Carbohydrate Counting For Kidney Health And CKD

Carbohydrates, also referred to as "Carbs," are food sources that when digested and broken down yield simple sugar (glucose). They are one of the three fundamental macronutrients that make up the daily caloric intake. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are the three macronutrients that are crucial. 

In healthy people, carbohydrate consumption meets 50–60% of the body's energy requirements without any problems. Unfortunately, patients with CKD who are obese or have diabetes may need to consume various amounts of carbohydrates. This is why following a nutritious, kidney-friendly diet includes carbohydrate counting. Tracking your daily intake of both food and liquid carbohydrates is known as carbohydrate counting. 

There are two kinds of carbohydrates:

Complex carbs and starches typically cause blood sugar levels to rise more slowly because they take longer for your body to digest and absorb.

Simple sugars or carbohydrates typically cause your blood sugar to rise more quickly than complex carbohydrates.

What does counting carbs entail?

You may monitor the quantity of sugar, sometimes referred to as carbs, that you eat by monitoring your daily intake of carbohydrates. Understanding the carbs in food is crucial if you have diabetes. You may better manage your blood sugar levels by keeping track of the carbohydrates you consume.

Why control your carbohydrates if you have CKD?

As was previously indicated, the body obtains 50–60% of its daily energy demands from the breakdown of carbohydrates into simple sugars like glucose. Overindulgence, though, might make your illness even worse.

The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity might rise if you consume more carbs than you need each day over time.

Physical activity and health status are two factors that affect how much carbohydrates you should consume. 

Your health is a very crucial factor in determining how much carbohydrates you should consume, especially if you have diabetes or are receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). Carbohydrate counting may be necessary for diabetic CKD patients to closely control their consumption of carbohydrates as this will have a significant impact on their blood sugar level. 

Contrarily, the type of dialysis a patient receives will matter. Peritoneal dialysis  employs a soft plastic tube that goes through the stomach, whereas hemodialysis  uses a machine to act as an artificial kidney. 

Dialysate is the fluid that is utilized to filter the kidney. Patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis must consume less carbohydrates because of the dialysate fluid. Dextrose can be found in the dialysate. You could be told to consume less carbohydrates as dextrose is a kind of carbohydrate. 

Up to 15% of your daily carbohydrate needs are taken up by dialysate fluid, thus if your total daily carbohydrate needs are 50–60% (dialysate excluded), the remaining 35–45% must come from other carbohydrate-rich foods like rice, bread, pasta, etc. 

What food items have carbohydrates?

Carbohydrate-rich food commonly consumed include:

• Grains like bread, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereals, and rice
• Oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, mangoes, melons, and other fruits
• dairy products such as milk and yogurt 
• Beans and legumes, such as dry beans, lentils, and peas
• Snacks and desserts, including cakes, cookies, candies, and other goodies
• Juices, ordinary sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and sugar-sweetened energy drinks
• Potatoes, maize, and peas are examples of starchy vegetables.

Meat, fish, chicken, some varieties of cheese, nuts, and oils are examples of foods that don't contain a lot of carbs.

How to begin counting carbohydrates:

Allow your dietician to assist you in distributing your daily carbohydrate intake by talking to them about your dietary choices. Your dietician can assist you in determining the right serving size for your favorite carbohydrate source in this way. Additionally, keeping track of your carbohydrate consumption would be simpler. 

Read this article from NKF (National kidney foundation). Which will provide you with a sample meal plan, should you decide to count your carbs at home.

Things to keep in mind while counting carbohydrates:

• Don't miss any meals.

• Eat at the same time every day to maintain steady blood sugar levels all day.

• At every meal and snack, consume the same quantity of carbohydrates.

• Consume food every three to four hours to maintain stable blood sugar levels.

• Your weight and exercise level will determine how much carbohydrate you require. It is generally advised to have 3 to 6 servings of carbs at each meal and 1 to 3 servings at each snack. The number of servings that are ideal for you will be determined by your nutritionist.

You may calculate serving sizes from grams of carbs found on food labels. For instance:

1 serving is 15 grams.

two serves is 30 grams.

3 servings from 45 grams.

What concerns do people who follow a carb-counting diet have, and how do you address them?

The worst part about counting carbohydrates is that it's challenging. To make the counting a bit simpler, abide by the following advice:

• Knowing which items will count toward your daily carbohydrate intake can help you plan your meals.

• Based on the size of the cup, you may roughly estimate the amount of carbohydrates in a dish that also contains ingredients from other food groups. 

• Count one serving of carbohydrates—one cup—in combination with other items.

• Meals that are frozen might give you a respite from measuring portions. The number of servings and grams of carbs in each serving are listed on the nutrition label of the food box.

Although carbohydrate counting for chronic kidney disease may be difficult at first, you will quickly get used to it with the right advice from your doctor and nutritionist.