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\nEating the right foods in the right amounts may improve your child\u2019s growth, help your child feel better, and prevent or delay health problems from chronic kidney disease (CKD).
\nHealthy kidneys balance the salts and minerals\u2014such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium\u2014in blood. When your child has kidney disease, his or her kidneys are damaged and can\u2019t filter blood the way they should. What your child eats and drinks can help maintain a healthy balance of salts and minerals in his or her body.
\nEating right can also make your child\u2019s CKD medicines work better.
\nYour child\u2019s health care team will work with you to create an eating plan with the right foods and nutrients in the right amounts for your child to grow properly. The team may suggest changes in both the amount and types of food your child needs as he or she gets older or if your child\u2019s kidney disease gets worse. Learning about nutrients in food will help you understand what changes you need to make to your child\u2019s diet. You should always talk with the health care team before making any major changes to your child\u2019s diet.
\nFood provides energy your child needs to grow and be active. Children with CKD tend to avoid eating because they don\u2019t feel hungry. Talk with your child\u2019s kidney specialist or dietitian to make sure your child is getting enough calories for proper growth and to fight infections.
\nChildren\u2019s calorie needs change depending on their age, height, and weight. Your child\u2019s health care team will determine your child\u2019s daily calorie needs, which will change as your child gets older.
\nTo make sure your child is growing properly, his or her health care professional will compare your child\u2019s height and weight against growth charts that show the normal ranges of growth for children by age. If your child is not growing well, the health care team can suggest healthy ways to add calories to your child\u2019s diet. Feeding tubes\u2014thin, flexible tubes that carry liquid food into the stomach or small intestine \u2014are often used for infants and, occasionally, situations arise in which older children and teenagers may also benefit from them.
\nProtein is an important part of any diet. As your child\u2019s body uses protein, it produces waste that the kidneys must remove from the blood. Too much protein can cause waste to build up in your child\u2019s blood.
\nHowever, in children with CKD, too little protein can prevent them from growing normally and getting important nutrients. The goal is for children to eat enough protein to grow but to avoid excessive amounts of protein. The table below shows some common sources of animal and plant proteins.
\nHigh protein
\nLow protein
\nTalk with a dietitian about how much protein is in your child\u2019s eating plan and where the protein comes from. A dietitian can suggest dietary changes to help meet your child\u2019s protein needs.
\nChildren on dialysis need to eat somewhat more protein because the dialysis treatment removes some protein from the blood. The amount of protein removed from the blood depends on the type of dialysis treatment.
\nYour child\u2019s protein needs will change over time. A dietitian can work with you and your child to adapt meal plans to your child\u2019s changing needs.
\nSodium is a part of salt. Different children with CKD have very different sodium needs. In some children with CKD, too little sodium can lead to dehydration and poor weight gain. In other children, too much sodium may cause high blood pressure. What your child eats and drinks can help control the amount of sodium in his or her diet.
\nThe amount of sodium your child needs will depend on the type of CKD your child has and how severe it is, your child\u2019s age, and other factors. You may need either to limit or add sodium to your child\u2019s diet. Talk with your child\u2019s health care team about how much sodium your child should have.
\nIf your child\u2019s health care team suggests lowering the amount of sodium in his or her diet, you can help your child by
\nFoods higher in sodium include
\nFoods lower in sodium include
\nIn some children with CKD, the kidneys do a poor job of removing potassium from the blood, and blood potassium levels can become very high. Too little or too much potassium can cause heart and muscle problems. Children with CKD should have their blood checked regularly to make sure their potassium levels are normal. Your child\u2019s food and drink choices can affect his or her potassium level. Talk with your child\u2019s health care team about how much potassium your child should have.
\nIf the health care team suggests your child needs to lower the amount of potassium in his or her diet, you can help your child by
\nIn the lists below, potassium level is based on one serving. One serving of fruit is one small piece; \u00bd cup fresh, canned, or cooked fruit; \u00bc cup dried fruit; or \u00bd cup juice. One serving of vegetables is \u00bd cup fresh or cooked vegetables, 1 cup leafy vegetables, or \u00bd cup juice.
\nFoods higher in potassium include
\nFoods lower in potassium (200 mg or less) include
\nPhosphorus can build up in the blood of children with CKD. Too much phosphorus can weaken your child\u2019s bones.
\nPhosphorus is found naturally in foods rich in protein. Phosphorus is also added to many processed foods, flavored drinks, and some meats. Phosphorus additives are a primary source of phosphorus for many people with CKD. Phosphorus added to food may cause your child\u2019s blood phosphorus levels to go up more than phosphorus found naturally in food. A dietitian can help you find ways for your child to get enough protein without getting too much phosphorus.
\nFoods higher in phosphorus include
\nFoods lower in phosphorus include
\nAs kidney disease gets worse, your child may need to take a phosphate binder with meals to lower the amount of phosphorus in the blood. A phosphate binder is a medicine that acts like a sponge to soak up, or bind, phosphorus while it is in the stomach. Because it is bound, the phosphorus does not get into the child\u2019s blood. Instead, the child\u2019s body removes the phosphorus through his or her stool.
\nChildren with CKD may not get enough of certain vitamins and minerals because they have to limit some foods or they may not feel hungry and don\u2019t eat enough of certain foods. If your child is on dialysis, your child may lose water-soluble vitamins during the dialysis treatment.
\nYour child\u2019s kidney care specialist may prescribe vitamin and mineral supplements specifically designed for children with kidney failure.
\nWarning: Never give your child vitamin and mineral supplements you can buy over the counter (OTC). OTC vitamin and mineral supplements may be harmful to children with kidney failure. For safety reasons, talk with your child\u2019s health care team before giving your child any medicines, vitamin and mineral supplements, or probiotics that haven\u2019t been prescribed for your child.
\nIn the early stages of kidney disease, a child\u2019s damaged kidneys may make too much or too little urine. When the kidneys make too little urine, this may cause high blood pressure or swelling in the face, legs, arms, or abdomen. If the kidneys make too much urine, the child may get dehydrated. Tell your child\u2019s health care team if you notice a change in the amount of urine your child makes or if you notice any swelling.
\nIf your child is on dialysis, too much fluid can build up between dialysis sessions. Children on dialysis may feel better if they take in a limited amount of liquid. The amount your child drinks is often related to how much sodium he or she eats. Talk with your child\u2019s health care team about how to control excess thirst if that\u2019s a problem. The health care team can help you figure out the right amount of liquid for your child.
\nBecause infants grow so quickly, the health care team will need to follow an infant with CKD closely. Often, infants will take special formulas with extra supplements and calories to be sure they get the right amount of fluid and nutrients. If an infant can\u2019t drink the needed amount of formula, the health care professional may suggest tube feeding. Tube feeding is often the best way to make sure a child gets the full supply of fluid and nutrients needed to grow and develop properly.
\nYour child\u2019s health care team will order regular blood tests to track your child\u2019s health. You may need to make changes to what your child eats and drinks, based on the blood test results. You may find that keeping track of test results helps you see how well your child is doing. You can ask your child\u2019s health care professional for copies of the lab reports and to explain them to you, so you can note any results out of the normal range. Learning how to read your child\u2019s lab reports will help you see how the foods your child eats can affect health.
\nThe NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including kidney disease. The trials look to find new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and improve quality of life.
\nChildren respond to medicines and treatments differently than adults. The way to get the best treatments for children is through research designed specifically for them.
\nWe have already made great strides in improving children's health outcomes through clinical trials\u2014and other types of clinical studies. Vaccines, treatments for children with cancer, and interventions for premature babies are just a few examples of how this targeted research can help. However, we still have many questions to answer and more children waiting to benefit.
\nThe data gathered from trials and studies involving children help doctors and researchers
\nWatch a video of NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials.
\nYou can view a filtered list of clinical studies on CKD in children that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at www.ClinicalTrials.gov. You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe. If you find a trial you think may be right for your child, talk to your child\u2019s doctor about how to enroll.
\nThis content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.
The NIDDK would like to thank:
Alicia Neu, M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine