Vegetarian Diets for People with Kidney Disease

This page is mostly a list of further resources for people with kidney disease who want to be vegetarian.

A 2012 study on lacto-ovo vegetarians, without kidney disease, found the urine of vegetarians to have a 60% lower amount of two different sulfates that are thought to be toxic and are problematic for patients with kidney disease (1). The lower amounts were thought to be due to a combination of lower protein intake, higher fiber intake, and difference in bacteria in the digestive tract.

Resources

Menu Selection for Vegan Renal Patients by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD

Vegetarian Diet for Kidney Disease Treatment by Joan Brookhyser, RD, CSR, CD
This book is meant to be used by those with less than 30% kidney function not receiving dialysis, or those with less than 15% kidney function receiving dialysis.

Banman, Christine. Vegetarian Meat Substitutes. Journal of Renal Nutrition. 2007 May;18(3);e9-e11.
This article has a list of meat substitutes and saturated fat, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium levels.

References

1. Patel KP, Luo FJ, Plummer NS, Hostetter TH, Meyer TW. The Production of p-Cresol Sulfate and Indoxyl Sulfate in Vegetarians Versus Omnivores. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2012 Apr 5. [Epub ahead of print] Link