Albumin is an extremely important protein found in the blood; it helps repair and maintain body tissues, synthesize enzymes and hormones, transports nutrients and helps blood clot. However, this is something that most healthy people don't worry about; it is mostly dialysis patients, those who suffer from liver disease or who are in old age who pay more attention to this protein. If you are on therapy for kidney failure you need to limit the amount of potassium and phosphorus, while you should eat more protein to increase albumin levels; In addition to ensuring that you are consuming protein with every meal, you must consult a dietician to make sure that all nutritional needs are met.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Eat Enough Protein
Step 1. Include protein with every meal
Taking high quality ones is important for a healthy and balanced diet in general, but it is vital to keep albumin levels high. As a general rule, make sure you have at least one serving of good protein at every meal; great choices are lean beef, pork, and lamb, as well as fish, chicken, turkey, and eggs.
- In a single 85g serving, lean beef contains 21g of protein, chicken contains 14-28, cooked salmon, trout or mackerel contain 15-21g, as does a pork cutlet.
- If you don't want to eat meat, it is particularly difficult to get an adequate amount of protein; you should consult a dietician for advice on the best sources that work best for you.
- Make sure you are eating the appropriate proteins for dialysis if you need to undergo such therapy; the best in this regard are lean beef, lean turkey, chicken, pork cutlet, eggs, fish, meat substitutes, tofu and protein powders.
Step 2. Eat balanced meals
While you need to focus on eating more protein, you still need to eat fruits, vegetables, and starches like bread, pasta, and rice. For example, add grated hard-boiled eggs or tuna to the sauce of your rice or pasta dish, or incorporate shredded chicken or beef stew into your soups and stews.
Step 3. Have breakfast every day
It is a particularly important meal, in part because it stimulates metabolic activity throughout the day; you should also feel hungrier when you get up in the morning. A great choice for you is an egg white and cheese omelette.
Although an egg contains around 6g of protein, egg white is also the healthiest protein source; in fact, it is made up of 100% albumin. Two egg whites contain 7.2g of protein
Step 4. Eat more protein if you happen to miss a meal by mistake
It is very important to avoid skipping meals; commit to frequent small snacks to keep energy levels high. However, if for some reason you can't make one meal, be sure to eat a large serving of protein at the next one.
- Making smaller portions is also helpful if you have a hard time eating regular ones.
- A perfect snack between meals or before going to bed is ricotta; you can eat it with fruit, for example apple puree. Cottage cheese is the healthiest dairy product compared to all the others, as it has a low potassium and phosphorus content, which can pose a risk to those on dialysis and who have a low albumin concentration.
Step 5. Drink high-protein smoothies
They are a quick, simple and delicious solution for getting extra protein. The ideal is to prepare them with a liquid substance that does not have a high concentration of phosphorus; therefore avoid cow's milk and preferably choose that of almonds or rice. You can add protein to your smoothies by incorporating Greek yogurt, pasteurized egg derivatives or protein powders; put everything in the blender with your favorite fruit.
- Ask a dietician which type of protein supplement is best suited for your needs; both powdered and liquid proteins are commercially available.
- Know that 250ml of Greek yogurt contains more than 20g of protein; smoothies made with this ingredient are especially good with the addition of muesli.
Method 2 of 3: Contact a Dietitian
Step 1. List the foods you like to the dietician
One of the best ways to advise you on the right changes to make to your diet is to describe your normal diet; in this way, it has more information to provide you with the most suitable recommendations for making changes, including specific dishes to integrate to enrich the nutritional value.
Your doctor can advise you to eat specific foods, as well as show you healthier cooking and preparation techniques for the products you like best
Step 2. Ask him for advice on meat substitutes
An important topic to discuss with the dietician is about your food preferences; for example, if you don't eat meat, other protein sources become particularly important.
Your doctor can help you identify non-animal sources that are particularly high in protein. When choosing meat substitutes, such as soy-based foods, you need to make sure they are great options for you, that don't contain too much potassium, sodium, or phosphorus
Step 3. Consider energy drinks and protein bars
While some specific nutritional drinks may be helpful if you are undergoing dialysis, you can only consider them as a significant component of your diet if your dietician is giving you this advice. Meanwhile, energy bars can be a good substitute for meat, but they shouldn't be the main element of your diet.
If you are on therapy for kidney failure and opt for protein bars, choose those that contain more than 15g of protein, but less than 150g of phosphorus and that do not exceed 200mg of sodium and potassium
Step 4. Ask your dietician about other nutritional supplements
Depending on your general health and diet, you may need to take food supplements. The actual need, as well as the type of supplement to be taken, vary widely depending on the diet and state of health; for this reason, follow the specific directions of the doctor.
You can simply ask them if there are any specific nutritional supplements you should be taking to improve current nutritional levels
Step 5. Be honest with him
Many of the questions it asks you are used to try to identify potential obstacles that can prevent you from following an adequate diet. Specifically, he can recommend several courses of action based on the reasons why you are unable to assimilate adequate amounts of protein.
Step 6. Develop a diet plan together
A little planning is required to maintain a healthy diet, especially if you are on dialysis or suffer from other complications; even a very simple diet plan can guarantee you the correct intake of essential nutrients.
- In addition to specific advice on what and how to eat, you can also ask the dietician for recommendations to respect healthier eating habits in the long run.
- At a minimum, you should develop and maintain a meal plan that ensures you are getting protein at every meal.
Step 7. Increase the amount of calories in your diet with fat and sugar
Under the guidance of your dietician, it is important to increase your calorie intake as well to help your body use the increased amount of protein you are eating. Your doctor may advise you to use more butter while cooking or to add more toppings to salads.
Many dairy products - including milk - contain too high amounts of potassium and phosphorus, so they are not suitable for those on dialysis and have a low albumin level; therefore, they are not recommended sources of fat
Method 3 of 3: Helping the Body Store Albumin
Step 1. Go to the dentist regularly
Inflammation and infections can cause albumin loss, especially if you are being treated for kidney failure; in particular, gum infections are quite problematic. See your dentist every six months for a cleaning and check-up to make sure the low albumin level is not due to oral disorders.
Keep in mind that if you have developed any oral infections, such as peritonitis, dietary changes may not be enough to raise albumin levels when you are on dialysis
Step 2. Recognize the symptoms of a low level of this protein
It is important to identify its signs and symptoms, especially if you have health problems, such as kidney disease, which increase the risk of limiting blood concentrations. Therefore pay particular attention to symptoms such as persistent swelling, fatigue, a feeling of weakness, prolonged infections, wounds that are slow to heal and white spots on the nails; if you show them, contact the medical staff who follow you.
Step 3. Do not skip the renal replacement treatment sessions
If you are being treated, it is essential to respect all appointments. also because if you do not respect all the set meetings, you may not be able to maintain adequate levels of albumin in the blood.
Step 4. Eat when you are hungry
If you don't typically eat a lot, it's even more important to be able to eat at least one large meal a day, as well as regular small snacks. If there is a particular time of day when your appetite is greatest, for example in the morning, make sure you have a full meal at that time every day.
Step 5. Stick to the established schedule
Changes in albumin levels don't happen overnight; in fact, it takes at least 3 weeks before they start to rise again, as proteins build up slowly in the body. Follow the plan defined with the dietician and you will see that your efforts will pay off.
