Whether you have recently started dialysis or have been undergoing this procedure for years, there are probably times when you struggle to maintain your body weight. Chronic liver disease and end-stage kidney disease can lead to significant weight loss because symptoms such as nausea and vomiting complicate food intake. Furthermore, the nutritional needs of those who are sick limit the dishes and drinks to be consumed, hindering the increase in body weight. However, if you make some changes to your diet and some aspects of your lifestyle, you will be able to adopt a healthy diet and, at the same time, gain a few pounds.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Increase Calorie Intake in Dialysis Diet
Step 1. Contact a dietician
Many dialysis centers provide food and nutrition education services to patients. Therefore, ask the specialist in this field how you can gain weight in a healthy and safe way.
- Ask him how many calories you should eat each day in order to gain weight. It is not advisable to gain many kilos in a short time.
- Also, learn about the best way to increase your daily calorie intake. Since you are on dialysis, your food choices will be limited.
- You can also ask your dietician for a diet plan to gain weight to get a better idea of how to proceed.
- Also, discuss alternatives that allow you to supplement your diet with other nutrients, such as those found in protein shakes. The latter are prescribed to help people get the substances they need as their dietary calories increase.
Step 2. Increase the calories
To gain weight, you need to increase your overall calorie intake. Increase it gradually and keep your body weight under control.
- In general, you should gain some weight each week, avoiding getting fat quickly or eating fatty and unhealthy foods.
- Add 250-500 calories per day. This way, you will gain 230-450 grams per week.
- Dialysis increases the daily calorie requirement. You will need to take this into account in your calculations.
Step 3. Eat little but often
If you lack appetite, it may be easier to have small snacks and frugal meals spread throughout the day instead of 2-3 large meals.
- Many times, patients are inappetent after dialysis. The causes are attributable to dialysis treatment, but you should bring this issue to the attention of the dietician and nephrologist.
- If you're not attracted to food, try grabbing a few bites or a small snack. It is better to have few calories than to skip a meal.
- You can choose to eat 5-6 times a day or combine larger, more regular meals with more frugal snacks.
Step 4. Increase the consumption of foods suitable for your health condition
For those on dialysis and kidney disease, the most suitable foods are those that add calories to the diet without bringing excessive amounts of sodium, potassium or phosphorus into the blood.
- Free foods include: simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, honey, jellies, syrups, and jams. Also, consider vegetable fats, such as margarine, plant-based oils, and creams that are not derived from animal sources.
- By sucking on some candy throughout the day, you can relieve nausea and increase appetite. Plus, it can give you some extra calories.
- Add honey or sugar to drinks to sweeten them. Also consume sugar-sweetened sodas.
- Use margarine or plant-based oils on all meals and snacks to increase your calorie intake.
Step 5. Choose calorie-rich foods
This way, you will be able to gain weight more easily. Find a way to increase your overall calorie count in your favorite foods.
- Generally, the safest high-calorie foods for dialysis patients are spreadable cheeses, milk or cream to add to coffee, sour cream and sweet cream.
- Try introducing high-fat foods by using cream in coffee, eating cereal in milk or adding sour cream to scrambled eggs or to garnish dishes or snacks.
- It is advisable to eat candy while on dialysis, but you need to choose something that also meets your nutritional needs. Usually, puffed rice bars, wafers, puddings made with cream, cobbler, or pies filled with the permitted fruit are safe choices.
Step 6. Consume supplements in the form of drinks, powders and bars
You can mix sodas, bars, and protein powders with drinks or foods to increase your protein and calorie intake. By using these supplements, you will be able to gain weight more easily.
- For best results, opt for supplements made specifically for dialysis patients because they contain the right balance of proteins and minerals that meet your particular nutritional needs.
- Be aware that your doctor may prescribe supplement-based drinks and foods, especially if albumin levels are low.
- Typically, according to the 2005 European Best Practices Guidelines, people undergoing dialysis should consume 1.2 to 1.3 g of protein per day to compensate for protein loss through various metabolic mechanisms.
Step 7. Avoid foods with high concentrations of potassium and phosphorus
Even if you're trying to gain weight, you still need to minimize your intake of these two minerals.
- Healthy kidneys are able to filter out the phosphorus and potassium present in the blood, but when they are damaged or weakened, these minerals can build up and become toxic.
- Excessive amounts of phosphorus can lead to heart problems and osteoporosis. Likewise, too high a concentration of potassium risks endangering heart health.
- Although phosphorus is found in almost all foods, some are richer in it and therefore should be avoided.
- Patients with end-stage renal failure are at risk for secondary hypoparathyroidism, a dysfunction characterized by poor secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Usually, this disorder results from high phosphorus levels and a physiological PTH deficiency. Some patients may have a parathyroidectomy to resolve the problem.
Part 2 of 3: Making Lifestyle Changes to Promote Weight Gain
Step 1. Increase aerobic activity
Exercise is important for staying healthy. However, when practiced at high intensity or in low moderation, it risks not being as healthy for dialysis patients trying to gain weight.
- Tiredness and exhaustion are side effects of dialysis treatment. However, most doctors recommend training in small doses. For example, you could go for a 15-minute walk twice a day.
- Make sure you speak to your doctor before starting any type of sport. Go slowly and stop immediately if you feel pain or discomfort.
- Avoid high intensity exercises, but also workouts that are too long, otherwise the goal of gaining weight will become unattainable.
- Physical activity, even if brief, allows dialysis patients to feel better and overall improve their quality of life.
Step 2. Include muscle toning
Another side effect of dialysis is the loss of lean body mass. So, muscle strengthening can help reduce it.
- Practice light toning using resistance bands, practicing yoga, or modifying weight lifting to suit your needs. Get help and advice from a personal trainer or instructor.
- Dialysis patients who begin to strengthen their muscles experience some improvement in toning and strength, but also in the quality of life.
Step 3. Manage stress and other emotions
It is normal to feel stressed, nervous, and even down in the dumps when undergoing dialysis treatment. Loss of appetite can result from a variety of emotions.
- Dialysis treatment is a lifestyle revolution because it involves various changes in diet and habits. By managing them in the best way, you will be able to alleviate the lack of appetite.
- Make use of all the resources you have at the dialysis center (such as the psychologist) to learn how to manage your personal life, taking medications, treatment to follow and your emotional health.
- Try seeing a behavior therapist, life coach, or psychologist if you want to get additional support.
Part 3 of 3: Seeking Medical Assistance
Step 1. Talk to your doctor
You must regularly collaborate with the medical staff working in the dialysis center. It will help you to keep your health under control, but also to manage aspects of nutrition and weight gain.
- Typically, the dialysis team of professionals consists of a nephrologist, a dietician, and a social worker.
- When it comes to weight gain and diet, the dietician is the most important specialist to consult. He knows the problems related to kidney failure and can tell you which foods are best that meet your nutritional needs.
- The nephrologist is a doctor who specializes in the proper functioning of the kidneys. You will need to work closely with this medical professional during dialysis treatment and consult her on every aspect of her illness and recovery, but also on your nutrition.
- The social worker is able to provide you with cookbooks and recipes for dialysis patients. It can also put you in contact with organizations that help you get the food you need if you don't have a lot of financial resources.
Step 2. Ask if you can take a nausea medication
Sometimes, dialysis can trigger this malaise that often causes weight loss and the difficulty of achieving or maintaining a healthy body weight.
- Consult your nephrologist and ask him to prescribe an anti-nausea medication. By taking it according to his instructions, you will be able to feed yourself more regularly and you will feel more encouraged to eat.
- If you feel nauseous, don't hesitate to let the professional team who care for you know. Also try putting something on your stomach. For example, savory crackers can be great for soothing an upset stomach.
- Over-the-counter medications can pose some risk if you don't consult your doctor first.
- Metoclopramide and ondansetron are two anti-emetic active substances that can relieve the feeling of nausea. Talk to the doctor.
Step 3. Ask if you can take multivitamins to support kidney function
To meet your nutritional needs, your nephrologist may recommend that you take particular multivitamins that improve kidney health. They are especially useful if you don't eat properly or have little appetite.
- Vitamins that support proper kidney function are designed for people with chronic kidney disease, end-stage kidney disease and / or dialysis. They are safe and do not harm either the kidneys or other organs.
- Realize that you don't have to rely on multivitamins alone. The body better assimilates most nutrients if they come from food rather than artificially introduced.
- Multivitamins help prevent malnutrition and ensure the recommended daily allowance of most essential nutrients. However, they are not enough to gain body weight.
- Do not take vitamins, minerals, or herbal supplements without first consulting your doctor. They can harm your health if they are not suitable for your needs.
