DaVita Kidney Care, a provider of care services for patients of chronic kidney disease (CKD), has launched DaVita Eats, a series of recipe videos to make kidney-friendly cooking easier and more accessible.
What people eat impacts their health. When someone suffer from CKD, it’s even more important they pay attention to their meals, but creating a kidney-friendly meal plan is not always easy. Dialysis patients should talk to a renal dietitian to find a meal plan that suits them.
Kidneys are responsible for producing urine; filtering the blood; balancing fluid content in the body; producing the enzyme renin that controls blood pressure; producing erythropoietin (a hormone that helps make red blood cells); and activating vitamin D to maintain healthy bones and adjust levels of minerals and other chemicals.
Everyone’s kidney-friendly diet will probably be different because people’s likes and dislikes are different, but kidney diets should limit main nutrients like protein, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium. As kidney function worsens, protein waste and minerals become harder to remove, and ailing kidneys have to work harder to eliminate them.
Most people with kidney disease are unaware of their condition because symptoms generally don’t show until later stages. Individuals with diabetes or hypertension are typically at a higher risk for kidney disease, as well as any adult 65 or older and people of African-American, Hispanic, or Native American descent.
DaVita Kidney Care, an arm of DaVita HealthCare Partners, provides dialysis services in the U.S., where 31 million people have some type of kidney disease. The company treats people who suffer from chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. With DaVita Eats, the company aims to promote engagement around food in patients and families.
The first four videos include the following recipes:
- Red, White and Blue Pie (featured here);
- Mandarin Chicken Salad;
- Italian-Style Shredded Beef;
- Quick and Easy Apple Oatmeal Custard.
“We created these short videos to show people how easy and fun it can be to prepare kidney-friendly meals,” said Sara Colman, RDN, CDE, in a press release. Colman is the manager for DaVita.com nutrition and a blogger for Kidney Diet Tips. “We hope these recipes inspire those with kidney disease to get cooking!”