Haitian Food in the Renal Diet
Watch List
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Phosphorus
Haitian Food in the Renal Diet
Haitian Food in the Renal Diet
When someone is actively undergoing dialysis, their doctor may tell them what vitamins or minerals they need more or less of. For something undergoing dialysis regularly, having stable labs is one of the things that can help promote a longer life with fewer medical complications. If you are reading this article, you probably have a family member who is undergoing dialysis and needs your help with their diet. Before I start, I would like to mention that dialysis centers typically have a dietitian who is closely following the patients. Their advice likely supersedes whatever I can tell you without knowing anything about you or what your needs are. Renal dietitians are also specialized to provide nutrition in relation to the stage of kidney disease.
To begin with, the kidneys are an important organ that are primarily responsible for removing waste (the bad things) and extra fluid from blood. When the kidneys are not working properly, the waste and the extra fluid can begin to pile up in the blood. In order to replace the kidney function, one must start dialysis. It is important to note that when someone reaches end-stage kidney disease and their doctor recommends dialysis, they should not try replacing dialysis with home remedies. Home remedies will not replace dialysis. Home remedies can be dangerous and can have fatal consequences.
Dialysis helps the body do the work that the kidneys can no longer do. There are two types of dialysis. The most common type is hemodialysis and the one I’ll be discussing in this article. Hemodialysis is what most people are receiving. People typically go to a dialysis center several times a week for 3-4 hours at a time to receive hemodialysis. Why is nutrition important for dialysis? It’s important for fluid management as well as management of vitamins/minerals.
Here are the 3 minerals to consider when it comes to diet after starting on dialysis. This article will emphasize the foods that Haitian people eat while living in America. Therefore, you may see foods mentioned that are not necessarily considered Haitian foods. What I am telling you below does not consider medications that a doctor may provide to help your body get closer to good numbers.
- Sodium
Sodium is an important mineral that helps with fluid balance, blood pressure, and nerve function. Although this is an important mineral, it is extremely easy to eat a high amount of sodium. When that happens, the amount of sodium in the blood can eventually become too high. In rare cases, it can be too low. Because of that, it’s important to know what foods are known to have a high amount of sodium and adjust the diet accordingly. Deli meats, canned foods, Maggi, frozen dinners, smoked meats (like smoked herring), cheese, butter, salt, and salted fish (like cod) many restaurant foods tend to have higher levels of sodium.
- Potassium
Many times, the amount of potassium in the blood can become a concern as well. Potassium is important for the function of the heart. That being said, both too much and too little potassium can be detrimental. It helps to know which foods have potassium so that adjustments can be made to the diet. Foods known to have a lot of potassium include beans, potatoes, bananas, tomatoes (including tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomato juices like V8), oranges, fruit juices, pumpkin/squash, coconut milk, coconut water, and avocados.
TIP: V8 now has a low-sodium version. - Phosphorus
Phosphorus is another nutrient of concern. Phosphorus is an important component of bones and teeth. Keeping the amount of phosphorus in your diet just right helps your body maintain a normal acid-base balance. This means that phosphorus has an impact on the acidity of blood. Having too much phosphorus in your blood can make your bones become fragile. The foods with the highest source of phosphorus are dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. Other foods such as nuts, millet (pitimi), cornmeal (mayi moulen), beans, and sodas can also provide excessive phosphorus. Some meats also have a lot of phosphorus like turkey, pork, and shrimp. But be careful with limiting meats because you also don’t want to limit too much and not get enough protein in your diet.
Your doctor may be providing you with weekly labs to tell you what you need to eat more or less of. It is my goal to have provided you with some additional information regarding foods frequently eaten in the Haitian diet and how it can affect someone on a renal dialysis diet. Talk to the dietitian at your facility. Tell them about everything that you’re eating at home and what products you may be using to make these dishes. This article may be expanded in the future.
