plans with less phosphorous help to generally improve the overall health of patients. A patient can only have the above outcomes if they strictly follow the diets prescribed to them by an approved nutritionist. Therefore, it is crucial for all patients with kidney disorders to strictly follow the diets to improve their health and increase their survival rate.

References

Cupisti, A., Avesani, C. M., D’Alessandro, C., & Garibotto, G. (2020). Nutritional management of kidney diseases: An unmet need in patient care. Journal of Nephrology, 33(5), 895-897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-020-00829-7

Cupisti, A., Gallieni, M., Avesani, C. M., D’Alessandro, C., Carrero, J. J., & Piccoli, G. B. (2020). Medical nutritional therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis: The low protein diet as a medication. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(11), 3644. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9113644

Kidney.org. (2018). What is a plant-based diet, and is it good for your kidneys? National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/what-plant-based-diet-and-it-good-kidney-disease

Kidney.org. (2020). The DASH diet. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/Dash_Diet

Kidneyfund.org. (2020). Kidney-friendly diet for CKD. American Kidney Fund. https://www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/kidney-friendly-diet-for-ckd.html

Sabatino, A., Antoniotti, R., & Fiaccadori, E. (2019). Management of nutrition in acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy. Critical Care Nephrology, 459-464.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-44942-7.00078-9

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