Every cell in your body is made up of protein. Your body uses protein for various purposes:
1. To build and repair body tissues
2. To make:
3. To balance fluid in your body
Without protein, your body will not be able to form new tissue after an injury or fight infections.
How much protein to eat?
Once on dialysis, a low protein diet is no longer needed to control the protein waste build up in blood. Every time you undergo dialysis you lose some amount of protein along with the waste. Hence, higher intake of protein is required to replace the lost protein during dialysis.
Your dietitian can prescribe the exact amount of protein required for you, based on your body size and health status. Learn how to eat your prescribed protein.
Things to understand:
1. If you are asked to eat everything by your doctor, it does not mean you are meeting your protein needs.
2. If you are eating less protein than what you require, your labs for serum albumin will be low. Albumin is a protein in your blood which is like a taxi and carries other substances around the body where ever there is requirement.
3. If you are making fewer albumins, you are probably making fewer of other proteins as well. Remember, Hemoglobin is also made of protein.
4. Your dietitian can prescribe protein rich supplements if your labs show that your protein is low.
5. Checking your labs for serum albumin regularly will help to take appropriate action at right time.
Normal Albumin Value should be 4.0 g/dl
Foods rich in Protein:
Foods low in Protein:
Fruits and fruit juices
Akhila Gullapuram MS.RD