Written by Karen Dunker, RD

Did you know that the average Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner has over 2,000 calories? That number of calories is usually what you would consume over an entire day. The holidays are sometimes challenging if you are watching your waistline and following the kidney diet. But eating right during the holidays is possible. Listed below are five healthy holiday eating tips for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These tips may help you avoid unwanted weight gain without depriving yourself of kidney-friendly foods.

1. Don’t skip meals before a holiday dinner

You may be looking forward to a holiday feast with all the trimmings. But it is not a good idea to arrive at a dinner party hungry. People tend to eat more when they are extremely hungry. Before you decide to skip a meal, remember to eat a light but wholesome breakfast and lunch to avoid overeating at dinnertime. Eating well-balanced meals throughout the day may also stop you from making decisions that go against your kidney diet.

2. Make the right choices at the dinner table

Holiday dinners should not be looked at as an “all-you-can-eat” occasion. Look over the buffet ahead of time and make the best choices based on your favorite foods and your kidney diet prescription. Ask your renal dietitian about what you can eat and what to pass on when you go to a holiday gathering.

3. Portion control

Holiday dinners should not be looked at as a free-for-all when it comes to eating. Watch the portion size of side dishes, especially when there are many possibilities to choose from. You can sample many different foods if you take just a spoonful of each. Moderation is the key. Eating your food slowly and savoring each bite can also help control your portions and make you feel more satisfied.

4. Trim the fat

Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items, including fried foods, creamy dishes and casseroles, which can be high in potassium and sodium. Take off the skin from turkey and other poultry foods. If you decide to eat roast beef, be sure to trim off any excess fat. When it comes to eating dessert, choose a treat that is kidney-friendly, such as fruit pie, cobbler, angel food cake, pound cake or lemon meringue.

5. Use kidney-friendly substitutions for your meals

Are you cooking a dish for a party and want to make sure it doesn’t pack on the pounds? If you cook, use healthy recipe substitutions for your kidney diet dishes. Listed are some ingredients a recipe may call for and the kidney-friendly substitute to use instead.

Summary

Watching your kidney diet does not have to drag down your holidays. Ask your dietitian about other holiday eating and dining tips. You can look on DaVita.com/Recipes for holiday dishes that are kidney-friendly, too. Following these five tips may help you enjoy a successful holiday season and remind you that you are in charge of your health.

- Reprinted with permission by DaVita Inc.

- Source from www.DaVita.com

People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Your physical and mental health can contribute to your sleep problems. Common causes for disrupted sleep patterns in kidney disease patients include: restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, inadequate dialysis clearance, emotions, changes in sleep patterns, and caffeine.

Restless leg syndrome

Some renal patients wake up in the middle of the night because of an uncomfortable sensation they feel in their legs. Their legs feel itchy or tingly, or may jerk or move on their own, waking them up. People may even experience leg cramps while they are awake, usually during a hemodialysis session. This is called restless leg syndrome. It often occurs when the legs are at rest, such as when a person is sitting or lying in bed.

Mild cases of restless leg syndrome occur periodically, while moderate to severe cases can occur regularly. The sensation varies from patient to patient. It can be irritating, itchy or painful. Some patients find that moving their legs makes the uncomfortable sensations lessen or go away entirely. Because restless leg syndrome occurs when you are trying to relax or fall asleep, it can leave you feeling tired from lack of rest.

Doctors have pinpointed several factors that can contribute to restless leg syndrome. They are:

• Iron deficiency or anemia
• Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco
• Diabetes
• Certain anti-nausea, anti-seizure and allergy medications

Tell your doctor if you experience feelings in your legs or limbs that prevent you from falling asleep. Your doctor may want to adjust your treatment to ease the symptoms of restless leg syndrome and help you get a better night’s sleep.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder. It is a condition that causes your breathing to be interrupted or stopped during sleep. Breathing can stop for more than 10 seconds while you are in a deep sleep. These non-breathing intervals are called apneas. They are usually followed by sudden attempts by your body to breathe. One of the symptoms of apnea is snoring. Patients with sleep apnea often snore heavily. The snores continue until breathing is interrupted or stops, which signals an apnea. The person will then snort or gasp to take in air and the snoring continues until the next apnea. Many patients do not remember the apneas they experienced during the night. However, because their sleep is interrupted, they will often feel tired and drowsy during the day.

A slight or complete obstruction to the airways can cause sleep apnea. This blockage can be in your mouth, nose or throat. A doctor can determine if you have sleep apnea by conducting a physical exam and a sleep study. If you are diagnosed with apnea, your doctor can discuss treatment options with you.

Inadequate dialysis clearance

A build up of waste in the blood can cause you to feel ill and uncomfortable. This could make sleeping difficult. If you are on peritoneal dialysis, your doctor will occasionally test your dialysate to make sure it is pulling enough waste and toxins from your body.

Patients on peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis will also have their Kt/V rate tested. The Kt/V rate tells your doctor how well your dialysis treatment is working. Hemodialysis patients should have a target Kt/V of at least 1.2. Peritoneal dialysis patients should have a Kt/V of at least 2.1. In order to meet the target Kt/V, you should not skip dialysis sessions. Missed dialysis sessions can mean a build up of waste and fluid, leading to other complications besides sleepless nights.

Emotions

Worry, anxiety and sadness can keep you up at night. Also, if you find yourself able to fall asleep, but then awaken in the early morning hours unable to return to sleep, this is a sign of clinical depression. Talk with your doctors and social worker. They are there to help. If your sadness, anxiety or depression lasts more than two weeks, tell your doctor immediately.

Changes in your sleep pattern

Sometimes patients who have chronic kidney disease are more tired than usual. They tend to fall asleep earlier than their normal bedtime or nap during the day. This could affect your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep at night.

Although naps can be refreshing, naps that are too long can interfere with your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. If you are tired and feel that a nap can help you, limit your nap time. Naps that last longer than an hour can disrupt your sleep cycle.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant; it jump starts your body, making you feel more alert and less tired. Many people drink caffeinated coffee, tea or sodas in the morning to wake up, especially if they have not had restful sleep the night before. This lack of sleep can lead to tiredness later in the day. Some people reach for a late afternoon caffeine “pick me up.” Unfortunately, too much caffeine late in the day can affect your ability to fall asleep later that night. In the morning, the caffeine cycle starts again.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, try reducing the amount of caffeine in your diet.  Keep an accurate food diary to show your renal dietitian. She can help you identify drinks and certain foods that contain caffeine.

For those on cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis

Patients who depend on Continuous Cycler-Assisted Peritoneal Dialysis or Nocturnal Intermittent Peritoneal Dialysis may find the cycler noises wake them up. Sometimes the sensation of the exchanges can awaken them from sleep.

Many patients grow accustomed to the sounds and sensations of the cycler over time. But if you are losing sleep because of this type of treatment, talk to your doctor about alternatives.

- Reprinted with permission by DaVita Inc.

- Source from www.DaVita.com

I wanted to write a blog about a certain exercise routine that has inspired me lately. MagicKitchen.com is excited about health – and exercise is certainly a part of that!

The exercises I follow are all on www.BodyRock.tv. This is a blog/community led by Zuzanna and Freddy. Freddy films Zuzanna doing workouts for their followers, Body Rockers, to perform as well. They post new workouts a few times a week and there are seemingly endless archives of past workouts to try at any time.

The workouts they provide are “high intensity interval training” (HIIT) workouts. They involve a series of different timed exercises with high and low intensity intervals. The workouts are normally between 10 and 20 minutes long but they will rock your body! You are supposed to push your very hardest for those few minutes and your metabolism will stay elevated for the whole day. Trust me, those 12 minutes will make you work and sweat like you wouldn’t believe.

Zuzanna and Freddy to try post about all aspects about health. They post about self-image,  relationships, and they post all the time about eating healthy. One way of getting their followers to follow a good diet is by creating Diet Challenges. They’ve had challenges to drink enough water, cut out sweets, to eat more tomatoes, and more. These exercise gurus know that eating well is just as important as exercising hard and frequently.

The core of Zuzanna and Freddy’s diet plan is to eat 5 small meals per day and include a serving of lean protein (chicken, fish, low-fat dairy, lean beef, wild game, etc) and veggies in each one. They only approve of eating carbs other than veggies and legumes after working out. Fruits are encouraged in moderation for their vitamin and antioxidant benefits. And of course, drink plenty of water. You may drink green tea with meals and have one black coffee before working out.

Here’s an example of a typical day on their diet and exercise program:

7AM

MagicKitchen Vegetable Omelet http://www.magickitchen.com/menu/breakfast/omelet.html

1 C Strawberries

10AM

½ C Lowfat cottage cheese

2 C Green salad with romaine, carrots, celery, and mushrooms

1 T Oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

12:30PM

12 Minute “What You Want Workout” http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/08/11/what-you-want-workout/

1  Protein shake

1PM

MK Penne with Meatballs & Marinara http://www.magickitchen.com/menu/Pasta/penne-with-meatballs.html

6 oz Raw carrots and tomatoes

4PM

1 Grilled chicken breast with pesto sauce

MK Beets with Feta http://www.magickitchen.com/menu/side_dishes/Beets_with_Feta.html

MK Spinach Italiano http://www.magickitchen.com/menu/side_dishes/spinach-italiano.html

7PM

2 Stalks Celery

2 T Garlic hummus

MK Bone-in Pork Shank in Bordelaise Sauce http://www.magickitchen.com/menu/main_courses/pork-shank.html

The community on BodyRock.tv is extremely supportive and involved. They post recipe ideas, inspirational stories, and videos of workouts. It is a very well-rounded blog and community. I would definitely suggest that anyone looking to improve their physical fitness and composition should check it out. One video and you’ll be hooked by Zuzanna’s appearance and attitude. Body Rockers everywhere are feeling the improvements to their lives. Don’t you want to give it a try?

Mindy, MagicKitchen.com Blogger

Whether you fell off the healthy eating bandwagon January 2nd or lasted till mid-April before breaking your resolutions, MagicKitchen.com is ready to help you get back on track to better health this season. Our nutritious meal packs and calorie-counting meal bundles make healthy eating a breeze, and they do it without taking the pleasure out of meal time.

Take a look at all your choices. If you want to adopt a low fat diet, our Homestyle low fat meal bundle includes four healthy meals packaged for 2 or 4 people. There’s Cheese Tortellini with Mediterranean sauce, and Beef Teriyaki sided with Rice with Mixed Vegetables.  We also have Chicken with Rice Soup, along with a crusty Verdura Gourmet Artisan Flatbread. These are the sorts of meals that will keep you happy without doing damage to your waistline.

And we’ve got new meal packs and bundles for everyone’s eat right goals. Our Homestyle meal bundles include low-carb options and our one-serving meal packages are all portion-controlled and include  7 full Meals including main courses of Chicken Marsala, Braised Beef Brisket, Chicken Pasta with Red Pepper Sauce, London Broil, Chicken Stir Fry, and Roasted Turkey.

Check it out today – there’s no time like now to start eating right, exercising and living well!

Ashley, MagicKitchen.com writer