Atkins and your Kidneys

[DebbieC]

Hi I was reading up on Atkins on the internet and ran across articles stating that Atkins can be bad for your Kidneys.
The reason I am asking is in late January I had my Right Kidney removed, my left one is functionable and I am wondering if anyone has any info on this? I do have a appointment in early April with with Kidney Doc but this is worrying me as I only have 1..

Thanks
Debbie

[sadie147]

If you had a kidney removed, I wouldn't start ANY diet plan before speaking to your dr. first, there may be guidelines you need to follow, especially for protein amounts.

Atkins is not a high protein diet, however you are also not functioning with 2 kidneys which puts you in a totally different situation.

Definately wait until you talk to your Dr. in April.

[Peej]

Atkins is not necessarily bad for your kidneys. However, if you are starting out with something wrong with your kidneys (or a missing one) you definitely need to speak to your doctor. I don't have the book on me right now but I am positive that it says something in the book warning against doing the diet if you don't have healthy kidneys to begin with.

[Sunny_0ne]

Dr. Atkins said that anyone with a serious kidney problem should NOT do Atkins.

This is one where I would talk to your doctor and do what he says.

That being said, the key to not damaging your kidneys with Atkins is drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep the metabolic byproducts flushed out of your system.

There was one guy who posted a while back. He had been on Atkins for a while and the only fluids he was drinking were 4 cups of coffee a day. The doctor did read him the riot act because he was damaging his kidneys.

Following the diet AS WRITTEN is extremely safe for people with normal kidney function.

[DebbieC]

My Cardiologist recommended a diet of No carbs. He knows I had the Kidney removed and he is the one who got me searching and I found Atkins.
He did not say do Atkins he said there are 3 Food Groups blah blah and to cut out the carbs I would loose. I know hes not a Kidney specialist but a very good Doctor. Ugh I just went thru the pains of the Flu and to go off this is so bad, I am so depressed now..

[pudellvr]

We have a nephrologist here that not only was on Atkins himself but also recommended it to his pts. This is rare.

[Peej]

Originally Posted by DebbieC

My Cardiologist recommended a diet of No carbs. He knows I had the Kidney removed and he is the one who got me searching and I found Atkins.
He did not say do Atkins he said there are 3 Food Groups blah blah and to cut out the carbs I would loose. I know hes not a Kidney specialist but a very good Doctor. Ugh I just went thru the pains of the Flu and to go off this is so bad, I am so depressed now..

It doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop doing it. I'm sure that with the proper precautions it might be possible but you definitely need to talk to a doctor that will take the kidney issue into account. Try not to be depressed over it. This is supposed to be about doing what is best for your body and if Atkins is not what is best for your body, you will have the opportunity to find out what is.

[not2late]

Talk to the nephrologist. I work in a doctor's office...they are great, but if it comes down to what they say versus what a specialist says, I would go with the specialist.

[DebbieC]

Thanks for all the comments. I am gonna stick with it for the 2 weeks at least and try to talk to my Doctor. I dont want to quit. I am feeling better.
I was thinking of just keeping all the bad carbs away.. Sugars, Flours etc. and eating a bit more veggies. Not sure but definitely not going back on the junk!

[Lisa]

I agree....please talk to the specialist about what's best for your body.

My DD13 had her left kidney removed when she was 5...her right compensates for the left not being there. It's amazing how our bodies just adapt. She doesn't have any complications nor any meds since the surgery. Three things we've watched with her are staying hydrated (especially when she's exercising and in the summer time), staying away from high sodium foods (salt removes water and she needs the water), and try to avoid eating animal proteins such as beef, chicken, pork etc. at every meal. Other than that, she's a normal, healthy 13 year old.

I do believe that sticking to a basic daily diet void of the high processed and refined carbs isn't a bad thing for anyone. Like everything in life, moderation is the key...even when we're eating low carb style.