Discussion Board

Jeff, I have a question specific to egg whites.

You've helped me before, and if you remember, I'm stage 1 kidney disease but not officially diagnosed--just have the proteinuria double above normal limit.

I know low protein vegan lifestyle makes the most sense for kidney health, but what about egg whites? Are egg whites--because of their high protein and uric acid potential--like adding fuel to fire? Or would an egg white in say, a buckwheat muffin, be advisable once in a while? Quality protein or dangerous protein? There is so much conflicting info out there for someone in my health condition.

I also have significant hair thinning and have been advised to add egg whites to my vegan diet. I do take taurine 750mg daily, to be on the safe side while eating lower protein, but am wondering if an egg white or two per week would be helpful to me--particularily with the hair loss--or be a greater risk to my kidney condition.

And by the way, in the past I've tested slightly allergic to egg whites.

So, if the egg whites are out, would it be better to eat a second T. of ground flaxseed per day? I've read that too much raw flaxseed can affect thyroid. Is cooked a better option? And would this make flaxseed a better option for egg substitute in a basked good than using egg whites?

I'm not Jeff but it seems like you've answered your own question with this one.

Bumping up. Would still like to know.

Hi! Egg whites contribute to acidity in the body. Acidity is a significant problem for kidney patients (I'm taking 8 bicarb tabs a day to keep my CO2 up).

Additionally it's extremely important to keep your protein grams down in early kidney disease. And to make that protein vegetarian. I have had a transplant for 37 years (two transplants, one my mother, one my sister). The first transplant lasted for nearly 14 years, no change in diet, no immunosuppresives. With my second transplanted kidney, I did not eat meat, very limited dairy, and it lasted a whole 24 years, which is indeed excellent!. I like to think that my healthful diet gave me so many years with my sister's kidney, but much of it relates to good antigen match. It was indeed an impressive match. Even as I approached the 20th year with her kidney, and without meat and immunosuppresives, it just kept tugging along 4 more years. I kept my protein grams to no more than about 30. My kidney disease moved very slowly down the stage chart to Stage 5. They discovered de novo glomerulonephritis five years in, and I kept the organ alive for 20 years longer.

Generally renal nutritionists now-a-days will tell you to keep your protein down with early stage KD, but still continue to insist you eat meat, diary, and eggs. My nutritionist is cool with my vegy status, but I think she is a rare one. Years before the current age, my dietitions insisted on my eating butter and egg yokes, imagine! You may not totally avoid dialysis, depending on the cause of your kidney disease, but you may get to the end point later. Even as a dialysis patient I am eating vegan with hopes of delaying serious bone disease, and living a quality life for the longest time. I can tell you it is a HORIBLE life as a dialysis patient. You should do EVERYTHING that you can to avoid that eventual fate.

I tried an experiment quite a number of years ago. For one week I went on a no meat no diary diet. My 24 hour urine test showed no protein loss. My doctor couldn't explain this as I always had lots of protein loss. I was so impressed with this result, I went to one of Dr. Mcdougall's conferences in Santa Rosa. I mentioned the results of this test to him at the conference, and he was delighted.
I was utterly convinced Dr. McDougall was right and had found the best method to slow and stop kidney disease.

An after note, don't always do what a renal dietition tells you to do.
You should research heavily about kidney disease, although it could cause you a case of the blues. Don't become ignorant concerning the choices which ultimately are best decided by you.

These are vegan proteins: tofu, beans of any type, lima beans, soy protein powder, edamame, soy milk, silken tofu, whole wheat, not white. And many others. Many foods contain at least a little bit of protein. Add them together and even the consumption of a number of vegys and grains a day will increase your protein grams, all while eating vegan.

dawna in AZ

PS. Anyone with a tranplanted organ should always take immunosuppresive medications. I am one of the few exceptions. It was a personal experiment and fortunately for me, it succeeded. Don't you try it, because it is extremely dangerous.

Now years later, after avoiding those meds, I don't have cancer, believe it or not!

Thanks for the replies. I am most interested in talking with you more, Dawn. I know no others trying to eat vegan with kidney concerns.

I decided on the egg because of hair loss and wondered if the hair loss was because of keeping protein grams down below 35 for so many months.

I am sensitive to gluten and try to stay away from it. That wipes out a lot on the list. Tests showed me sensitive to soy and that takes out more. Sensitive to grapes and that takes out raisins and some vinegars. I'm metabolic syndrome and must eat lower glycemic grains and be careful with potatoes and that changes more things. Dairy give me a gut ache after several days of eating it. I'm on reduced sodium for kidney health, blood pressures were too high. Frankly, I'm sort of confused about what to eat, anymore.

I don't have a renal dietician, as I've not be diagnosed formally. My results don't show it, other than the proteinuria last year was 399 and after eating vegan low protein for a year, got it down to 78. Am just wondering about the egg white because of my continued hair loss. Hate seeing my scalp through my thinning hair. Am also taking fish oil at present because of dry fingertips. Flaxseed isn't cutting it...at least not T. per day.

Would you consider responding to me and possibly personal messaging further? I'm tired of the go-around I get by Googling all the info. BTW, I also follow dr. Fuhrman's plan.

Thanks,
Jellen

Jellen, have you tried oat bran? Just popped into my head last night as a possible for me. A full cup RAW has nearly same calories as cup of cooked beans and about same glycemic load and protein content.

Haved wondered about the gluten aspect of oat bran. Cant seem to find rice bran, but also wonder about that in terms of phosphorus or kidney issues.

I do not know your needs but one cup raw, from
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5703/2

Phosphorus 690 mg 69% of RDA

GL, from my reading, I'm supposed to be watching the phosphorus level and that seems high, as does the 18 grams of protein per cup. Since we don't need more than about 20-30 grams protein per day and the excess must be handled by kidneys, I think the best thing I should be considering is to reduce that protein load by watching both beans and oats. Oats, as a grain, are one of the higher in protein. So is quinoa, I think. But for you, oat bran might really open up some new possibilities for you.

Yes, all grains and all legumes are pretty high in protein. When I had protein paranoia for awhile to go along w/ my fat paranoia and blood sugar paranoia, I kept track and the only way I could get my protein down to below about 80 grams a day was to eat none of either.

New direction:

Raw flaxseed can interfere with thyroid if too much is consumed--or so I've read. Does this hold true to cooked? Do you cook your flaxseed? Do you eat more tha a T. per day and if so, why? Is it helpful to postmeno. women? What about hair health or dry skinn remedy? Just wondering if flaxseed increase would be a good option.

I think the thyroid issues would only be a problem if you ate a lot of it, as in multi-ounces per day, though I do not know Probably depends on the body

Cooking will definitely destroy some or all of the omega 3

Are you sure about that? I thought I read that it didn't.

Well, huh, I was wrong. Just swallowing dogma or something I guess. I do have a bit of paranoia about the stability of polyunsat oils and so was being overly careful/concerned. Let the baking begin!

And raw flaxseed, I read somewhere, may interfere with thyroid, in amounts over a couple 3 or 4 T. per day. Can't remember the exact amount. More isn't always better. Maybe someone else has the exact facts on it.