PKD Life - Winter 2020 - 7

THE DASH DIET

This diet-a handy
acronym for Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension-is a salt-restricted
diet that emphasizes fruits,
vegetables, and whole
grains, and it includes
low-fat or nonfat dairy
plus sweets in moderation.
Overall, it's a winner for
people with PKD-whether
or not you're looking to

lose weight-and it's very
much something most
people can stick with,
Walsh says. There's even
evidence that a DASH
diet can help reduce high
blood pressure.

INTERMITTENT
FASTING

With intermittent fasting, it's not so much what
you eat as when you eat.
There are several ways
to structure your eating,
but it involves restricting
your eating to a certain
time frame. "The most
popular one right now is
16:8, meaning you eat all
your calories in an eighthour window (e.g., 10
a.m. to 6 p.m.). Another
example is 5:2, where you
eat normally for five days
and fast for two days.
"Research shows that
when you eat this way, you
may end up eating less,"
Cusimano says. Overall,
it's a safe diet, though
Cusimano says it's not
recommended for people
on insulin (or other blood
sugar-lowering medications) or dialysis.

Sweet and (Not Too) Salty Trail Mix

and fats. For the most part,
the Whole 30 diet isn't a
terrible one, but "it's hardly
something most people
can keep up in the long
term," Walsh says, "and is
best used as something to
help you 'reset' to healthier
eating habits." But the
emphasis on protein can
be tricky, Walsh says, as
damaged kidneys may
have trouble filtering the
waste products of protein
metabolism. Aim for about
0.8 grams of protein for
every kilogram of body
weight per day. "Don't get
hung up with calculating it
all," Walsh says, but rather
"keep portion sizes on the
smaller side."

PKDLIFE RECIPE
This PKD-friendly recipe from
University of Kansas Health System
registered dietitian Angela Cusimano,
M.S., R.D., provides a satisfying snack
that won't break the sodium bank.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups Golden Grahams cereal
2 ½ cups Rice Chex cereal
1 ½ cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
3 ounces mini pretzel twists
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 ½ ounces dried cranberries, sweetened
1 ½ ounces apple chips

DIRECTIONS:

1 Combine Golden Grahams, Rice Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and pretzels in a large bowl.
2 Melt butter in a small saucepan; add brown
sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Cook over low
heat until sugar is melted.
3 Pour over cereal mixture and mix well until
all pieces are coated.
4 Heat oven to 325 F.
5 Prepare 3 baking pans by lining with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with cooking
spray. Spread cereal mixture evenly over pans.
Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
6 Mix cranberries and apple chips; divide
evenly among pans and stir.
7 Bake 5 more minutes; cool completely and
store in an airtight container.

Makes 12 one-cup servings
Nutrition information per serving:
262 calories; 3 g protein; 47 g carbohydrates; 9 g fat;
11 mg cholesterol; 178 mg sodium; 84 mg potassium;
66 mg phosphorus; 63 mg calcium; 1.8 g fiber.

Salt and Water: Why They Matter
SHUTTERSTOCK/YOYOCHOW23

No matter what diet plan
you follow:

KEEP YOUR SODIUM
INTAKE IN CHECK. A diet
high in sodium can increase
your blood pressure. The
best way to cut down on salt,
says dietitian Claire Walsh,

is to stay in-that is, to buy
fresh foods and cook them at
home, because a lot of restaurant foods and packaged
foods are laden with salt.
"Your goal for sodium intake
should be less than 2,000 mg
of sodium per day," dietitian
Angela Cusimano says.

Dried
fruit adds
sweetness
and fiber

STAY WELL-HYDRATED.
Your goal should be to drink
about 64 to 128 ounces of
water every day, because
there's evidence that water
can help suppress cyst
growth for people with PKD,
Cusimano says. Water is
always best, because drinks

such as coffee, black tea,
and soda have a diuretic
effect, meaning they can
make you dehydrated.
What's more, most dark
colas contain a phosphorus
additive, so if you crave a
soft drink, stick to the clear,
caffeine-free varieties.

L E A R N M O R E A B O U T N U T R I T I O N A N D P K D AT P K D C U R E .O R G / N U T R I T I O N

https://pkdcure.org/living-with-pkd/nutrition/

PKD Life - Winter 2020

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