Principles of healthy nutrition after nephrectomy for cancer

Diet after removal of a kidney with a tumor is of great importance in restoring the body, as well as avoiding a number of complications that often appear after surgery on the urinary organs. When a person develops malignant neoplasms occurring at stages 1-3, doctors remove the affected kidney, which is a serious and complex operation. That is why, in addition to following a daily routine, lack of physical activity and sexual activity, the patient should also maintain proper nutrition after removal of a kidney due to a cancerous condition of the organ. The patient needs to eat properly during the entire postoperative period, which lasts from 1 month to six months. In this case, all food consumed by the patient must be confirmed by a doctor, since there is only one filtering organ left in the body, which means it cannot be subjected to heavy stress.

What rules must be followed after kidney removal?

Diet after kidney surgery requires adherence to strict rules in the first three weeks.
At this time, the patient cannot eat fatty, smoked and spicy foods. Protein foods should be present in the diet in minimal quantities. The patient is allowed to consume no more than one liter of liquid per day. Nutrition after kidney removal in the first days after surgery differs significantly from the diet that can be formed after a longer period of time.

A month after the operation, the patient is allowed to eat chicken eggs (no more than two per day). Kefir or yogurt should be included in your daily diet; cottage cheese should be added to casseroles or pudding.

After two to three months, the patient is allowed to eat ripe watermelons. Some doctors even highly recommend this product. Watermelon is able to remove stones from the kidney, so its benefits for patients after nephrectomy are undeniable.

It is necessary to adjust the diet depending on the type of stones that were found in the kidney.

The diet after kidney resection for cancer allows the use of lean broth based on rabbit or chicken meat. Vegetables and fruits can be consumed in any form. These can be jams, boiled vegetables or freshly squeezed juices diluted with water. It is recommended to supplement the diet with cereals and low-fat fermented milk products.

The diet after removal of a kidney with a tumor is similar to the diet that is recommended after resection, but the emphasis should be on vegetables and fruits.

A diet for one kidney after surgery requires strict adherence to the rules. It is necessary not to create a load on the body in order to ensure the normal functioning of the organ. During the rehabilitation period, dietary poultry and calf meat are introduced into the menu. You can consume no more than 150 grams of such products per day. If there is an urgent need to increase protein foods, you can diversify the diet with low-fat fish and chicken eggs. It is better to steam fish and meat so as not to create additional stress on the body.

Recommended products after kidney removal

People who have had a kidney removed should be careful about their diet. The attending physician gives recommendations that must be followed to eliminate the risk of complications. The first month of the diet after kidney removal is characterized by a ban on eating protein foods. Even foods such as dietary meat or mushrooms can cause complications. The table shows products that are recommended for patients to consume.

Diet after kidney removal in old age completely excludes protein foods in the first weeks. Patients should eat only carbohydrate foods to avoid the risk of exacerbation.

Prohibited foods after kidney surgery

Prohibited foods put a lot of stress on the organ or provoke disruption of its functions. Eliminating dangerous foods from your diet will speed up the healing process and minimize the risk of complications. The table shows products that patients should forget about.

Mineral waters are strictly prohibited - it is very difficult for one organ to cope with a large amount of mineral salts. Otherwise, stones may begin to form in the kidney.

The “plate” principle in therapeutic nutrition

In order to form a healthy portion of foods for breakfast, lunch or dinner, nutritionists recommend mentally dividing the plate into four parts. Two of these parts (half the plate) must be filled with vegetable products, one quarter of the plate must be filled with dishes made from lean meat or fish, and the remaining part must be served with a side dish of cereals or pasta. Vegetables can be consumed in the form of salads, seasoned with vegetable oil.

Authorized Products

Diet after kidney removal includes:

Baked lean meat

Protein-free, salt-free bread, bran, unsalted cookies. Their consumption rate is up to 400 g per day. Typically, protein-free bread is baked from protein-free flour, which is made from potato or corn starch. Soups with cereals, vegetables, pasta in vegetable broth. The food is not salted during the cooking process. Salt is added during meals. Vegetable oil or butter is used to season dishes. For second courses, dietary meats are used: veal, beef, chicken or turkey, rabbit meat in the amount of 100 g per day. Meat dishes are introduced 2-3 weeks after surgery. Meat, poultry and fish are prepared in pieces, as well as in the form of baked or steamed cutlets, quenelles and meatballs. Low-fat varieties of fish (cod, pike, hake, pollock, blue whiting, ice fish) can be stewed, boiled, baked, or prepared in minced meat dishes. Your diet should include fish or meat every day. Since fish protein carries less load on the urinary system, preference should be given to it. Chicken eggs (2 pieces per day) boiled or scrambled eggs, quail eggs are useful. Low-fat dairy products should be consumed in limited quantities, since calcium can lead to the formation of microlites. It is better to consume fermented milk products and limit milk. Vegetables (beets, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumbers). You can eat salads or cook baked vegetables. Include any fruit in the menu every day, and in season - watermelons and melons. You can eat fruit and berry mousses, jams, preserves, and jellies. All cereals are allowed, but preference should be given to buckwheat and oatmeal. You can use them to prepare casseroles, cereals with cottage cheese and porridge. Unsalted butter can be used to season dishes. When it comes to pasta, you should choose protein-free ones. Mild and unsalted cheeses can be consumed as snacks. Give preference to sauces based on sour cream, fruits, vegetables, and vegetable oils. The preferred drinks are weak tea with milk, herbal infusions, weak green tea, compotes, diluted juices (fruit and vegetable), rosehip infusion and wheat bran infusion.

Nutrition for patients with kidney cancer

A properly selected diet is the main component of successfully fighting kidney cancer. During illness, much more energy is expended than in normal conditions, so the body needs high-calorie food that will protect the patient from exhaustion and vitamin deficiency. Pathology affects and disrupts almost all physiological processes. Following a diet with a kidney tumor is very important in order to maintain balance in the body’s activities and help it get rid of harmful metabolic products. The basis of a healthy diet for kidney cancer lies in a few simple rules:

• There is little, but often. You need to eat 6-7 times a day, chewing your food thoroughly. Portions should be small, within 200 grams. Overeating can lead to bloating and other gastrointestinal problems.
• Eat only freshly prepared food. Make sure that food that has been in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours does not enter your stomach. Limit the consumption of cold and hot, the dish should be warm.
• Cook correctly. When subjecting products to heat treatment, preference should be given to gentle methods: boiling, cooking in the oven, steaming. If you have kidney cancer, fried foods are prohibited; they accumulate a huge amount of carcinogens. Fish, like meat, needs to be ground into minced meat and put into soufflés, casseroles or steamed cutlets. In this form they are easier to digest.
• Monitor the amount of fluid entering the body. Of course, the more a person drinks, the faster toxins are eliminated. But with kidney cancer, it is important not to overload the organ further. The daily dose is agreed upon with the attending physician. If a patient suffers from indigestion or vomiting, he loses a lot of fluid, so it is recommended to drink at least three liters of still clean water per day.

The diet plan for a patient with kidney cancer should include foods with minimal salt content. Its consumption rate is 5 g per day. The dish is not salted during the cooking process, but you can season the finished dish a little. It is advisable to exclude this flavoring additive from the diet.

If the condition of a patient with kidney cancer worsens and disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract appear, the diet is adjusted based on the problem. For example, during severe diarrhea, reduce the consumption of foods that have a laxative effect (fruits, herbs, vegetables). Fiber-rich foods can help relieve constipation. If the patient has difficulty swallowing or chewing, prepare soft and liquid foods (soups, purees, soufflés).

Ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

An important point when choosing a diet for a patient with kidney cancer is maintaining a balance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Their correct ratio is 1:4:1. On average, thermal energy consumption per day is 3 thousand calories.

Protein should make up no more than 15% of your daily calorie intake. If we take into account that 4.1 calories are released from 1 gram, then the daily norm for kidney cancer is 100 g. All protein products are conventionally divided into four groups:

• Protein up to 3% - sugar, tomato, peach, Jerusalem artichoke, eggplant, raspberries, strawberries, green peas, green beans, potatoes, honey, figs, grapes, orange, cucumber, dates, pineapple, leeks, cauliflower and kohlrabi, butter, vegetable oil.
• Protein within 3–10% - oats, barley, wheat, corn, vermicelli, millet, milk, chocolate, rice, flour products.
• Protein within 10–15% – eggs, almonds, feta cheese, condensed milk, pork belly, walnuts.
• Protein more than 15% - lentils, pork, beans, fish, lamb, cheeses, poultry, peas, beef, crabs, crayfish.
• Animal protein saturates the body with amino acids. Cancer patients should consume it 30–40% of the total amount of protein food.

Fats for malignant kidney tumors should be limited to 80 g per day. Of these, 60% should be animal fats, and the rest should be vegetable fats.

Primacy in the menu of a patient with kidney cancer is given to plant foods, the main source of carbohydrates. These are berries, fruits, cereals, vegetables, bread. Sugar consumption is limited to 20% of total carbohydrates.

Diet for people with one kidney: food lists

An unbalanced diet leads to hypovitaminosis and immunodeficiency, which are dangerous complications. When removing a kidney, you need to eat fortified foods with the required amount of minerals and amino acids. The basis of the diet in case of kidney excision is fresh fruits and boiled vegetables, as they contain the maximum amount of nutrients.

Mandatory

The diet includes foods that all people who have had a nephrectomy need to eat. They have diuretic properties and contain components that normalize metabolism and prevent acid-base imbalance.

What foods can you eat after kidney removal:

• pumpkin – removes toxic substances;
• watermelon - washes away salts and pathogenic flora;
• melon – replenishes the deficiency of folacin and iron;
• carrots – stimulates kidney function;
• cranberry – disinfects the urinary tract;
• blueberries – prevents the formation of sand.

When removing an organ in old age, decoctions of rosehip and bearberry are especially useful. They stimulate urination and replenish the lack of ascorbic acid and vitamin E in the body.

Featured

As part of the diet, all types of heat treatment of food are allowed (except frying), so it is not difficult to follow. To diversify the menu as much as possible after organ removal, more fortified foods are added.

To season second courses, use sauces with low-fat sour cream or olive oil. They do not irritate the organs of the urinary system and gastrointestinal tract.

What can you eat after kidney removal:

• Flour products. For those who have undergone nephrectomy, salt is limited to three to five grams per day. Therefore, only salt-free flour products with a minimum amount of proteins are included in the diet.
• Meat. When preparing dishes, preference is given to lean meat - veal, rabbit, chicken fillet. When a kidney is removed, meat dishes are included in the diet up to three times a week.
• Fish. They prefer pollock, pollock, hake and blue whiting. It is allowed to boil, stew and bake fish with vegetables.
• Dairy products. Milk is consumed in small quantities. According to the diet, it is better to give preference to kefir, fermented baked milk and sour cream. They contain almost no calcium, which provokes stone formation in the kidney after the second one is removed.
• Porridge. To prevent constipation and intoxication, eat oatmeal and buckwheat porridge.
• Beverages. When removing one kidney, diluted juices, fruit drinks, jelly, rosehip decoction, bearberry infusion, and kidney tea are useful.
• Vegetables. Those who have undergone nephrectomy are allowed almost all vegetables - carrots, squash, potatoes, beets, eggplants, cauliflower. But due to the restriction of table salt, canned tomatoes and cucumbers are excluded from the diet.

In the first six months or at least 2-3 months after organ removal, baked pears and apples with honey are especially useful.

Completely or partially prohibited

Extractive (rich) dishes are removed from the diet

It is important that the diet after removal of a kidney with a tumor does not burden the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system. Therefore, they refuse difficult-to-digest foods - mushrooms, legumes, fatty meats

When one kidney is removed, a ban on alcoholic beverages, hot sauces and spices is imposed for life.

What should not be consumed by patients after a single kidneyectomy:

• meat – goose, pork, duck, smoked chicken;
• vegetables - leafy, legumes, parsley, garlic, radish;
• seasonings and sauces - chili pepper, ketchup, adjika, mustard;
• drinks – strong tea, concentrated juices, coffee, soda;
• fish – ivasi, nelma, saury, stellate sturgeon, halibut, sturgeon.

When dieting, it is not advisable to use cooking oil or margarine in dishes. They increase the load on the gastrointestinal tract.

Foods that should not be consumed or not recommended

1. Bread: black, white, buns, salty bread.
2. Meat: fatty meats, duck, lamb and pork, fatty fish.
3. Soups: fatty broths from meat or chicken, mushroom soup.
4. Salty and spicy foods: salted cheese, sausages, smoked products, salted fish, canned food, marinades and homemade pickles, vinegar.
5. Vegetables: onions, garlic, spinach, celery, rice, radishes, sorrel, parsley.
6. Sweets: chocolate, rich cakes with rich cream.
7. Drinks: strong tea and coffee, concentrated juices, alcohol, mineral waters, kidney tea.
8. Legumes: peas, beans, chickpeas.

What to eat after surgery

There is no specific menu for every day after kidney removal. A diet for one kidney removed can only be formulated by a doctor, and it is determined over a long period of time based on the functioning of the body. As the organs adapt, certain dishes are added to the diet. Remember that the rehabilitation process with one remaining kidney is as smooth as possible. Do not overuse not only certain foods, but also reduce the amount of liquid and mineral water you consume.

Compliance with the following recommendations must be followed in strict order, because coming up with a diet on your own, eliminating this or that product, may not benefit the kidney. A diet after kidney removal allows you to restore the organ and its healthy functioning in just a year. So, after the operation, follow these rules.

Ensure that you eat regularly and eat up to 6 times a day, which will help ease the tasks performed by one kidney. Any chosen dish must be as easily digestible as possible, filled with the necessary vitamins and nutrients. At first you will have to eat only food cooked at a certain temperature.

It is best if the food is warmer than usual. It is important to remember that you should not subject your diet to sudden changes after surgery. Transition to this regime smoothly, gradually replacing protein foods with plant-based and dairy dishes

The peculiarity of nutrition is that all foods must be high-calorie, because the goal of nutrition is not weight loss. On average, the patient is allowed to consume 500 grams of bread or flour products per day. The diet after surgery involves moderate water consumption: reduce your usual volume to one liter of any permitted drinks, juices, soups. Adding salt to food is also not recommended, but it cannot be completely eliminated. Patients are allowed to consume 5 grams per day.

In addition to following the basic rules, the diet should be supplemented with preventive measures. It is advisable to go for walks every day, take a contrast shower, and perform physical therapy. Water procedures help one kidney to facilitate its work, because the skin is responsible for some of the body’s secretions. You can visit the Finnish and Russian baths if the attending physician approves of these procedures. Healthy teeth and the absence of any chronic inflammation or diseases are responsible for the functioning of the kidney. The patient must not only follow a diet after kidney removal, but also be regularly examined by all doctors.

Often at first a person feels a temporary dull pain that disappears over time. Taking painkillers in this case is not recommended. It is better to give preference to decoctions of medicinal herbs. Suitable consumption of kidney tea, cranberry, lingonberry juice. Thanks to the medicinal properties of the components, it is possible to reduce spasms and have an antibacterial effect on the body.

Recipes for various dishes

To prevent complications and restore weight lost during illness, nutrition after removal of a kidney with a tumor should be varied and balanced. This is the only way to support a weakened body and avoid urolithiasis.

The vinaigrette. Boil 3 potatoes, 1 carrot and 1 beet. Cool the prepared vegetables, peel and cut into small cubes. Add fresh or thawed peas (not canned). Season the salad with a small amount of vegetable oil.

Omelette with vegetables. Cut the fresh tomato into rings, peel the bell pepper from the stalk and seeds and chop into strips. Sauté vegetables for 2 minutes. At this time, beat 2 eggs with 2 glasses of milk, pour the mixture into the vegetables, season with herbs. Simmer the omelette, covered, over low heat until cooked.

Baked fish. Defrost cod or tilapia fillets, rinse, pat dry with a napkin and place on a baking sheet. Place a layer of grated carrots, sesame seeds and a few slices of lemon on the fish. Bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.

Sample menu for 7 days

When compiling the menu, nutritionists take into account the recommendations of the nephrologist and the list of permitted products.

1st day

Breakfast: porridge cooked in water, herbal tea, cottage cheese 0% fat, unsalted.

Breakfast No. 2: rosehip drink, pudding.

Lunch time: cooked turkey (two hundred grams), vegetable soup, fruit compote (200 milliliters).

Afternoon snack: pasta casserole, steamed fish cutlets, milk or kefir with a reduced fat content.

Dinner: zero-fat yogurt (two hundred milliliters).

2nd day

Breakfast: carrot cutlets, pasta with milk, tea without sugar.

Breakfast No. 2: mashed potatoes with baked fish.

Lunch time: lean borscht, boiled lean meat, homemade apple drink.

Afternoon snack: meat cooked in the oven, one hundred grams of cottage cheese with added sugar, tea with milk.

Dinner: two hundred milliliters of yogurt.

3rd day

Breakfast: vegetable salad, stewed fish, vegetable juice.

Breakfast No. 2: cottage cheese pie baked in the oven.

Lunch time: vermicelli soup with milk, boiled rice with a piece of veal, berry compote.

Afternoon snack: Hercules porridge with dried fruits, potatoes cooked in the oven.

Dinner: two hundred milliliters of homemade yogurt.

4th day

Breakfast: rice porridge, cottage cheese, tea with honey.

Breakfast No. 2: cottage cheese casserole.

Lunch time: vegetable soup, buckwheat with boiled meat, apple drink.

Afternoon snack: two hundred milliliters of kefir.

Dinner: pasta casserole, steamed cutlets from any type of fish, two hundred milliliters of low-fat milk.

5th day

Breakfast: stewed rice with vegetables, juice (diluted) or fruit compote, cottage cheese.

Breakfast No. 2: sweet kefir.

Lunch time: vegetable soup with chicken, apple compote.

Afternoon snack: rosehip decoction, curd and rice casserole.

Dinner: one hundred grams of dried fruits.

6th day

Breakfast: buckwheat with milk, boiled beets or carrots, herbal tea.

Breakfast No. 2: mashed potatoes + a piece of boiled fish.

Lunch time: vegetable borscht, compote.

Afternoon snack: meat casserole, tea with a spoon of honey.

Dinner: two hundred milliliters of fermented milk product.

7th day

Breakfast: semolina cooked in water, tea drink.

Breakfast No. 2: oatmeal with pieces of fruit, fresh vegetable salad, low-fat milk.

Lunch time: potato soup, a portion of lean meat, berry jelly.

Afternoon snack: baked cottage cheese with berries, pancakes stuffed with apples, compote.

Dinner: two hundred milliliters of fermented milk drink.

In case of renal pathology after nephrectomy, nutrition selected by a nutritionist helps the organs do their job. It is difficult to follow the diet for the first 50-60 days. Then the diet becomes familiar.

After excision of an organ with oncology, it is very difficult for even a healthy kidney to perform its functions alone. Proper nutrition, adjusted by a nutritionist taking into account all the patient’s characteristics, will help a person recover faster. Failure to adhere to the diet can lead to the loss of the only urinary organ.

Principles

The duration of the recovery period after the operation is at least one and a half years. At this time, the patient needs to protect the body from excessive stress and prevent infection.

In order for recovery after resection of a kidney with a tumor to be as successful as possible, you need to adhere to a special diet.

The basic rules of therapeutic nutrition are as follows:

• exclude spicy, fatty, fried and salty foods;
• include foods high in vitamins and microelements in your diet;
• drink enough water;
• Avoid dyes and preservatives.

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If you do not ignore the doctors' instructions, then following the diet will not be difficult. Important recommendations to follow:

• avoid eating foods containing oxalic acid if there is a risk of oxalate stones forming in a healthy organ;
• limit the consumption of meat and fish in case of urate stones;
• Avoid dairy products if there is a risk of phosphate deposits.

The main task of the kidneys is to filter the blood from waste products. When one paired organ is removed, the second one places an additional burden, which becomes more difficult to cope with.

That is why it is necessary to pay special attention to the liquid you drink. The daily norm should not exceed one and a half liters. But it is also not recommended to drink less water, as this may disrupt the water balance, as a result of which new deposits will begin to form in a healthy organ.

You need to eat up to five times a day in small portions. The diet should be varied:

• at least 80 grams of fat;
• 70 – squirrel;
• about 500 carbohydrates.

It is advisable to eat all dishes boiled, stewed or cooked in a steam bath.

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When eating therapeutically, it is important to adhere to the “plate” principle. This contributes to the formation of a healthy portion. To do this you need:

• mentally divide the plate into 4 equal parts;
• fill half with vegetables;
• one quarter - a side dish of porridge or pasta;
• fish or lean meat in the rest

You can make salads from vegetables with the addition of vegetable oil.

Rules for further lifestyle

For a patient who has undergone kidney removal surgery, it is very important to follow a strict diet throughout his life. If you do not adhere to the doctor’s recommendations, you can provoke disturbances in the functioning of a healthy organ, as a result the patient will be kept on hemodialysis for life

If you do not adhere to the doctor’s recommendations, you can provoke disruptions in the functioning of a healthy organ, as a result of which the patient will be kept on hemodialysis for life.

Another important condition is lifestyle: you need to sleep a sufficient number of hours (at least 7-8), lead an active lifestyle, and give up bad habits.

Selecting a diet should only be done by a specialized specialist; you should not make decisions about this on your own.

Among the features of the diet after nephrectomy are:

A balanced diet, a reduced amount of protein foods, a high content of vitamins and microelements. You need to eat food that is quickly digested and absorbed. The number of meals should be at least 5 times. It is very important to chew your food thoroughly and take your time swallowing. Limiting fluid intake (no more than 1 liter per day). All dishes should contain a minimum amount of salt (no more than 5 g per day), it is better to avoid this product altogether. Fried, fatty, spicy foods are prohibited. All food should be steamed, boiled or stewed. In the first few days, you should give preference to food in the form of purees. Constantly monitor your weight to monitor the load on your healthy kidney. New products are introduced gradually after preliminary consultation with a doctor. Any canned food, marinades, spices are excluded.

Alternatively, you can use natural lemon juice. It is very important to follow all the rules of the diet so that the body can fully recover. On average it can take about 1.5 years

Exclude any canned food, marinades, spices. Alternatively, you can use natural lemon juice.

It is very important to follow all the rules of the diet so that the body can fully recover. On average it can take about 1.5 years

It is necessary to control the total calorie content of dishes; it should not exceed the daily recommended amount. The food should not be hot, it is better to be at room temperature.

Portions are preferably small in size so that the food has time to be digested and absorbed. At first, the patient may feel constant hunger, but after a few days everything will return to normal.

If partial organ resection was performed, the patient also follows a diet. But in this case, foods that cause kidney disease must be excluded from the diet (for example, in case of urolithiasis, salt and mineral waters are completely excluded).

Consequences of dietary errors in the postoperative period

If you do not follow the recommendations of nutritionists, your continued satisfactory quality of life is in question. It is likely that errors will lead to hemodialysis. This is a therapeutic consequence of serious renal failure - blood purification using a special device.

The danger cannot be overstated. Complications can be fatal. And only an artificial kidney can then prolong the patient’s life, and the cost of the procedures will be about one and a half million rubles per year. This is an unaffordable amount in most cases. Stick to proper nutrition so that your body can return to normal.

Diet for one kidney: menu

The diet of patients should be compiled by a nutritionist based on all the recommendations of doctors. But in general, the approximate menu after the operation is almost the same.

Approximate diet:

1. Breakfast: various cereals, tea, cottage cheese, vinaigrette, boiled fish, fruit pilaf. The first meal should consist, for example, of porridge, cottage cheese and weak tea.
2. Second breakfast: vegetable casserole, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, vinaigrette, boiled fish, juice, jelly, tea.
3. Lunch: light soup for the first course, for the second - a side dish with boiled chicken or lean fish. It is considered the second main meal of the day. But with a large number of dishes, you should not overeat, the portions should not be very large.
4. Afternoon snack: cookies or biscuits and juice, kefir, jelly, fruit juice.
5. Dinner: vegetable casserole, mashed potatoes or vegetable salad and juice, rosehip infusion, tea.
6. Before bed: kefir, dried fruits, yogurt or yogurt.

This is an approximate list of dishes. You can add something of your own based on the products recommended for consumption. The main thing is not to cook with prohibited foods and monitor the amount of salt consumed.

Summarizing

The diet after removal of a kidney with a tumor must be followed. But all the information that can be gleaned from this article is not a panacea. There is always a strong influence of other factors - the individual characteristics of the patient’s body. To achieve a positive result, you need to work closely with your doctor and not neglect the recommendations offered.

4 minutes to read

Often, a kidney tumor involves the removal of the diseased organ, which in the postoperative period (several months or years) requires special attention when choosing nutrition, since a healthy kidney has to cope with the entire load. Throughout this time, you must strictly adhere to all the recommendations of specialists. Longer adaptation is required when diagnosing a malignant tumor, when a diet is simply necessary.

Content

General information about kidney disease

The kidneys are very often exposed to various inflammatory and infectious processes, and neoplasms are often found in them.
If a person is not treated on time, he will develop serious complications. As a therapy, doctors resort to nephrectomy - removal of the affected organ. The main indications are:

• malignant neoplasms;
• severe bleeding;
• tissue necrosis in the organ;
• frequent renal colic, which occurs due to large deposits;
• process of development of metastases;
• multiple cystic lesions, which is accompanied by the development of renal failure;
• increased accumulation of urine (hydronephrosis), which cannot be cured in any other way;
• acute renal failure;
• an infectious process that completely affects the entire organ;
• stenosis of the arterial vessels of the kidneys.

After nephrectomy, the patient must adhere to strict dietary rules, this will help speed up the healing process and restart metabolic processes in the body.

Nutrition during chemotherapy

During chemotherapy, a person’s immune system suffers, all physiological processes in the body deteriorate, he complains of nausea, vomiting and severe weakness. Lack of fluid during chemotherapy can aggravate these symptoms, so people undergoing this treatment are recommended to drink up to 10 glasses of water and tea per day.

If vomiting or diarrhea occurs, which is not uncommon during this period, it is important to take into account the amount of fluid lost and be sure to replace it with additional fluids to prevent dehydration. Experts recommend drinking green tea during chemotherapy, which contains epigallocatechin gallate, which has antitumor and detoxification properties. In this case, the daily food ration along with liquid should not exceed 3 liters.

Sample menu

Nephrectomy is a serious stress for the body. No matter how difficult the diet may seem, it must be followed for at least 1.5 years.

People with one kidney should absolutely not drink mineral water: it contains mineral salts, which can lead to the development of urolithiasis.

It is ideal to include diet bread and juices diluted with water in your diet. Nutritionists offer the following menu for the day:

1. The first meal begins with a sandwich with butter, vegetable salad and dried apple compote.
2. For the 2nd meal, porridge with milk and rosehip infusion is suitable.
3. For lunch you can eat vegetable soup, baked fish with stewed vegetables, tea with milk.
4. During dinner, you should eat porridge with water, chopped steamed meat, jelly or berry mousse.
5. Before going to bed, it is useful to eat unsalted cookies with herbal tea.

By following a diet, you can speed up kidney recovery.

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Diet after kidney removal is a specially designed diet for patients who have undergone nephrectomy in order to prevent relapses.

Diet after removal of one kidney: features

Removal of one kidney is carried out if the second one is absolutely healthy, otherwise the body will not be able to withstand the increased load.

After surgery, the drinking regime should be adjusted and observed: drink about one liter of water per day. It is necessary to limit the consumption of protein foods and reduce the amount of meat, fish dishes, peas, as well as pickles and marinades. It is recommended to replace traditional flour products with cereal breads and sweet cookies.

The basis of the diet is light first and steam courses (meat, fish, vegetables).

Low-fat soups with added vegetables, cereals or broths with pasta are perfect for this. A small amount of butter or kefir will provide the rich taste of lean dishes.

It is necessary to follow such strict recommendations, since the body with one kidney must adapt to increased stress. 2-3 weeks after the operation, dietary meat of rabbit, calf and chicken is introduced into the diet - no more than 150 g per day. If a person feels the need for additional protein nutrition, you can steam low-fat fish or offer chicken or quail eggs for breakfast (1-2 per day).

You should wait a bit with dairy and fermented milk products; they can cause nephrolithiasis (kidney stones). After nephrectomy, it is recommended to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits in any form: jam, jam, fresh juices. In the summer (only after 2 months after the end of the operation), you can and should enjoy sweet watermelons, which help remove stones. In winter, rosehip decoctions and herbal teas are useful.

Daily diet after nephrectomy

The daily menu is developed together with a nutritionist, who will draw up a list of permitted and prohibited foods. There are several balanced diets that you can change and alternate to add variety to your daily menu.

• Breakfast - the first meal (approximately at 8 am) should consist of a light vegetable salad without salt, bread with a piece of butter, juice or compote.
• Second breakfast (lunch) - at noon, includes an omelet, porridge with low-fat milk and herbal tea based on rose hips.
• Lunch is the optimal time from 15 to 16 hours. The main table is lean vegetable soup, baked fish in the oven, several fruits to choose from and weak tea.
• Dinner - from 19 to 20 hours. You can eat porridge, steamed chicken, veal or fish cutlets, and berry mousse for dessert.
• Second dinner - no heavy dishes, only unleavened cookies and herbal tea.

A balanced diet is the key to a speedy recovery and return to your normal lifestyle.



Due to the absence of one kidney as a result of nephrectomy for oncology, the second one that remains has a double load and can hypertrophy.

Diet after kidney removal helps the body adapt to new life and changes in it. If you stick to it for 10-12 months, your health will be in perfect order.

Nutrition at different stages of the disease

In the following table, we look at what dietary recommendations look like at different stages of kidney cancer.

What to consider when creating a menu?

It is recommended to always keep a list of permitted and prohibited products at hand. This helps to avoid mistakes when planning your diet. One kidney requires careful selection of products, the right combination. Maximum nutrients and vitamins should be supplied with food

This is especially important after removal of kidney cancer. Eating right is not difficult: the restrictions are not so strict, and over time the menu for the patient ceases to be a big difficulty

The table shows food options for main meals:

It is necessary to eat small meals, snacks are required. If the patient does not want to overeat at night, you can have dinner around 16-00, and eat a light meal before going to bed. There are a lot of options: dry cookies with tea, berry mousse, steam omelette, yogurt, cottage cheese casserole, baked apple, fruit salad with yogurt, etc.

Prohibited

The diet must be free of toxins and preservatives. Various food additives are also excluded.

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The following products are strictly prohibited:

• mushrooms;
• spinach;
• gas stations;
• fat meat;
• all broths, except those made from vegetables;
• wheat bread;
• sorrel;
• sausages;
• smoked meats;
• onion;
• spinach;
• cocoa and black tea;
• garlic;
• coffee;
• chocolate products;
• legumes;
• alcoholic and carbonated drinks;
• celery.

It is forbidden to add spices and salt to cooked dishes. During the recovery period and following a special diet, it is also recommended to give up fast food and processed foods.

Most of the listed products are not beneficial even for a healthy person, not to mention people who have undergone surgery for kidney cancer.

A particular difficulty in following a therapeutic diet is avoiding salt. According to experts, after resection of the affected organ it is necessary to refrain from using it for some time. In the future, you can add salt to dishes, but only within reasonable limits.

Diet price

The diet contains affordable products and since it is based on cereals and vegetables, and meat or fish dishes are allowed once a day, the cost of a week’s food is 1100 - 1200 rubles.

Author-compiler: Vladimir Konev - doctor, medical journalist Specialization: epidemiologist, hygienist more details

Education: Graduated from the Sverdlovsk Medical School (1968 - 1971) with a degree in Paramedic. He graduated from the Donetsk Medical Institute (1975 - 1981) with a degree in epidemiologist and hygienist. He completed his postgraduate studies at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology in Moscow (1986 - 1989). Academic degree – Candidate of Medical Sciences (degree awarded in 1989, defense – Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Moscow). Completed numerous advanced training courses in epidemiology and infectious diseases.

Work experience: Work as head of the disinfection and sterilization department 1981 - 1992. Work as head of the department of especially dangerous infections 1992 - 2010. Teaching activity at the Medical Institute 2010 - 2013.

NOTE! The information about diets on the site is for reference and general information, collected from publicly available sources and cannot serve as a basis for making a decision about their use. Before using the diet, be sure to consult with a nutritionist.

12/04/2017 00:58

Most patients who have had a kidney removed wonder whether it is possible to lead a full life with only one organ of the urinary system. And the first thing you need to know is that recovery after nephrectomy lasts more than 6 months, because a healthy kidney needs time to adapt to the double load.

Rehabilitation will be successful only if the patient follows the important instructions of doctors - monitor his diet and the amount of fluid he drinks.

Help after surgery

Most patients who have had to remove one kidney are wondering how to help the other after surgery? Rehabilitation can last more than a year, and the patient must understand that a healthy kidney now works twice as hard.

If you help the organ, rehabilitation will go quickly. At first, the kidney will function at the limit of its capabilities, so you should not overload yourself with large amounts of fluid, infections or physical activity.

You should only take medications prescribed by a doctor; there should be no self-medication. It is useful to go swimming, go to the bathhouse or sauna. You should also follow a daily routine and diet. It is this that, after cutting out the diseased kidney, helps in the adaptation of the healthy one.

List of permitted and prohibited products

The specialist decides what your diet will be, but every person who has undergone surgery is required to familiarize themselves with the list of permitted and prohibited foods, in order to subsequently avoid mistakes. The following foods and dishes are allowed and have a positive effect on the body:

• vegetable, fruit, sour cream sauces;
• weak herbal, fruit, vegetable drinks, teas, natural juices;
• any fruit and vegetable dishes without adding salt or spices;
• bran bread;
• soups without meat, with the addition of vegetables, cereals, herbs, pasta;
• low-fat dairy products and unsalted cheeses;
• light butter and vegetable oil;
• boiled eggs;
• boiled poultry fillet;
• low-fat stewed, boiled, baked fish, minced fish;
• fruit and berry dishes;
• premium pasta without protein.

During the diet, it is recommended to adhere to an energy value equal to three thousand calories, of which carbohydrate foods should be more than 400 grams, and protein and fatty foods should be more than 70 grams. You need to completely exclude from the daily menu:

• fatty, smoked, spicy fish, meat, poultry;
• broth from fish, meat, mushrooms;
• any pastry and flour dishes, chocolate;
• sausages, sausages, preserves, marinades;
• White bread.

To ensure high-quality functioning of the remaining kidney, it is necessary to follow all recommendations and rules unquestioningly, without changing them yourself.

Features of the diet for adults, children, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly

After an oncological diagnosis is made, intensive treatment of the disease in a hospital begins. Before surgery and in the first days after it, a fasting diet is recommended. The child is offered 1.5-2 liters of fluid per day in the form of purified water, weak tea, freshly squeezed juices and decoctions of berries and fruits. After 72 hours, low-fat fish, chicken, cottage cheese and eggs are introduced into the little patient’s diet. Fats include butter and vegetable oil. It is also recommended to create a menu of any vegetables, cereals and fruits. Excluded are products that to a certain extent irritate the renal epithelium: broths, caffeine, garlic, fried, spicy and salty foods, as well as salt itself. It is recommended that the child eat 6 times a day in small portions. Food should only be freshly prepared and warm. This diet must be followed for the next year.

The diet for adenocarcinoma and kidney cancer in pregnant and lactating women, as well as the elderly, is built on the same principles. A weakened body needs a sufficient supply of nutrients and maintaining water balance. If he lacks energy resources, the condition of patients worsens, exhaustion and cachexia develop. If you are underweight, any treatment ceases to be effective. If the weight loss is 40% or more, the situation ends in death.

How to eat, what you can eat and what you can’t?

The postoperative menu for a patient who has undergone kidney resection or nephrectomy should be varied and contain vitamins and beneficial microelements in the required quantities.

To improve the taste of prepared dishes, it is permissible to add cinnamon, citric acid, and cumin.

The basis of the menu is fresh fruits and vegetables, which help maintain normal metabolic processes in the body. Animal fats can be consumed in quantities of no more than 100 g per day.

The list of recommended dishes and products includes:

Bran bread, biscuits without salt. Vegetable soup with dill and green onions. Chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit - one month after surgery. Lean fish. Omelette, boiled eggs - 1-2 per day. Low-fat fermented milk products in moderate quantities. Its excess leads to the formation of sand in the kidneys. Vegetable dishes. Fresh fruits, berries, jam from them. Melon - watermelon, pumpkin, melon. Porridges or casseroles from cereals. Protein-free pasta. Cheese without seasoning and with a small dose of salt. Refined oil. Sour cream or vegetable sauce.

To prevent constipation, oven-baked apples, apricots, and prunes are recommended. Suitable drinks include decoctions, uzvars, fruit drinks, juices diluted with water, and weak teas.

The list of prohibited products includes:

• baked goods and sweets;
• soups with meat and mushrooms;
• ear;
• smoked meats, sausage, frankfurters, small sausages;
• canned fish, stew;

Strong tea or coffee, cocoa, and mineral water are harmful. Alcohol is also prohibited. All of them provoke urolithiasis. It is undesirable to eat dishes with the addition of spinach, parsley, garlic, and onions.

Products with antitumor properties

Scientists have found that some substances included in the products can inhibit the development of tumors. These substances include carotene and carotenoids, sulforaphane, lentinan and ergothioneine, some amino acids, vitamins (especially E and C), and trace elements (for example, selenium). These substances are contained in the following products:

1. Seaweed. They contain vitamins, carotenoids and trace elements (especially iodine, which kills cancer cells).
2. Carrot. Carotene contained in the plant can stop tumor cell growth and removes toxins.
3. Pomegranate. It contains ellagic acid, which slows down the progression of cancer.
4. Broccoli. This plant contains sulforaphane, which destroys tumor cells. Broccoli and other types of cabbage contain indoles, substances that prevent the proliferation of cancer cells.
5. Tomatoes. Lycopene, which is part of their composition, has antioxidant properties and inhibits tumor growth.
6. Strawberry. Under the influence of ellagic acid, which is part of its composition, enzymes are synthesized that kill cancer cells. Blackberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and cranberries have the same properties.
7. Caraway. Oncology leads to decreased immunity. This plant stimulates the body's defenses and destroys cancer cells.
8. Turmeric. Contains tumor-killing curcumin.
9. Green tea. It has long been used for the treatment of tumor prevention, due to the content of antioxidants in its composition.
10. Rosehip decoction contains a large amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C, and its consumption promotes a speedy recovery.

Important dietary points

In the first month after organ removal, you must strictly follow medical recommendations. If you ignore nutritional rules, the urinary system experiences excessive stress, which leads to complications. Diet after kidney surgery stimulates adaptation of the functioning organ.

Diet

Fractional nutrition is a key principle of the diet that must be followed during rehabilitation. If a person has only one kidney, they should:

• have breakfast 30-40 minutes after waking up;
• eat every 1.5-2 hours;
• have dinner at least 2 hours before bedtime.

Fasting during organ removal is contraindicated. Violation of diet conditions leads to an increase in the amount of purines and other metabolites in the blood. Because of this, the toxic load on the kidney increases. Therefore, during rehabilitation, it is advisable to eat food 5 times a day.

Serving Size

Dietary nutrition after kidney removal is recommended for 6 months to 1.5 years. The serving size is determined by the fist rule - the volume of a person’s stomach corresponds to a fist. Therefore, at one time they eat an amount of food that is approximately equal to its size.

More precisely, the serving volume is determined as follows:

• a woman's palm corresponds to 100 g of poultry or fish;
• 1 handful contains a serving of pasta, vegetable salad or porridge;
• 200 g of meat corresponds to the volume of a woman’s fist.

According to statistics, more than 25-30% of people cannot determine the serving size in grams by eye. To prevent overeating, it is better to purchase a kitchen scale.

Cooking methods

As part of the diet, it is advisable to avoid fried meat, vegetables and fish. Such dishes contain carcinogens and purines, which increase the load on the kidney by 1.5-2 times. Postoperative nutrition should be gentle, so nephrologists advise stewing, boiling and baking foods.

If you are prone to constipation, you should eat baked apples three times a week.

How much are you allowed to drink?

After nephrectomy, the load on the remaining kidney increases significantly. Therefore, when an organ is removed, patients are warned about the need to adhere to the drinking regime:

• in the first month after discharge, drink no more than 0.5-0.7 liters of liquid per day;
• gradually the daily volume of water is increased to 1 liter;
• 1.5 hours before bedtime, try not to drink fermented milk drinks.

If the performance of the second kidney is reduced, the diet is adjusted. If there are stones in the organ, preference is given to acidic or alkaline mineral waters, depending on the type of stones.

Daily calorie content

If a person has had one kidney removed, he must monitor the calorie content of his diet. The permissible energy value of the daily menu is 2800-3000 kcal/day.

Optimal amount of nutrients:

• carbohydrates – 450-500 g;
• fats – up to 90 g;
• proteins – no more than 80 g.

With concomitant pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system, the calorie content of the diet is adjusted.

If a kidney is removed, they eat only natural, easily digestible food without dyes.