Diet plays a big role in how your body responds to PD. You must also eat well to meet what your body needs. While getting PD, you need to be careful about your intake of: Protein − It is the building block of our body. You need this to repair your body and help prevent infections. You lose protein with each PD treatment. Eat more protein at each meal. Then you will be able to replace the protein that is lost through PD. Calories − You get energy from calories in the food you eat. The cleaning fluid, dialysate, also has carbohydrates and calories. This may cause you to gain weight. Talk to your dietitian about how many calories you need to keep your weight steady. Phosphorus − This is a mineral found in all foods. Your kidneys most often filter the phosphorus. If you have too much of it in your blood, PD may not be enough to clear it from your blood. You may need to take a phosphate binder with meals and snacks or limit phosphorous in your diet. Potassium − It is a mineral found in foods. It plays a major role in the work of your heart. PD will remove large amounts of potassium from your blood. The doctor will watch your potassium level closely. Too much or too little potassium is risky. Fluids − When you take in too much fluid, PD may not be enough to remove the excess fluids from your system. Sodium − This is a mineral found in food and table salt. It is added to all foods that are not fresh, like canned and processed food. Too much sodium can make you keep extra fluids in your body. It is easy to become confused. Read food labels with care. Look for how much of each of these is in each serving. Reading the labels can help you make healthy food choices.
