potassium

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hi all need some help if possible please  been contacted today by a dietician on the request of my neph  been told my potassium is high and that i have to go onto a low pottassium diet she has sent me a book saying what and what not to eat  and portion sizes  ie 4 egg sized potatoes a day 2 tablespoons of boiled veg  she said she doesent want me to lose weight as ive already lost about 7 pounds since jan  since problems with kidneys  but as i told her this diet is going to give me even less calories  i was on about 2000 cals a day  but now some how have to get up to about 2300 to 2500 per day while maintainging a low pottasium diet  so need some ideas please  bearing in mind i have to also keep salt down to approx 3 gramms a day due to high blood pressure  and try and eat healthy  im not allowed tomatoes apart from 2 or 3 cherry tomatoes a day so need some ideas for low pottassium and low salt sauces for pasta rice etc  obviousley cant go overboard on protein cos of kidneys as well  all help gratefully received  if somebody would like a challenge try and work out a 2500 cal a day eating plan taking into consideration  low pottassium and low salt  cos i cant do it  got to see the dietician on tuesday at 15.30  and then i see my specialist at 16.00 hrs  for the results of the biopsy that i had done on kidneys a week ago  apparentley the report is 4 to 6 pages long  so will find out whats been causing it worried sick now  anyway thanks for listing folks  will give you update after ive seen the neph on tuesday

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5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hya,

    You will get the hang of this! you can have tomatoes in a sauce, but you can't have any other high potassium foods that day, so if you had pizza for example which has a tomato based sauce you couldn't have potaoes that day.  You can still have high potassium things in moderation but don't mix it with anything else high that day.  I was on a low potassium diet for over a year and its the most boring, unhealthy diet to be on but you get used to it and you get through it.  You don't have to soak potatoes over night any more like you used to, just drain the water well and don't use the water to make gravy.  Boil your veg to within an inch of its life and disgaurd the water, you can have lots of the low potassium veg then.  Avoid chocolate but you can have it once in a while just don't go mad. Avoid bananas they are really high and jacket spuds, if you are going to have one don't eat the skin as that is where most of the poassium is, obviously it is in the actual potaoe but not as much and I would go with once a week.  Avoid oven chips, waffles, wedges they are all really high (I know you like the chips but try and avoid) if you have a yogurt you have to reduce your milk intake as yogurt is counted in your dairy intake. You will need to avoid certain nuts.  I will try and find the list that gives high medium and low and PM it to you as they don't like links to things on the actual forum.  You can have pasta and rice agreed it gets boring after a while but needs must at the moment until you find out what is going on with you.  Good luck on Tuesday keep us posted smile

    • Posted

      as always thanks helen went to shops today and to be honest when i came out i had a few tears first time since this problem started  just didnt know what to buy to eat  the dietician has said 4 spoons of veg and 4 egg sized potatoes and no more  theres no calories there and shes told me they dont want me to lose weight she said no tinned tomatoes either and i dont really like pasta and rice dry she said to have cheese or creme sauce but thats loaded with salt and saturated fat  and my gp told me to keep my salt down due to hbp and keep fats down in case cholestral goes up so i cannot win  since jan ive been taking in approx 2000cals a day and lost about 7 pounds and i dont need to lose weight but by doing this i was keeping salt down to 3/4 gramms a day and keeping fats down now shes telling me i need more calories after shes taking healthy foods of me  well i cant do that because it means eating lots of cakes and other unhealthy crap so at a loss  today ive managed 2200cals but have had to eat a steak pie and quite a few biscuits and a cheescake on top of porridge bread rice and fish plus some jam and honey so dont know how she expects me to maintain or put weight on other than eating unhealthy crap  tommorrow got to do it all again  i bet if i asked her to write down a eating plan for a day containing 2500 cals with low pottassium low salt and low fats she couldnt do it but yet she wants me to and shes the dietician  anyway let you know outcome of tuesday visit with neph  bye for now
    • Posted

      Hi Ian,

      Aw I really feel for you, low potassium is an unhealthy diet and goes agaiinst everything you think is right.  You can eat everything in moderation, there is potassium in dairy hense if you are allowed a quater cuo of milk each day! I had tinned tomatos to make sauces such as chilli and the like and my potassium was fine, but you have to do what your dietician says they obviously give very different advice depending on where you live!.  Ask her to write you a meal plan as you suggest and see what she comes up with explain it has to be quick to make due to your job and hours so it has to fit your life too.  Eat cake if you have to lol you can get back to being healthy once you know what is what. When my potassium was high I don't think my lady was bothered about cake she was happy I ate something.  Cheese cake is good, we had a cheese cake week in work everyone bought different ones a few a day for a week so I had quite a bit of cheese cake that week smile I was like you didn't and still don't have the weight to loose I am a skinny mini naturally anyway and I can put a fair amount of food away, my nurses said to me that I am the only person they know who was on steroids and lost weight.  What can I say I like to be different. Regarding getting upset there is nothing wrong with that never feel bad for this we are all human and it doesn't make you any less of a person whatever your gender to admit that you have had a cry, I think you are very brave its not good to keep it in so never do.  What about making up a batch of egg fried rice with some veg and say ham or chicken in it with some soy sauce? quick and easy to do you could use microwave rice and just mix everything together.  Its crap and you will feel like you are eating rubbish that is because you are, I hated it cos I can only eat so much rubbish before I get to the point when I would rather have nothing.  When I had my transplant the diet changed again and I could eat nice good stuff again. The only things I can't have are pro biotic drinks which I never had anyway, raw prawns and ripe brie, well you can get pasturised brie, which is good cos when I saw this on the list of no I was sad but hubby went on the hunt and found stuff I could have.  He is a good egg lol. You can do this get your potassium down and all will be good.  Aw I wish I could make you a load of food and send it to you.  Best of luck for Tues x 

    • Posted

      thanks helen as always you make me feel better   let  you no out come tommorrow
  • Posted

    Have messaged you a good document from an NHS uk hospital website 

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