Health Warnings
Please read through before attempting recipes
These recipes are recommended for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. It is important to keep everything balanced to maintain your well-being.
Remember to avoid sodium and watch your potassium, phosphorus, and
protein intake. Contact your renal dietitian about your recommended levels.
Sodium:
Excessive sodium can cause edema or swelling, high blood pressure,
and shortness of breath (related to fluid retention) – all these can lead to much
more serious problems.
Potassium:
A buildup of potassium for a kidney patient can lead to muscle
weakness, abnormal heart rate, and even heart attack. Since the kidneys
cannot flush out the excess potassium, patients are recommended to limit
potassium in their diet. Specifically, when you are on a type of blood pressure
medication (called Ace inhibitors or ARBs), it can potentially increase your
potassium level. On the other hand, if you are on a high dose of potassium
depleting diuretics, it can lead to low potassium level. Thus, you need to consult
your renal dietitian on how to limit or increase potassium in your diet.
Phosphorus:
Phosphorus can build up in the body due to kidney disease. High
phosphorus can leach calcium from bones, making them brittle. It can lead to
soft tissue calcification and pruritis (or itching) if not controlled. While phosphorus
binders are often prescribed for renal patients, a low phosphorus diet is often
recommended first. Consult your renal dietitian how you can control phosphorus
in your diet and if needed, what kind of phosphorus binders you need to take.
Protein:
When protein is ingested, it creates waste and byproducts that need to
be filtered out of the system. Prior any renal replacement therapy, it will often be
recommended that you follow a low protein diet. This does not mean you need
to avoid eating protein because you still need to meet your protein needs. It
simply means not to consume excessive but an adequate protein portions
according to your needs. Consult your renal dietitian for your daily specific
protein requirements
Fluid:
End stage renal disease is often met with strict fluid restrictions. This is
because your kidneys cannot filter out the excess fluid, which can cause build
up that leads to serious complications.
Credits
Thank you to those who have made this website possible.
Marlyn Benito, RD, and Cathy Liang, RD, created all recipes.
Marilyn Benito
Registered Renal Dietician
Marilyn Benito is the Advanced Practice Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist on Renal Nutrition at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is a board-certified specialist in Renal Nutrition and has been a Registered Dietitian for over 30 years. Inspired by her own life experience with a family member who had experienced the challenges of end-stage kidney disease and renal replacement therapies, she dedicated her work to serving people with kidney disease for the last 20 years. Thank you to Mrs. Benito for reviewing each recipe with care and for providing me with healthy vegan options that suit everyone's needs.
Vasantha Jotwani
Nephrologist
Dr. Vasantha Jotwani is a nephrologist at UCSF and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System. She specializes in caring for patients with kidney disease, including those with HIV, and conducts research to discover new ways to test for kidney injury. In addition to her clinical and research work, she is a dedicated medical educator. Thank you to Dr. Jotwani for connecting me with many resourceful people and providing helpful feedback on the website!
Rak Jotwani
Physician in Internal and Lifestyle Medicine
Dr. Rakesh "Rak" Jotwani is a dual board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine who is passionate about helping people improve their health through lifestyle changes. After a decade of experience in direct patient care, he now focuses on educating other healthcare providers on how to effectively change habits, and he works to promote health equity through lifestyle medicine. Thank you Dr. Rak for your suggestions. Please take a look at Dr. Rak's page (rakyourlife.com) if you want to change your life too!
Nancy Derbish
Girl Scouts Lifetime Member
HR Business Advisor
Mrs. Nancy Derbish is a Human Resources and Business Advisor who has served with a global government contracting company, green building sector (healthier, energy and cost-saving efficient commercial and
residential properties) and lastly, with community nonprofits. One of her proudest nonprofit roles
was with the Girl Scouts of Northern California from 2006 to 2014, as their Senior Director of Human
Resources. Working with the GSNorCal community helps to fulfill the mission to provide
transformative experiences in STEM, the outdoors, entrepreneurship, and community service for
girls! Please consider becoming a
volunteer with GSNorCal!
My Mission
Hi, my name is Sriya! I'm a freshman at Amador Valley High School, and I've been a Girl Scout for nine years. This website is my Silver Award project, a community service award for Girl Scouts, and the second-highest award a Girl Scout can earn. My project focuses on addressing depression in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. As I watched my mom go through this rigorous daily cycle, it made me realize how many people around the world must face the same challenges.
I believe a key contributor to this issue is the lack of vibrant and delicious food options. Because many patients are on low-sodium, often diabetic diets and have restrictions on so many foods, mealtimes can become a source of disappointment rather than joy. Without hearty food to look forward to, patients like my mom often felt down, especially during meals.
I thought an international cookbook would be a great solution. While the dialysis center provides a cookbook, it often doesn't reflect the diverse cuisines of cultures around the world. For example, the one my mom received only contained American recipes. People need homey, hearty, and nostalgic food during tough times, especially when they're sick. So, I decided a website would be the perfect way to connect patients with their favorite and most nostalgic dishes.
Thank you so much to Mrs. Benito, Dr. Jotwani, and Dr. Rak for taking time out of your day to double-check recipes and provide amazing feedback. To Mrs. Derbish, my mentor, thank you for your incredible support with scheduling and planning. I truly wouldn't have been able to do this without your constant help.
To everyone reading this, I hope you enjoy this collection of recipes. Whether you're undergoing dialysis or not, I hope these dishes bring warmth, comfort, and a little bit of home to your kitchen.