I have type 1 diabetes and stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Because of this I need to manage my potassium and phosphate intake.
Most people with type 1 diabetes work out their insulin dose by calculating how much carbohydrate is in the food we eat. This can be really complicated and quite difficult sometimes as it is not always obvious. Pre-prepared foods and ready meals have this information on the packaging but these foods often aren’t suitable for kidney patients because of the amount of hidden salt, phosphate and potassium in them.
Cooking from scratch means that you know exactly what’s in your food and you are able to make changes to make it more kidney-friendly. The recipes in Kidney Kitchen are great for this but for people with type 1 diabetes who ‘carb count’, it can be really complicated. We have to work out the carbohydrate content of each ingredient, add them all up and then divide by the numbers of portions we consume throughout the day. That’s just too much Googling and maths at meal times.
I had tried a few recipes from the Kidney Kitchen website, but the maths involved stopped me using them regularly. So I approached Kidney Care UK and asked whether they would be able to add carbohydrate nutritional information to their recipes, and they said yes! Now all the recipes in the Kidney Kitchen have carbohydrate nutritional information, which makes it so much easier for me to prepare my meals.
We all know how difficult the renal diet can be to maintain. I’ve often found myself eating the same thing over and over again just because I know it’s safe. I’ve always been a bit cautious about trying new recipes.
Having so many great recipes available on the Kidney Kitchen website that clearly state carbohydrate content, as well as the potassium and phosphate guidance I need to manage my CKD, is brilliant.
Managing a renal diet can feel like guess work sometimes but now we finally have a solid, reliable and trustworthy food website to enable us to expand our diet safely.
Thank you Kidney Kitchen!
Advice from the Kidney Kitchen dietitians
Managing both type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease can be very challenging, especially if you have been advised to reduce foods high in potassium and phosphate. Using the Kitchen Kidney recipes can help lighten the burden of managing these complexities.
If you're unsure which recipes are best suited to you, ask to speak with your kidney dietitian.