Kidney Reminders . . .
This is mainly a kidney stone post, so if you're not all that interested, no worries.
I've been thinking about my kidneys lately. A lot. I've been very aware that because I retired about a week before my state came under a strong stay-at-home order, I've not really been on my game where my body is concerned.
It's been about two months that I've been home, and I have struggled this entire time with my diet and exercise. Because I have asthma, I've been staying home probably more than most people. And I'm no longer working, so my former average 8,000 steps a day disappeared overnight. Earlier this week, I was inspired by a post from a fellow blogger. It really resonated with me, and I knew that beginning to push myself again was going to help me. I didn't need to push hard, I just needed to start somewhere, so I pushed myself to get a walk in yesterday. In the rain. And then, last night, I began to recognize some of the things that I believe have been going on for me.
First, I had a great job that I loved for 14 of the nearly 16 years I worked there, but the last two were horrible. The stress was constant and in hindsight, I believe that they had been trying to push me out for awhile. In a great conversation with my sweetheart last night, I had a flash of clarity - isn't that how it always arrives? :-) I've apparently needed one month of decompression for each of the awful years. Wow.
Second, because my retirement coincided almost directly with the stay-at-home order, I had no real opportunity to get a routine in place for myself. My original plan was to hit the health club every day - which I did for a week until it wasn't safe any longer - and I had planned to do a lot of traveling this summer. Instead, I found myself sitting in front of the telly and realizing I'd had a bottle of water around 7 a.m., but it was 1 or 2 o'clock and I hadn't had any water since that first bottle.
Third, my sodium consumption was out of control. Who wants to eat boring food? Well, pretty much no one, but for me, a boring diet - think the government My Plate - is exactly what my nephrologist, Dr. Coe, has told me is best for me.
I haven't been doing this. Not for awhile now, and most recently I found myself salting my food. Something that is not best for me. Ever.
So, what does all this have to do with getting on the stick? Well, on Tuesday, my kidneys were sore. This is a huge red flag. I absolutely do not want to have a stone incident ever again, and particularly not during this pandemic, because they nearly always require a visit to the ER and sometimes emergency surgery, so I knew that I had to get serious. It's possible that my flank/lower back pain is muscular, but I'm not willing to risk it. I spent some time meditating on the health and wellness of both my kidneys, because my right kidney never hurt before, so I figured I'd better cover both of them.
I decided I'd share this here for the same reason I've shared my journey thus far: because it might help someone else. Before going further, you should know that my kidney stone experience is unique to me. Because I've made more than one type of stone, it puts me in a slightly different/unique category. If you are interested, you can read the timeline of my journey, here. And if you want to read more detail, search on the tag "Kidney Stones."
Anyway - I don't have an oxalate problem, but I avoid the top six oxalate culprits. My main issues are too much salt and not enough water, I could go a little lighter on the meat, and I have a genetic condition called idiopathic hypercalcuiria, which means that my kidneys take calcium from my bones to do their job if I don't get enough calcium in. In addition, extreme diets are not for me - the last time I tried one, I made uric acid stones. There's no cutting out any one food group (see the My Plate, above :-) ). What does all this mean in terms of my kidney stone disease?
My guidelines from my doctor are: 1,500mg or less of sodium daily; 3 liters of water daily. In addition, I need to lose a substantial amount of weight and I need to get my calcium intake up a bit. Lowering my sodium and upping my calcium will help my kidneys not pull as much calcium out of my bones.
Alrighty then . . . You guys, it's not like I don't know what to do. Writing it all out again brings it to the front of my mind, though, and that's always helpful, I think. I have the benefit of a tremendous kidney stone prevention coach, and a super great urologist. In addition, Dr. Coe, my nephrologist, is The Man (seriously). I know how lucky I am to have the team I have. But it's up to me to do the work, and I haven't been doing a very good job of it. I had rebooted my weight loss efforts earlier in April, and I am seeing some movement on the scale, but I wasn't doing what I needed to do with regard to sodium and water. So, I realized that I needed to regroup my low sodium go-to's as well as make some immediate changes. Here's what I did/am doing:
This morning it was cold enough here to wear my winter coat, but I got out for a walk.
And I started back to Tai Chi today - remotely! Steps today = 7,700+
Sodium today came in at 1353mg. Score!!!
And I remembered how hard it was in the beginning of my kidney stone journey when I didn't know what I could eat. When you first start, it's all about what you can't eat, which can get very distressing. I know what I can eat now, so I got some things out of the cupboard, all of which are low or no sodium, and all of which are relatively low in ADDED sugar. If some of these things aren't best for you, then don't eat them - as always consult with your doctor. I'm not a doctor nor a dietitian, and nothing here should be construed as medical/diet advice. These are the things that work for ME.
Seriously, if you're looking for a crunchy snack, develop a taste for those unsalted pretzels. They have NO sodium at all. Zip! Nada! Same for the Crispy Fruit and the McCann's Steel Cut Oats - I doctor my oatmeal up with some of that peanut butter (some sodium, no added sugar!) and some raisins. Sometimes I add a microwaved, cut up apple and add some cinnamon to the mix. No need for ADDED sugar - the raisins provide plenty of natural sweetness.
I love black tea, Constant Comment is my favorite, but I need to drink it with sugar, plus, it's higher in oxalate than green tea. I needed to find an herbal or green tea that I could enjoy without added sugar. Green tea has additional health benefits that I and my primary care doc think outweigh the small amount of caffeine, and the Yogi Super Antioxidant ticks all the boxes. It's green, and I can enjoy it without ADDED sugar because it has a natural sweetness all on its own (likely from the jasmine in it). I'm not perfect, and sometimes I just need some Constant Comment - but they now make Constant Comment in a green tea! I'll just have to see if I can drink it without sugar ;-D
I've learned to be a serious label reader. I look for canned fruits and applesauce with no added sugar, and I look for savory canned goods with reduced or no salt added and if they have any sodium in them (this mostly applies to beans), I rinse them because it cuts the total sodium by about 40%. If your store doesn't carry stuff like the no-salt added or reduced sodium products, ask them to do so. All of the things in that photo are processed things I can eat easily without shattering my sodium and added sugar guidelines :-)
I've been thinking about my kidneys lately. A lot. I've been very aware that because I retired about a week before my state came under a strong stay-at-home order, I've not really been on my game where my body is concerned.
It's been about two months that I've been home, and I have struggled this entire time with my diet and exercise. Because I have asthma, I've been staying home probably more than most people. And I'm no longer working, so my former average 8,000 steps a day disappeared overnight. Earlier this week, I was inspired by a post from a fellow blogger. It really resonated with me, and I knew that beginning to push myself again was going to help me. I didn't need to push hard, I just needed to start somewhere, so I pushed myself to get a walk in yesterday. In the rain. And then, last night, I began to recognize some of the things that I believe have been going on for me.
First, I had a great job that I loved for 14 of the nearly 16 years I worked there, but the last two were horrible. The stress was constant and in hindsight, I believe that they had been trying to push me out for awhile. In a great conversation with my sweetheart last night, I had a flash of clarity - isn't that how it always arrives? :-) I've apparently needed one month of decompression for each of the awful years. Wow.
Second, because my retirement coincided almost directly with the stay-at-home order, I had no real opportunity to get a routine in place for myself. My original plan was to hit the health club every day - which I did for a week until it wasn't safe any longer - and I had planned to do a lot of traveling this summer. Instead, I found myself sitting in front of the telly and realizing I'd had a bottle of water around 7 a.m., but it was 1 or 2 o'clock and I hadn't had any water since that first bottle.
Third, my sodium consumption was out of control. Who wants to eat boring food? Well, pretty much no one, but for me, a boring diet - think the government My Plate - is exactly what my nephrologist, Dr. Coe, has told me is best for me.
I haven't been doing this. Not for awhile now, and most recently I found myself salting my food. Something that is not best for me. Ever.
So, what does all this have to do with getting on the stick? Well, on Tuesday, my kidneys were sore. This is a huge red flag. I absolutely do not want to have a stone incident ever again, and particularly not during this pandemic, because they nearly always require a visit to the ER and sometimes emergency surgery, so I knew that I had to get serious. It's possible that my flank/lower back pain is muscular, but I'm not willing to risk it. I spent some time meditating on the health and wellness of both my kidneys, because my right kidney never hurt before, so I figured I'd better cover both of them.
I decided I'd share this here for the same reason I've shared my journey thus far: because it might help someone else. Before going further, you should know that my kidney stone experience is unique to me. Because I've made more than one type of stone, it puts me in a slightly different/unique category. If you are interested, you can read the timeline of my journey, here. And if you want to read more detail, search on the tag "Kidney Stones."
Anyway - I don't have an oxalate problem, but I avoid the top six oxalate culprits. My main issues are too much salt and not enough water, I could go a little lighter on the meat, and I have a genetic condition called idiopathic hypercalcuiria, which means that my kidneys take calcium from my bones to do their job if I don't get enough calcium in. In addition, extreme diets are not for me - the last time I tried one, I made uric acid stones. There's no cutting out any one food group (see the My Plate, above :-) ). What does all this mean in terms of my kidney stone disease?
My guidelines from my doctor are: 1,500mg or less of sodium daily; 3 liters of water daily. In addition, I need to lose a substantial amount of weight and I need to get my calcium intake up a bit. Lowering my sodium and upping my calcium will help my kidneys not pull as much calcium out of my bones.
Alrighty then . . . You guys, it's not like I don't know what to do. Writing it all out again brings it to the front of my mind, though, and that's always helpful, I think. I have the benefit of a tremendous kidney stone prevention coach, and a super great urologist. In addition, Dr. Coe, my nephrologist, is The Man (seriously). I know how lucky I am to have the team I have. But it's up to me to do the work, and I haven't been doing a very good job of it. I had rebooted my weight loss efforts earlier in April, and I am seeing some movement on the scale, but I wasn't doing what I needed to do with regard to sodium and water. So, I realized that I needed to regroup my low sodium go-to's as well as make some immediate changes. Here's what I did/am doing:
- On Tuesday night I finally set alarms on my phone to remind me to drink a bottle of water. I cannot explain why I resisted setting alarms on my phone - my best friend and my family have called me out about it more than once. My bestie helped me set the alarms that evening. I no longer have to take the train into the city every day, so I can get another 1/2 liter of water in as soon as I get up, and then one with breakfast. This is going to make getting 3 liters/a day in a lot easier. Then, I have alarms set for 10, 12, and 3, and I have another bottle at dinner. I got my rubber bands out and put them on my 1/2 liter bottle. I remove one every time I go back to refill it.
- I started tracking my food again in Fitbit where I can see my sodium intake, know that I'm eating better, and also track my water if I want to.
This morning it was cold enough here to wear my winter coat, but I got out for a walk.
And I started back to Tai Chi today - remotely! Steps today = 7,700+
Sodium today came in at 1353mg. Score!!!
And I remembered how hard it was in the beginning of my kidney stone journey when I didn't know what I could eat. When you first start, it's all about what you can't eat, which can get very distressing. I know what I can eat now, so I got some things out of the cupboard, all of which are low or no sodium, and all of which are relatively low in ADDED sugar. If some of these things aren't best for you, then don't eat them - as always consult with your doctor. I'm not a doctor nor a dietitian, and nothing here should be construed as medical/diet advice. These are the things that work for ME.
Seriously, if you're looking for a crunchy snack, develop a taste for those unsalted pretzels. They have NO sodium at all. Zip! Nada! Same for the Crispy Fruit and the McCann's Steel Cut Oats - I doctor my oatmeal up with some of that peanut butter (some sodium, no added sugar!) and some raisins. Sometimes I add a microwaved, cut up apple and add some cinnamon to the mix. No need for ADDED sugar - the raisins provide plenty of natural sweetness.
I love black tea, Constant Comment is my favorite, but I need to drink it with sugar, plus, it's higher in oxalate than green tea. I needed to find an herbal or green tea that I could enjoy without added sugar. Green tea has additional health benefits that I and my primary care doc think outweigh the small amount of caffeine, and the Yogi Super Antioxidant ticks all the boxes. It's green, and I can enjoy it without ADDED sugar because it has a natural sweetness all on its own (likely from the jasmine in it). I'm not perfect, and sometimes I just need some Constant Comment - but they now make Constant Comment in a green tea! I'll just have to see if I can drink it without sugar ;-D
I've learned to be a serious label reader. I look for canned fruits and applesauce with no added sugar, and I look for savory canned goods with reduced or no salt added and if they have any sodium in them (this mostly applies to beans), I rinse them because it cuts the total sodium by about 40%. If your store doesn't carry stuff like the no-salt added or reduced sodium products, ask them to do so. All of the things in that photo are processed things I can eat easily without shattering my sodium and added sugar guidelines :-)
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