Help for Low Protein Diet Info Please

dogonyx

dogonyx

Cathlete
Does anyone know where I can find some good resources (lists of foods, cookbooks, websites, recipes, etc) for low protein diets? My dad is having problems with his kidneys and the doctor told him to severely limit his protein intake. This will be a struggle for him since he is a "steak minus the potatoes" type of guy and he is not fond of pastas. I also worry about his taking in protein unknowingly. For example, he did not realize tuna would be high in protein. Boy do I wish an opposite-of-Atkins diet would become the "in" thing now!

I would really really appreciate any input you could give. I would also appreciate your prayers.

Thanks!

Shelley
 
Shelley,

Unfortunately I don't have any good resources for low-protein diets -- but my prayers are available, and he's in them!

Good luck -
 
I suggest doing a search on "kidney diet" or "low protein kidney diet" on the web.

In general, most of the protein in our diets comes from meat, dairy products, soy and other beans.

He can aim for less protein (especially less animal protein, which is harder on the body than plant-based protein because it contains more sulpher-related amino acids) by going towards plant-based diet, and avoiding too much soy, beans and other high-protein plant foods (seitan, for example).

Rather than pastas and potatoes and other "white" carbs, stear him to healthier, veggie-based carbs (broccoli, green beans, red peppers, foods with lots of color).

If he's anything like my father was, this won't be easy! My dad was a real "meat and potatoes" eater (and died of colon cancer, which is tied to high consumption of animal foods). Though he did like veggies from our garden.

I'm not sure how "low" the doctor wants him to go. Did he give a %? Usually, less than 10% protein wouldn't be enough for health and maintenance, even for an inactive individual. Try to get a more specific guideline from the doctor about % of protein. Then you can get a book like "Composition and facts about food" (or something like that), that will tell you the breakdown of various foods in carbs/fat/protein. I've seen some books like this in the health/diet section of local bookstores.

Actually, if you get an Atkiins book from the library, see what they recommend, and see if you can do the opposite. (ie: they will say that tuna or X or Y or Z is a good source of protein, you'll know to stay away from it, or limit it).
 
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I'll have to talk to my parents in more detail about what the doctor said. I (showing my ignorance here) thought it would be a bit more straight forward than what I've since read on the internet seems to suggest. I thought most vegetables had NO protein. Boy was I wrong! I appreciate your info about the difference between animal and plant protein. I never realized that!

One positive thing is that this is close to a good time of the year to start a low protein diet. He loves his garden and the local farmer's market!

Thanks to you all again and Kathryn, I'm really sorry about your dad.

Shelley
 
Hi Shelley,
I found this page from the National Kidney Foundation. It gives ideas for food choices, recipes, and lists of resources for low-protein foods. If you scroll down there are also links to pages on altering your own recipes to accomodate low-protein dietary requirements as well as general nutrition for kidney disease. I think this info comes from a very reliable source and you may have already seen it, but I thought I would share it with you just in case.

http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=89


Take care,
Cecelia
 
Hi,

I just wanted to clarify that there are 20 amino acids (no more no less), none of which contain any sulfur. 12 of these amino acids are "essential" because your body can not make them, and you must injest them to get them. You can get most of these in plant based foods but in smaller quantities than found in animal derived foods.
 
OOOPs:

I forgot cysteine and methionine which contain sulfur. Sorry. I always blank on those. Dont use those in the lab too often, like the others.
 
>Hi,
>
>I just wanted to clarify that there are 20 amino acids (no
>more no less), none of which contain any sulfur. 12 of these
>amino acids are "essential" because your body can not make
>them, and you must injest them to get them. You can get most
>of these in plant based foods but in smaller quantities than
>found in animal derived foods.


Actually, only 8 amino acids are essential (a 9th one is as well, but can be synthesized by the body if intake of the other amino acids is suffcient, so it is often not noted as an essential amino acid). All of the essential amino acids are found in plant foods, but in varying combinations, so not all plant proteins are considered "complet" (ie: contain all 8 essential amino acids). Complete proteins are found in soy, quinoa and hemp. Other plant foods are low or lacking in one or more of the essential amino acids, and must be combined with other foods that contain them (though not necessarily in the same meal, but within a day or so: your body stores the other amino acids for some time). The combos that make complete proteins are actually pretty common : beans and rice, for example.
 
Shelley, best wishes to your dad.

Check out Dean Ornish, Andrew Weill, & Fuhrman's (Eat to Live) books. They're pretty low in protein while emphasizing nutrient dense foods.

Debra
 
Shelley, patient education is a top priority in most healthcare facilities. They should have sent him home with a bunch of information as well as a referral for a nutritional consult. Did you get a chance to see any of this? Now it's up to him to be responsible about learning what he needs to know to maintain whatever health he has. Good luck to your dad.

Marla
 
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