Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year, and if you take advantage of the unique
fruits it offers, it may also become healthiest season your kidneys!
These 5 fruits are not just delicious, they will provide you with the unique blend of
vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your kidneys need during this season!
My name is Katherine and this is 00Kidney.
Welcome to our journey together to a better kidney health!
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Let's start immediately with the top5.
Our number 5 is a unique fruit you can only enjoy during the next few months.
Also really tasty!
Let's see it
Chestnut!
Oh yes, let's start with a snack! it's not really fall, if you don't roast some chestnuts
over the fire!
Chestnuts are an extremely popular food in some parts of the world (Italy and Korea for
example), but right now you should be able to find them even in the US and in Europe
since they're in season.
If you are in the US, what you will find in grocery stores is most likely the European
variety, Castanea sativa, same I have here, because the American chestnut tree, once common
across the eastern United States, was nearly wiped out by a fungal infestation in the early
1900s.
Now, if you want to try chestnuts, consider that they are not just delicious, they're
also healthy!
First of all, chestnuts are great to improve gut health, since they're rich in fiber.
Great to lower your creatinine levels.
But they also pack a generous amount of vitamin C and copper.
Both these nutrients support the health of your blood vessels and assists in iron absorption.
Yes, this delicious snack is healthy and easy to cook: just slit down the entire middle
surface, on the long side of each nut and roast them in the oven or in a pot.
When purchasing look for chestnuts with a glossy look, unblemished and firm to the touch.
Question, are chestnuts safe for people in the advanced stages of CKD?
Yes, the only thing worth mentioning is that they're a bit high in potassium.
A one ounce serving, or about 30 grams, contains between 100 and 150mg of potassium.
That's not very much, it's about half the potassium you would get from an apple, ok?
So, chestnuts are safe even if you're in stage 4 of CKD, but it's better not to exceed with
the serving size.
Now, some people think that chestnuts are not good for people with diabetes due to the
sugar they contain.
And while it's true that chestnuts have some carbs in them, their glycemic index is low
and they're also rich in fiber, which will slow down the absorption of the carbs.
Question, have you ever tried chestnuts?
Do you prefer them boiled or roasted?
Let's talk about it in comment section!
Ok, time for our number 4 now!
This one is great to keep blood pressure under check and to keep your immune system healthy!
Number 4 is
Eggplant!
Ok, we're talking about a nutrient-dense food here, meaning eggplant contains a significant
amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber but very few calories.
The vitamin & mineral content of eggplant is quite impressive.
It's especially rich in vitamin C, iron and copper.
It's a unique combination especially useful for people with kidney disease because these
nutrients are what you need to fight anemia.
Now, iron deficiency anemia is a common complication of kidney disease.
If you have it, you may experience fatigue, paleness and unfortunately a faster progression
of CKD.
And the diet is key to fight anemia.
As a rich source of iron, eggplants increase the production of red blood cells in the body
and thus help fight anemia.
But there's also a lot of vitamin C here, great to improve the absorption of iron, and
even copper, which is an essential component to produce red blood cells.
This food is, in my opinion, the perfect explanation of why eating healthy is the best thing you
can do for your kidneys.
And, while eggplant is available year-round, its peak is from July to October.
So right now you're going to find the best tasting and most nutrients eggplants.
When selecting, look for a firm, glossy skin.
Size and color vary widely among types, but the eggplant should feel heavy.
And, like other fall and winter vegetables, eggplant recipes can offer comfort and are
perfect for hot meals, healthy stews, casseroles and other warming meals.
and you can grill or roast this versatile vegetable, or you can turn it into a dip.
Have you tried my baba ganoush recipe?
You can use eggplants to make a dip, a very healthy and tasty sauce similar to hummus
you can eat with bread or veggies as a tasty snack.
And, unlike hummus, which is too rich in potassium and phosphorus, Baba ganoush, is safe for
a renal diet.
Actually.
One cup or 80 grams of chopped eggplant contains about 188mg of potassium.
But avoid store bought sauces: they are often packed with sodium and dangerous phosphates.
Ok, time for our number 3.
Many people think that a healthy diet is all about sacrifice, right?
But what if there was something you really liked that turned out to be good for you?
This one, may be it!
Number 3 is...
Walnut!
Oh, another snack!
And in season just right now!
Yes, walnuts are a typical fall food.
And even if these are usually available throughout the year, right now you may find them fresh
and cheap.
Actually, I've just picked these from my one of my trees.
This is why they don't really look like what you're used to buy from the grocery store.
Very organic!
Now, this food is usually seen as a tasty snack, but, in fact, it's so rich in antioxidants
that it may even prevent heart disease and cancer!
Also, there are studies confirming that diets enriched with walnuts led to lower cholesterol
when compared with other diets.
And this is really important if you have kidney disease, because taking care of your heart
means taking care of your kidneys.
And while you may get this heart benefit from other nuts too, walnuts are the nut with the
greatest omega 3 fatty acids content.
Having more omega 3s in your diet doesn't just mean helping your kidneys improve, it's
also great for your mind, joint and heart health.
Absolutely a must if you want to lower your creatinine.
But, do walnuts have a place in a renal diet?
Can you eat them on a daily basis?
Well, the trick here is to eat them in a small quantity.
Let's see why.
If you eat about 7 nuts, or a one ounce or 28 grams serving,
You're going to get just about 120mg of potassium.
Perfectly safe.
Walnuts are actually one of the nuts with the lower potassium content.
About half what you would get from peanuts.
But you're also going to get about 2 grams of healthy fiber from this small serving and
Also, up to 3% of your daily recommended amount of calcium, great for your bones.
And Up to 10% of your daily iron, absolutely a must for people with anemia.
And, last but not least, Up to 14% of your daily magnesium.
now, magnesium deficiency is very, very common and can cause high blood pressure, the second
leading cause of kidney disease.
Well, sometimes it really feels like nature itself is telling you to go outside and eat
the healthy fruits that are in season.
Like our number 2
Number 2 is...
Tangerine and grapefruit!
Most citrus fruits ripen to their sweetest and juiciest just before winter comes.
It's like nature itself wants to tell us we need the powerful antioxidant and vitamin
C these fruits contain to be more prepared against infections such as colds and flu's
that come with the colder months.
But there are even more things citrus fruits can do for the health of your kidneys:
Both these fruits are so rich in Flavanones, a type of flavonoids, that their anti-inflammatory
properties have been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and this
may even help you lowering your creatinine levels.
Remember that if you want to help your kidneys improve, you should take great care of your
heart health.
And, if an apple a day keeps the doctor away, a grapefruit a day may help lower "bad" LDL
cholesterol levels by as much as 15.5%, according to a 2006 study.
This research proved that grapefruit eaters, particularly those eating red, had a drop
in bad cholesterol, while the control group did not.
And the results were noticeable in just one month.
Incredible.
And tangerines are very healthy too, and since they're very easy to peel, they can be used
as a quick snack, especially when you're on the go.
Both these fruits make great additions to salads, too.
And you may have heard that oranges and especially orange juice are not recommended for a kidney
diet for their potassium content, right?
Good news is that both tangerines and grapefruits are lower in potassium than oranges.
One medium sized tangerine, weighting a bit less than 100g, contains just 140mg of potassium.
Considering that even patients in stage 4 can usually have 2000mg of potassium a day
or more, this quantity shouldn't worry you.
Same for Grapefruit: half of this big one, contains just about 160mg of potassium.
Still, my advice here is to avoid juicing these fruits.
This way you aren't going to waste all the precious fiber they contain.
Actually, the pith of these fruits, the white flesh just below the peel, is really good
for your kidney health.
This pith is very rich in antioxidants, nutrients and also soluble fiber.
Soluble fiber is the healthiest type of fiber.
So, while the pith of grapefruit can have a bitter taste, it's worth eating along with
the fruit (if you can).
Now, if you want to add citrus fruits to your diet, consider that they may have interactions
with some medications - especially calcium channel blockers, a group of drugs used to
control blood pressure.
So, if you're taking these medications, ask your doctor if it's safe for you to eat these
healthy fruits.
Time for the number one of this top 5!
Our next autumn fruit is so rich in antioxidants that it can even fight inflammation in the
body!
Number 1 is...
Pears Delicious!
Have you ever tried eating pears with walnuts?
It's one of my favorite snacks.
And pears are also incredibly healthy.
First, they're one of the best sources of fiber.
one medium-sized pear offers the 24% of the Dietary Recommended Intake of fiber.
Yup, this small fruit packs 6 grams of fiber, and that's really a lot.
You need between 25 and 38 grams of fiber per day, and trust me when I say that most
people don't get anywhere near the right amount.
Second benefit, Let's talk about inflammation.
Another complication of CKD, a condition that ignites a long list of disorders.
Arthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's...
Luckily for us, nature offers foods such as pears that are so rich in anthocyanins, a
type of flavonoid with antioxidant effects so powerful they can even keep inflammation
at bay.
But you have to eat the skin to get all those healthy nutrients.
The majority of a pear's fiber and anti-inflammatory compounds are in or just below the skin.
Also, pears are very low in potassium and phosphorus too.
This is a food you can absolutely have on a daily basis.
And, by the way guys, next Friday I'll be uploading a video about the cheapest home
remedies that actually work to fight kidney disease.
So be sure to subscribe and set the notification bell to all, if you don't want to miss it!
In the meantime, keep taking good care of your kidneys and be good to yourself.
This is all for today, thank you for watching!