Nutrition Counselling

“Prevention is better than cure”

All of us have become used to this sentence. We were taught as children that eating the appropriate foods and exercising regularly would help you stay healthy and avoid getting into trouble.

One should keep their diet under close scrutiny when undergoing dialysis in order to maintain their body's fluid levels.

Dialysis treatments eliminate wastes from your body, however they cannot simultaneously remove large amounts of waste.You have to match what you eat and drink with what your body is removing through dialysis. Making better eating choices can improve your overall health and the effectiveness of your treatments.

Know what you Eat

The person should be fully aware of what they are ingesting. The body of the patient is already frail and prone to illness. To create a detailed chart for their intake of food and liquids, they should consult with their renal dietician.

What if you are not taking right measures of food and fluids

Dialysis patients who don't monitor their dietary intake and fluid consumption run the risk of gaining a number of problems. The following are a few examples of possible illnesses and conditions that might develop:

• Excessive hydration can result in fluid overload, which may cause heart failure, high blood pressure, and breathing difficulties.
• The disease known as hyperkalemia, which is marked by an excess of potassium in the blood, can result in irregular heartbeats, cardiac arrest, and even muscle paralysis.
• Chronic renal illness frequently results in high blood pressure, which can be made worse by consuming too much salt.
• Malnutrition: To preserve their health, dialysis patients need to eat adequate protein, vitamins, and minerals. Muscle loss, anaemia, and other problems might result from poor nutrition.
• Metabolic acidosis is a condition where the body produces excessive amounts of acid, which manifests as symptoms including weariness, disorientation, and fast breathing.
• Hyperphosphatemia: High amounts of phosphorus in the blood can result in a variety of symptoms, including itchiness and bone discomfort.
• Hypoglycemia: Dialysis patients who have diabetes must monitor their blood sugar levels closely. They risk having excessively low blood sugar levels if they eat too little.

Dialysis patients must collaborate closely with their medical professionals and nutritionists to create a meal plan that matches their unique needs and to keep track of their food and fluid intake.

Keep a check on your appetite

Dialysis patients mostly suffer from loss of appetite.

A dialysis patient can take a number of actions to address the issue and increase their nutrient intake if they are having trouble eating.

• Speak to their healthcare professional: Dialysis patients should talk to their doctor about any changes in appetite. They can suggest the best course of treatment and assist in identifying the underlying reason for the lack of appetite.
• Change their nutrition: In collaboration with a dietician, patients can alter their diet to make it more enticing and convenient to consume. They might advise smaller, more often meals, for instance, or propose foods that are more delectable.
• Think about making prescription adjustments: Some drugs can impair appetite. If a patient has any questions or concerns about their medicine, they should speak with their doctor.