If you have ever had this pervasive medical condition, your physician strongly recommends that you steer clear of walnuts.
This illness affects around one in seven persons, many of whom are unaware that they have it.
Walnuts are an excellent choice for a number of reasons, including “getting your digestive system moving” in the morning, reducing inflammation, enhancing brain health, and reducing the likelihood of contracting an illness. Consequently, while deciding what to consume for breakfast, you may want to think about including walnuts into your oatmeal or having a coffee shop treat made with walnuts. As what may be considered the “gold standard” of healthful nuts, we venture to advise that you should go wild with walnuts.
Walnuts are a food that are considered to be packed with advantages by medical professionals. Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is a food that is high in omega-3 fatty acids, and they also have anti-inflammatory properties. According to Dr. Chidozie Odigwe, DO, a nephrologist who specializes in kidney health, “it supports the health of several systems in your body, including the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems.”
This is because it reduces inflammation, which in turn helps preserve the health of these systems. You will have a lower chance of developing heart disease…Walnuts are beneficial to the health of both the stomach and the brain, and their anti-inflammatory properties seem to reduce the likelihood of a person developing cancer.
Furthermore, according to Dr. Jennie Stanford, MD, a physician who specializes in obesity medicine, omega-3 fatty acids have the ability to enhance cholesterol levels, and antioxidants have the ability to minimize oxidative stress. Additionally, according to her, walnuts are a source of fiber, which is beneficial to the microbiota of the stomach, and they also contribute to cognitive performance.
If, on the other hand, you are not talking about nut allergies, walnuts may be harmful to a certain demographic. In reality, around one in seven individuals fall into this category, and as many as nine out of ten children are unaware that they have this condition.
Instead, we are discussing individuals who are suffering from renal illness. The symptoms of kidney illness include the need to urinate more often, dry skin, urine that is bloody or frothy, muscular spasms, and feet that are swollen. Please make an appointment with a healthcare practitioner as soon as possible if you see any of these symptoms. Dr. Odigwe claims that the only method to determine whether or not you have kidney disease is via the use of blood work and urine testing, which they are able to do.
For those who suffer from kidney disease, walnuts are not a good choice for a snack meal.
Dr. Odigwe would want to make it clear that not all patients with renal illness are required to avoid or restrict their consumption of walnuts. He argues that individuals with severe stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and patients undergoing dialysis would be the only ones who will need to concentrate on reducing their intake of walnuts, if not totally avoiding them altogether.
It is interesting to note that walnuts have a high concentration of two nutrients that, if ingested in excessive quantities, might be harmful to one’s health. So, what exactly are these nutrients? As well as potassium and phosphorus.
Even if they are not ingested in large quantities, persons who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) have kidneys that are unable to handle potassium and phosphorus effectively, which is where the issue lies. Nevertheless, advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis patients, unfortunately, do not have that luxury and are therefore at a high risk of having excessively high levels of these two elements (i.e. hyperphosphatemia and hyperkalemia), as Dr. Odigwe explains. “The most important thing to keep in mind here is that the kidney helps to keep our phosphorus and potassium levels in check.”
Indeed, this is only one of the many problems. In addition, walnuts and their almond siblings contain oxalates, which, if consumed in high quantities, may lead to the formation of kidney stones, according to Dr. Stanford on the subject. Patients with chronic kidney disease should pay particular attention to their food in order to get their illness under control.
Another point to consider is that, apart from this particular group, walnuts are an excellent addition to salads or snacks. Due to the fact that “the benefits of walnuts are so vast,” Dr. Odigwe recommends them to everyone else.
Other Foods and Drinks That Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis Should Avoid or Limit
Patients who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and/or are undergoing dialysis are often advised by their physicians to follow a renal diet, also known as a kidney-friendly diet. When it comes to highly salted meals, highly sugared foods, processed foods, and highly sugary beverages, Dr. Odigwe suggests that this may be accomplished in part by avoiding or drastically reducing consumption of these types of foods.
Nevertheless, there are certain drinks that are more harmful than others. The following is a fact that is both entertaining and useful, as stated by Dr. Odigwe: “Colored sodas, such as Fanta, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Dr. Pepper, contain a greater quantity of phosphorus in comparison to Sprite and 7Up.” Accordingly, if and when you decide to drink a soda, the best option for you is to choose a clear one.
In addition, Dr. Stanford recommends reducing the use of foods that are rich in potassium (such as bananas, citrus fruits, spinach, avocados, and tomatoes) and foods that are high in phosphorus (such as dark drinks, organ meats, and dairy products), which are, once again, alternatives that are also healthful.
According to Dr. Odigwe, chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be caused by blood pressure and diabetes. In a similar vein, Dr. Stanford recommends that patients “be mindful of sodium intake in order to promote healthy blood pressure control and fluid balance.”
Hearing that you are required to eliminate or reduce your consumption of certain foods and beverages that you may like the most, such as Diet Coke, avocados, and chips, might be challenging. In addition, you could have encountered the situation of wanting to do something more while being informed that you couldn’t or shouldn’t do it. In the event that this is your situation, seeking the assistance of an anti-diet dietician or an intuitive eating counselor who specializes in chronic conditions may be of great assistance to you in managing the transition.
Additional Methods to Capture the Advantages That Walnuts Have to Offer
To what extent may patients with chronic kidney disease and those undergoing dialysis benefit from the many nutrients that walnuts contain?
Before we get started, let’s make it quite clear that walnuts aren’t necessarily absolutely out of the question (pun intended). According to Dr. Odigwe, controlling portion sizes is essential. Once your renal condition has progressed to a more severe stage, it will become more important for you to restrict or completely avoid the intake of walnuts.
However, in order to be on the safe side, Dr. Stanford recommends concentrating on other foods that are rich in nutrients, such as those that are high in polyphenols, antioxidants, or omega-3 fatty acids. Berries, apples, grapes, bell peppers, squashes, green beans, fatty fish, flaxseeds, and chia seeds are some examples of foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids.
Getting a firm grasp on what precisely this looks like in practice—how much is too much?—is a process that is unique to each person, so you shouldn’t try to accomplish it by yourself. According to Dr. Stanford, patients who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) should construct a tailored diet plan in close collaboration with their primary care physician and nutritionist in order to enhance their general health and assist in the management of CKD.
Keep in mind that there is yet hope. Even while it is preferable to avoid or restrict some delicious meals, there are still a variety of delicious and healthy foods that may be consumed.
