Protein

• A healthy diet must include some protein. For patients suffering from kidney disease, this amount may be limited. Proteins are essential to growing and repairing tissue, but protein leaves waste that must be cleaned by the kidneys.
  
  Stage one, two and three kidney disease may reduce protein levels to only 15 percent of total caloric intake. A typical healthy diet for someone without kidney disease contains 30 percent calories from protein. Later stages of the disease decrease the protein levels even further to only 10 percent calories from protein.
  
  Discuss your stage of kidney disease with your doctor to determine the amount of protein you should consume. Patients receiving dialysis may need to increase protein consumption. Dialysis removes protein wastes from the blood, removing the burden from the kidneys, but it also removes amino acids. Increasing your protein intake during this stage of kidney disease and treatment will replace lost nutrients.
  
  

Potassium

• In later stages of kidney disease, potassium levels can become elevated. High potassium levels can cause cardiac arrest and must be a dietary concern for these patients. Discuss your potassium levels with your doctor to determine if you should restrict your intake. Potassium is found in many healthy foods such as green, leafy vegetables and should only be restricted if blood levels are high.
  
  

Sodium

• The average diet contains much more sodium than most people need. On a kidney disease diet, do not add extra salt to your food and keep sodium intake at levels of 2,000 mg or less per day. Be wary of no-sodium salt substitutes on a kidney disease diet. These products have high levels of potassium, which you may have to restrict.
  
  

Individual Diet

• There is no special diet for kidney disease. Every patient has different nutritional needs. Kidney disease can strike patients who are underweight, at their correct weight or overweight. The caloric intake and diet you follow must be tailored just for you. Discuss your nutritional needs with your doctor based on the stage of kidney disease you are facing.