Long-term Vegetarian Diet Can Also Lower Creatinine?

Patients with renal disease whose serum creatinine (SCr) has exceeded the standard, whether it is acute kidney injury (AKI) or chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), always think about how to reduce creatinine. Serum creatinine detected by blood tests generally refers to endogenous creatinine, which is a product of human muscle metabolism. Serum creatinine rises when a patient's glomerular filtration function decreases. The dietary requirements of kidney disease patients with elevated serum creatinine must first control the intake of protein, which means eating less meat. For this reason, some friends with kidney disease understand it as "only vegetarian." Although vegetarian food such as rice noodles, vegetables, and fruits are rich in minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber, their protein content is generally low, and the content of non-high-quality protein is also very low due to the composition of amino acids. Therefore, long-term vegetarianism can indeed reduce creatinine to a certain extent, but this is only a "performance phenomenon", not a real improvement in renal function. Not only does it fail to improve the renal function of patients with kidney disease, but also brings other consequences, among which malnutrition and low immune function have become the biggest obstacles to the recovery and improvement of patients with kidney disease.

Click here to know how to eat in long-term vegetarian

Therefore, it can be said that a long-term vegetarian diet is not a healthy eating habit for patients with kidney disease. Kidney disease friends need to remember the following six points for healthy eating.

1. Vegetarians should also eat, but not only vegetarians for Kidney Disease Patients

Vegetarian foods such as rice, noodles and other grains, vegetables and fruits are important sources of nutrients for the human body, so of course vegetarians must be eaten. However, since the protein content in grain foods such as rice noodles is only about 8-10%, and it is not high-quality protein, more "wastes" will be generated after metabolism by the human body. For kidney disease patients with elevated serum creatinine, in addition to balanced nutrition, the intake of high-quality protein must also be increased, that is, the intake of pork, beef, mutton, chicken and duck, freshwater fish, eggs and milk should be appropriately increased. , not only vegetarian, this is a healthy diet for patients with kidney disease.

2. Eat high-quality protein, including meat, every day, but not overeat

It has been said before that "vegetarians should also eat, but not only vegetarians", that is to say, in addition to vegetarians, high-quality protein including meat must also be consumed. This is because the protein content of these high-quality protein foods is about 16-25%, which is not only higher than that of grains such as rice noodles, but also produces less "waste" than vegetable protein, and its consumption rate and biological value are generally higher. The effective utilization rate is higher, the burden on the kidney is smaller, and it is more conducive to the recovery of kidney disease. However, it should not be eaten in excess. According to the degree of renal function impairment of different kidney disease patients, the protein requirement that is suitable for oneself should be formulated, and excessive consumption should not be allowed.

3. Daily intake of dietary fiber must be guaranteed

Now that living conditions are better, people often eat too much meat, but not enough dietary fiber. The longer the kidney disease is, the stricter the dietary restrictions will be, and the intake of various nutrients will be reduced, resulting in insufficient dietary fiber intake. Studies have shown that dietary fiber deficiency or insufficiency in the diet can affect the human intestinal flora, causing dysbiosis and chronic inflammation, thereby aggravating the condition of patients with kidney disease. Appropriately increasing the intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, potatoes, beans and their products in the diet can correct the problem of insufficient dietary fiber intake. Daily intake of dietary fiber must be ensured, which is a healthy eating habit.

4. Eat less or no “high-salt” foods

The general population can't eat more "high-salt" foods, and we patients with kidney disease can't eat more. Excessive salt intake is not conducive to the treatment of hypertension and the elimination of edema due to the combination of hypertension and/or edema. Even if there is no high blood pressure and edema, kidney disease patients should eat less or no "high-salt" foods, including salted melon seeds, plums, pickled products, bean paste, fermented bean curd and seafood. When cooking, we should also put less salt, sauce wine, monosodium glutamate and chicken essence and other sodium-containing condiments to ensure that our daily salt intake does not exceed the basic requirement of 3-5 grams.

5. Avoid eating all kinds of food with excessive preservatives or trans fatty acids

In order to keep the food longer, it is necessary to add preservatives to prevent the infection and reproduction of microorganisms. Excessive content of various preservatives such as benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate and calcium propionate will have a certain degree of impact on health, especially the stomach and kidneys. bigger. Therefore, various packaged foods such as canned foods and instant noodles may have problems with excessive preservative content. The greatest harm of trans fatty acids to the human body is to cause cardiovascular disease and increase the risk of death in patients with chronic kidney disease. In processed foods, such as cream cakes, bread, chocolate, salad dressing, egg yolk pie, and potato chips and french fries, there is a common phenomenon of excessive trans fatty acids. Our friends with kidney disease should avoid eating all kinds of foods with excessive preservatives and trans fatty acids. This is a healthy eating habit.

6. Do not drink beverages such as fruit juices and carbonated beverages

It is very important for patients with kidney disease to maintain good drinking habits. Our kidneys belong to the "dirty water", and the most needed and indispensable thing is water. Therefore, it is very necessary to drink more boiled water or water-containing beverages. However, if you use fruit juice and carbonated beverages to replace drinking water, it will not only be detrimental to your health, but will also affect your health. Juices that are not made from fruits are characterized by a particularly high sugar content, mainly glucose and fructose. The main components of carbonated drinks are carbonated water, citric acid and other acidic substances, sugar, spices, caffeine and artificial colors. Studies have shown that increased intake of free sugars, especially fructose and sugars in carbonated beverages, can lead to weight gain, increase the risk of hyperuricemia and diabetes, increase the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and the risk of death in patients with kidney disease. Therefore, it is a good habit for healthy drinking water for kidney friends to choose boiled water and light tea instead of drinks such as fruit juice and carbonated drinks.

If the serum creatinine is high, even if the serum creatinine is in the normal range, the diet of patients with kidney disease is not as simple as "eating a vegetarian diet". Remember the above six points, this is the healthy eating habit of kidney friends.

If you are having trouble with high creatinine, wecistanche will help you with a entire treatment plan:

wallence.suen@wecistanche.com