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Diet
Good nutrition is important at every stage of your transplant experience. Being healthy before your transplant will make it easier for you and your organ to stay healthy after your transplant.
Eat a Well-balanced Diet
You’ll want to choose foods that are as rich in nutrition as possible. Your daily diet should include the following:
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, and legumes (dried peas and beans)
- Low-fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
- Whole-grain and enriched breads, cereals, and grain products
- Fruits and vegetables
According to the recent “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005”, published jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), you should have a mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Current recommendations based on the new food pyramids suggest that 45-65% of your calories should come from carbohydrates, with 20% to 35% of your calories coming from fat. Be sure to consider the types of fats that you eat.
Up to 20% of your calories should come from protein. However, if you are on dialysis, you may need to eat a high-protein diet. If you’re still on the waiting list for a kidney transplant you may need to limit the amount of protein you eat. Talk to your doctor about your specific protein needs.
Protein is particularly important after transplant surgery, as it helps wounds heal. And remember, protein doesn’t come only from meats. In fact, leafy green vegetables like spinach have more protein per calorie than meatloaf. Dairy products, lentils, fish, peanut butter, and tofu are also great sources of protein. Try to eat meals that are well-balanced and include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Get Enough Vitamins
Though you should try to get your vitamins from a balanced diet, you may want to talk to your doctor about adding a multivitamin. To make sure you are not taking anything that could interfere with your medications, tell your doctor exactly which multivitamin you are considering. A multivitamin can help ensure that you get enough calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, and B vitamins like folic acid. You may have also thought about herbal supplements and whether they might help you with your dietary and health needs. Talk to your dietician and transplant team about herbal products, since they may cause problems with your transplant medications. Herbal supplements aren’t just the pills and capsules sold in jars, but also beverages and other products that contain supplements like guarana, milk thistle, Echinacea, and ginseng.
Avoid Salt
Sodium can cause complications with your medications and your blood pressure, so it is best to avoid adding salt to foods or eating foods that are salty—like packaged foods (potato chips, salted nuts, pretzels), canned soups, hot dogs, cured meats (ham and deli meats), and other high-sodium foods and condiments (soy sauce).
Limit Saturated Fats
Different kinds of fats are considered either good or bad because of their effects on your cholesterol levels. You probably know that saturated fats are bad for you, as are partially hydrogenated fats, which result in trans fatty acid (found in baked goods such as doughnuts and pastries, deep fried foods, imitation cheese, and snack foods like chips and cookies).
You should consider limiting your intake of saturated fat to below 10% of your total calories. The best kind of fat—monounsaturated fat—should make up about 20% of your total calories. Monounsaturated fat is found in olive oil and canola oil.
| Good Fats |
Bad Fats |
| Olives/olive oil |
Palm kernel oil |
| Canola oil |
Coconut oil |
| Flax seed oil |
Vegetable oil/shortening |
| Nuts/nut oils |
Animal fat (butter, whole-fat dairy products, high-fat meats like bacon) |
| Fish oil |
Candy |
| Tofu |
Fried foods |
| Legumes (beans, not fried or refried) |
Partially hydrogenated fats |
| Avocado |
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Enjoy the Benefits of Fiber
Some studies have shown that fiber can help reduce cholesterol. In addition, fiber can help to slow the flow of sugar from your digestive system to your bloodstream—a factor that’s important if you experience hyperglycemia. Good sources of fiber include whole-grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, raw fruits, and raw vegetables.
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