| Author |
Message |
ed
Member
Username: Ed2001
Post Number: 66
Registered: 03-2010
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 02:13 am: | 
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Every now and then a kidney guy I talk to will raise the topic of eating meat, or rather, its avoidance, as "meat, especially red meat, is more harmful to the kidneys" as opposed to chicken and fish.
At this point, I'm still unsure if this is true, and if so why this is so.
When you look at nutritional labels, 3 oz often equates to 20-25 g of protein be it beef, pork, fish or chicken, so the quantity wouldnt be the difference.
Wanted to know what you guys think and if there are research showing meat vs chicken vs fish vs vegetable protein on affect on kidneys.
Kidney Transplant
April 2001 |
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CiscoKidney07
Forum Leader
Username: Gregg
Post Number: 3735
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 08:23 am: |
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I cannot be real sure about this, but I do know that red meat (beef and lamb) and pork have more fat than chicken, fish, turkey, bison, venison, etc. The problem is that it is saturated fat. That is all I can think of.
| There are not too many things in life worth working my butt off for, but my health is one of them |
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Leslie
Member
Username: Lmichelle12
Post Number: 6
Registered: 07-2010
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 09:10 am: |
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It has to do with the essential (the kind your body does not make that you must attain through food) and unessentiall (the kind your body makes on its own) amino acids in your body. Red meat contains excessive amounts of unessential amino acids. If your body gets overloaded with that, it can cause your BUN to rise, causing nausea, sometimes vomiting, and therefore problems with the kidney (because BUN and the kidney are directly related).
Four years ago when my doctor told me I needed a transplant, I told him I was much too busy for something that time consuming. Instead, I did research online and found that a low protien diet along with the essential amino acid supplements has slowed the progression of renal failure for people in the past. It was a very hard diet to follow (you'd be surprised how many things have so much protein!), but I was able to avoid a transplant AND dialysis for 3 years after I was told I needed one. It's been a year since my transplant now and I have not needed dialysis since 1998. My physician told me I could eat whatever I wanted, but he also told me I needed a transplant 3 years ago... I find when I do eat excessive red meat now, it is not as detrimental to my blood work as it was before the transplant, thank God! Lol. But my BUN does shoot up, causing extra stress on my kidney, so I do tend to stay away from red meat. My decision is based on research and personal experience, but the research I did to come to this decision was based on professional medical knowledge. I will pull together my findings from before my transplant and post them on here if you are interested.
I don't think eating red meat post transplant is as detrimental as eating red meat pre transplant, simply because you now have a working kidney that can easily filter out any excessive BUN. But, when you have a healthy kidney that's backed up with BUN to filter, it does cause minor stress that can eventually cause major stress if you make red meat a daily habit. I wouldnt ex-nay red meat from your diet completely, but i would watch how much you eat and how often. And ask them for a copy of your blood work so you can monitor your BUN levels. You can actually see your levels rise as you eat more unessential amino-filled foods.
I hope that helps! Good luck to you!
Leslie
Kidney Transplant 4/09 |
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Leslie
Member
Username: Lmichelle12
Post Number: 7
Registered: 07-2010
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 09:12 am: |
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It has to do with the essential (the kind your body does not make that you must attain through food) and unessentiall (the kind your body makes on its own) amino acids in your body. Red meat contains excessive amounts of unessential amino acids. If your body gets overloaded with that, it can cause your BUN to rise, causing nausea, sometimes vomiting, and therefore problems with the kidney (because BUN and the kidney are directly related).
Four years ago when my doctor told me I needed a transplant, I told him I was much too busy for something that time consuming. Instead, I did research online and found that a low protien diet along with the essential amino acid supplements has slowed the progression of renal failure for people in the past. It was a very hard diet to follow (you'd be surprised how many things have so much protein!), but I was able to avoid a transplant AND dialysis for 3 years after I was told I needed one. It's been a year since my transplant now and I have not needed dialysis since 1998. My physician told me I could eat whatever I wanted, but he also told me I needed a transplant 3 years ago... I find when I do eat excessive red meat now, it is not as detrimental to my blood work as it was before the transplant, thank God! Lol. But my BUN does shoot up, causing extra stress on my kidney, so I do tend to stay away from red meat. My decision is based on research and personal experience, but the research I did to come to this decision was based on professional medical knowledge. I will pull together my findings from before my transplant and post them on here if you are interested.
I don't think eating red meat post transplant is as detrimental as eating red meat pre transplant, simply because you now have a working kidney that can easily filter out any excessive BUN. But, when you have a healthy kidney that's backed up with BUN to filter, it does cause minor stress that can eventually cause major stress if you make red meat a daily habit. I wouldnt ex-nay red meat from your diet completely, but i would watch how much you eat and how often. And ask them for a copy of your blood work so you can monitor your BUN levels. You can actually see your levels rise as you eat more unessential amino-filled foods.
I hope that helps! Good luck to you!
Leslie
Kidney Transplant 4/09 |
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CiscoKidney07
Forum Leader
Username: Gregg
Post Number: 3737
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 09:34 am: |
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I think that meat in general should be eaten in three or four ounce quantities. My nutritionist said that a kidney patient should not be consuming any more than 50 grams of protein in a meal or snack, and I am a very active person. I am not saying that anyone should follow my example, but one should probably consult with your tx team to see what they want you to do.
| There are not too many things in life worth working my butt off for, but my health is one of them |
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ed
Member
Username: Ed2001
Post Number: 67
Registered: 03-2010
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 09:26 pm: |
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Thanks Leslie and Cisco. Good info.
Kidney Transplant
April 2001 |
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ChuckZ
Member
Username: Chuckz
Post Number: 942
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 10:51 pm: |
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Leslie,
Did you read Dr. Walser's book on avoiding dialysis? I find that this book is an under utilized resource. I did not go on the low protein diet to the degree that he recommended, but I avoided red meat and relied on fish and vegetable sources of protein and tried to stay below 50 grams per day. I used proteolytic enzyme and probiotic supplements along with activated charcoal to assist in minimizing stress on my failing kidneys. It worked because I never had dialysis, but I was lucky to have a donation from my sister. I felt reasonably well and worked a full schedule the week before my surgery. Many people were surprised that I was that ill.
It is my opinion that the American diet overemphasizes protein. Most adults can do very well on 60 to 80 grams or less per day from all sources. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good steak but anything over 4 to 6 oz. is overdoing it and red meat more than once per day or three times per week is also overdoing it. As you mentioned, essential amino acids are important and these are mostly found in many non-meat sources, eggs, dairy, and beans as well as some grains.
A healthy diet avoids overdoing anything. People with compromised kidney function should not overdo protein since the kidney's primary function is the removal of nitrogenous waste which comes from protein.
Chuck |
Dawn
Member
Username: Alpinesunset
Post Number: 38
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 - 10:22 pm: |
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Great info everyone. I don't eat red meat very often based on just a gut instinct. It's nice to read the facts that back up my feelings about diet.
Kidney Transplant 9/25/08
Recieved kidney from my beautiful sister in law.
Life is Good |
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