C hronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 30 million Americans, but fortunately, only a small fraction will progress to requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. We’ve known for over 50 years that diet has a significant effect on the clinical outcome of patients with CKD by slowing the rate of disease progression, delaying the onset of symptoms, improving the internal environment of the body, and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. For patients who also have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol levels, dietary treatment can go a long way not only to stabilize kidney function but to improve survival, too.
Diet has a significant effect on the clinical outcome of patients with CKD
Unfortunately, learning to follow the renal diet, which is used to manage CKD by controlling one’s intake of sodium, potassium, phosphorus, proteins and fluids, can be challenging for people who are newly diagnosed with CKD. The renal diet can feel even more daunting if patients have already been following a restrictive diet to reduce their intake of sugars (to manage diabetes) or fats (to manage high cholesterol levels). The obvious question that many patients with CKD have is this: “With so many restrictions in my diet, what is left for me to eat?” They fear that the renal diet will require them to eat bland, boring food, which can make healthy eating difficult and unsustainable.
Thus, I welcome this new book by Susan Zogheib because it provides patients with CKD the tools they need to plan and prepare meals that are delicious yet within the dietary restrictions necessary for managing CKD successfully. The 4 weeks of daily menus provide ample variety for every taste, and the recipes she offers are delicious and feature wholesome yet affordable ingredients. The tips that accompany each recipe allow for substitutions to suit individual preferences or restrictions. The menus can appeal to the entire household of patients with CKD, too, so patients don’t have to feel isolated by eating separate meals from their loved ones. By eating these delicious, well-balanced meals together, the entire family benefits.
Susan Zogheib is not only a highly-trained registered dietitian with extensive experience in the nutritional management of patients with CKD. She is also a creative chef who has collected delicious, kidney-friendly recipes over many years. She works directly with many different patients, so she knows which diets and meal plans work to maximize patient acceptance and sustainability. I have personally worked with Susan on many occasions to develop programs that help patients with CKD manage their blood phosphorus levels, and I am amazed by her knowledge, energy, and passion for improving the outcomes for this vulnerable population.
The Renal Diet Cookbook for the Newly Diagnosed is comprehensive in its scope. It explains the nature of CKD, provides rationale for the dietary restrictions required to manage CKD, and offers a complete toolkit for meal preparation, including shopping lists, menus, and recipe customization tips. The wide variety of delicious but healthy meals can help newly-diagnosed patients see that the renal diet is not a death knell for satisfying dishes and familiar flavors, but rather a tasty opportunity to explore a new way of eating that slows disease progression whilst renewing health and vigor. Susan’s unique perspective as a renal dietitian and food expert makes this book an indispensable guide for the bewildering dietary challenges faced by patients who are learning to manage CKD, and I applaud her for addressing this unmet need.
Jay B. Wish, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Division of Kidney Diseases
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN