Monthly writing on kidney health, nutrition, and lived experience.
Research-backed writing on CKD, renal nutrition, autoimmune nephritis, dialysis, and transplant — answered with primary literature and written for real life.
Renal Nutrition
Summer Hydration on CKD: How Much Water Is Too Much in a Heat Wave
Heat waves push CKD patients into a narrow window between dehydration (AKI-on-CKD) and overhydration (hyponatremia, edema). A dietitian's framework for fluid targets, electrolyte replacement, and which drinks are actually kidney-safe.
Renal Nutrition
Plant-Based Protein for CKD: How Much Is Safe and How to Get Enough
Plant protein lowers acid load and bioavailable phosphorus — but the protein math is real. A nephrology-dietitian's framework for getting enough without overshooting in CKD stages 3–4.
Renal Nutrition
Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome: What to Eat
The AHA's CKM framework links heart, kidney, and metabolic disease — and the diet that helps one helps all three. A practical eating plan.
Renal Nutrition
Anemia in CKD: Iron-Rich Foods That Won't Spike Potassium
Anemia hits most patients by CKD stage 3b. The food-first iron strategy that respects potassium, phosphorus, and binder timing.
Renal Nutrition
SGLT2 Inhibitors and CKD: What to Eat on Jardiance, Farxiga
SGLT2 inhibitors slow CKD progression — but they shift hydration, ketone, and electrolyte needs. A nutrition playbook.
Renal Nutrition
Phosphate Binders: When to Take Them With Food (Complete Guide)
Binders only work if they meet phosphorus in the gut. The timing rules, food-pairing strategy, and what to do when you forget a dose.
Renal Nutrition
Low-Phosphorus Diet for CKD: A Dietitian's Guide to Hidden Phosphate Additives
Phosphate additives in processed foods are nearly 100% absorbed — far more than naturally occurring phosphorus. How to read labels and what actually lowers serum phosphate.
Kidney-Friendly Recipes
7-Day Kidney-Friendly Meal Plan for Stage 3 CKD (With Grocery List)
A realistic week of meals built around the renal diet — low sodium, moderate protein, kidney-safe potassium and phosphorus, and a printable shopping list.
Renal Nutrition
Thanksgiving for CKD: A Kidney-Friendly Holiday Menu
Turkey, sides, and dessert that fit a low-sodium, low-phosphorus, potassium-managed plate — without making you the family's diet story.
Renal Nutrition
Protein Needs in Dialysis vs Pre-Dialysis CKD
Pre-dialysis CKD needs less protein; dialysis needs more. The numbers, the rationale, and how to hit them.
Autoimmune Nutrition
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet: What the Evidence Actually Says
AIP has built a devoted following in the autoimmune community. Here's what the small-but-growing body of human research shows on Hashimoto's, IBD, and lupus — and what to keep in mind before trying it.
Renal Nutrition
Renal-Friendly Grilling Guide (Summer Edition)
Marinades without phosphate additives, low-sodium rubs, and CKD-safe sides for the grill — plus how to handle the social side of cookouts.
Autoimmune & Renal
Lupus Nephritis Diet: Protein, Salt, and Medication Interactions
Eating with lupus nephritis means juggling steroid weight gain, immunosuppressant interactions, and renal limits. A clinician's framework.
Renal Nutrition
Hydration in CKD: How Much Water Is Actually Right?
More water doesn't mean better kidneys. What the CKD WIT trial showed and how to set a personal target.
Renal Nutrition
Potassium and Kidney Disease: Foods to Limit and Foods That Are Actually Safe
Potassium restriction in CKD is more nuanced than the old 'no bananas' lists suggest. What the current evidence — and your own labs — should actually drive.
Renal Nutrition
Low-Sodium Label Decoder for CKD (What the Claims Actually Mean)
'Reduced sodium' isn't low sodium. The FDA claim definitions, the hidden traps, and the only number that matters.
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