An RDN can Help Combat Kidney Disease

RDNs Suggest and Plan Diets to Enhance Kidney Functionality

Kidneys are responsible for the removal of waste products and excess fluid from the body while regulating the body’s protein, sodium and potassium levels. When kidneys don’t function properly, the excess fluids are not removed and get accumulated in the blood. Also, the stable balance of body chemicals gets disturbed. A registered dietitian nutritionist is the right person to help you choose foods that will reduce the workload of your kidneys.

Acute and Chronic Disease

Kidney disease can be acute or chronic. Acute kidney disease may be due to serious infection, injury or trauma to the kidney or multiple organ failure that may lead to permanent damage of kidney functionality. The positive fact in acute disease is that, if the kidney has not been damaged badly, it can return to normal health. But, a chronic kidney disease is irreversible in most cases and ends in kidney failure over time when proper treatment is not provided. Poor diabetes control and increased blood pressure are common causes of this type of disease. An RDN is the apt person to aid you with medical nutrition therapy to help you manage kidney disease and consume the essential nutrients.

RDNs and Medical Nutrition Therapy

In medical nutrition therapy, the RDN does a thorough lifestyle assessment questioning you on the current diet and eating habits and plans a personalized nutrition plan fitting your personal requirement. RDNs are generally trained in this field and are capable of providing quality services for nutrition assessment, education and individual counseling to address specific dietary needs and preferences.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists

RDNs, food and nutrition experts, are skilled people who have the capability to teach patients to eat well and maintain a healthy lifestyle. People with kidney disease require a special diet with the specified daily amount of protein, sodium and potassium. RDNs help people manage this vital part of their health plan. Just as an endocrinologist manages diabetes, an RDN specializing in kidney disease is the best person to address your disease-specific nutrition goals.

How Does the RDN Help?

People with kidney disease need to adjust their diet and lifestyle to live a longer and healthier life. Because heart attack and stroke are more common among people with kidney disease, these changes are good for the heart and kidneys. Dietitians can provide more detailed information about how to eat and provide tips to address daily challenges.

Kidney disease leads to diet and lifestyle adjustments which helps a person live longer. People with kidney disease may also face problems of heart attack and stroke, and these diet restrictions are good for the heart and kidney. A dietitian/nutritionist is the right person to plan a healthy diet and exercise plan according to the individual’s preferences, physical activity level and special needs to accomplish disease management goals. RDNs help people affected by kidney disease to understand basic dietary guidelines for renal insufficiency and plan nutrition options to enhance kidney functioning. Get in touch with an RDN at www.firsteatright.com to plan a customized diet for your kidney disease.

How Do RDNs Take It Forward?

RDNs take different time durations for different patients. During the first visit, the patient’s food and nutrition habits, medical history, lab information and psychosocial history are noted. Such information helps the RDN to help plan a customized diet prescription. Apart from providing nutrition care and help, the dietitian educates the patient on kidney disease and creates short-term goals to address these problems.

After the first visit, the RDN will schedule a follow-up session to monitor progress. A follow-up session considers your previous goals and checks the progress status. Changes that have occurred since the last visit are considered and nutrition adjustments are made accordingly. Thus, an RDN treats people with kidney disease to preserve their nutrition quotient as well as their kidney functionality.