Fish for chronic kidney disease patients

When it comes to your kidney health, the prominent concern is what you eat. As you all must have read “prevention is better than cure”, prevention first starts with your habits. One of your habits includes your diet. Your diet can give negative outcomes concurrently with positive outcomes.

For kidney patients, fish is the best source to keep your kidneys healthy. It’s quite ambiguous to say if fish is beneficial or bad for kidney disease, so the nuanced explanation regarding fish and kidney disease can help to find out. Here in this article, you will get to know everything about the fish diet for kidney patients. Your human body does not produce Omega-3 fatty acids so you have to consume them with other sources. The omega-3 fatty acid is an essential component for the body which helps to cut down the fat in the blood.

To consume Omega-3 fatty acids, fish is the best source available. When the kidneys get damaged the abnormal level of protein remains in the urine and the fish and fish oils help to decrease protein in urine and increase glucose tolerance. Also, High blood pressure is one of the common causes of kidney disease and Omega-3 fatty acids present in fish is beneficial for high blood pressure patients. So, ultimately the fish can help to prevent even the root causes of kidney disease.

Which fish is allowed in chronic kidney disease

Doctors suggest patients with kidney disease to consume cold-water fish. Cold fish are fish that lives in cold water and dark and contain a high level of Omega-3 fatty acids. However, it is not completely found if the patient should eat fried, grilled or baked fish. Omega-3 presented in fish is divided into two categories 1. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 2. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Experts suggest avoiding canned fish. Canned fish is also known as tinned fish, it is processed and sealed in an airtight container. Fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids are 

  1. Mackerel- it’s a small fatty fish which contains 4107 mg per piece. 
  2. Salmon- it is considered as the most nutritious fish as it is rich in high protein, vitamin-D and omega-3 fatty acids. It has 2260 mg of omega-3 in 100 grams.
  3. Herring- it is one of the oily fish of the medium size that has 2336 mg of Omega-3 in 100 grams.
  4. Sardines- just like herring, sardines is also oily fish but small in size. It has 1480 mg of Omega-3 in 100 grams.
  5. Anchovies- it is oily fish, often eaten dried. It has 2113 mg of Omega-3 in 100 grams.

Which seafood is safe for chronic kidney disease

In kidney disease, seafood rich in protein should be consumed. Although, canned fish and smoked fish and raw fish should be avoided. Seafood like shellfish, clams, lobster, crabs and shrimp should be consumed for CKD. Most people get confused about whether shellfish is harmful. Shellfish can not harm kidneys although, a little toxin can harm kidneys. 

List of seafood 

  1. Oyster- Oysters are rich in zinc and have 435 mg of Omega-3.
  2. Caviar- it consists of fish eggs rich in choline and Omega-3 fatty acids. It contains 6786 mg per 100 grams.
  3. Mussels- mussels is full of iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and Omega-3.

List of fish

  1. Salmon- Salmon are high in protein, magnesium, potassium, niacin and vitamin B-12.
  2. Cod- Cod is a good source of vitamin B-12, phosphorus, selenium and choline.
  3. Atlantic mackerel- it is a small fatty fish which contains 0.59 g of DHA and 0.43 g of EPA.
  4. Lake trout- it is a white fish which is a good source of protein, calcium, magnesium and niacin.