ketogenic diet for general readers. Available online
at http://www.charliefoundation.org/frames/diet/over-
view.php (accessed March 28, 2007).
Zupec-Kania, Beth, RD.Non-prescription Products and
Medications. Santa Monica, CA: The Charlie Founda-
tion, 2007. Available online in PDF format at http://
http://www.charliefoundation.org/frames/diet/nonprescrip-
tionproducts.pdf (accessed March 28, 2007). This is a
list, updated periodically, of toiletries and over-
the-counter medications (moisturizers, sunscreens,
liquid antacids, toothpastes, infant teething products,
pain relievers, antihistamines, etc.) that are safe for use
by persons on a ketogenic diet.
ORGANIZATIONS
The Charlie Foundation to Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy.
1223 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 815, Santa Monica, CA- Telephone: (800) FOR-KETO or (310) 395-
- Website: http://www.charliefoundation.org.
Epilepsy Foundation. 8301 Professional Place, Landover,
MD 20785. Telephone: (800) 332-1000. Website:
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org.
Johns Hopkins Pediatric Epilepsy Center, Meyer 2-147, The
Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Bal-
timore, MD 21287-7247. Telephone: (410) 955-9100.
Website: http://www.neuro/jhml.edu/Epilepsy/
keto.html.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS) Brain Resources and Information Network
(BRAIN). P. O. Box 5801, Bethesda, MD 20824.
Telephone: (800) 352-9424. Website: http://www
.ninds.nih.gov.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857-0001. Telephone: (888)
INFO-FDA. Website: http://www.fda.gov/.
Rebecca J. Frey, PhDKidney diet
Definition
The kidney diet, also known as the renal diet, is a
set of guidelines for people with kidney disease. The
types of foods prescribed depend on the level of kidney
failure the patient is experiencing, but generally the
diet involves controlling the amount ofsodium, potas-
sium, phosphorus,protein, and fluid that a person
ingests. People with kidney disease should be in con-
sultation with a renal dietitian.Origins
The kidney diet has been developed and refined
by the medical science community, including doctorsand hospitals, who have worked with patients with
kidney disease. It is based upon scientific research
done by many professionalsin many different set-
tings, including laboratories, clinics, and hospitals.
This research in combination with other available
information has been used to develop a set of guide-
lines to allow patients with kidney failure to eat and
drink in a way that helps to manage their disease most
effectively.DescriptionThere is no single kidney diet. The kidney diet is a
set of guidelines for patients experiencing some level of
kidney failure. Because every kidney patient is unique,
each kidney diet may be slightly different. People who
have been diagnosed with kidney failure should see a
renal dietician to determine the exact specifications of
the kidney diet they should follow. Whether a person
is experiencing early or late stages of kidney failure,
whether they are receiving dialysis treatment and
which type, as well as regular nutritional factors such
as height, age, and weight will play a role in determin-
ing what sort of diet should be followed. In any case,
renal patients must be very careful and take their diet
seriously. Careful adherence to a kidney diet can lessen
the symptoms of kidney failure and prolong the use-
fulness of the kidneys.Sodium
Sodium is a mineral found in many foods and is
important to many different bodily functions. One of
the most important functions of sodium involves
maintaining fluid levels. If too much sodium builds
up in the body it causes thirst and fluid buildup. Nor-
mally functioning kidneys help to maintain proper
levels of sodium in the body. If the kidneys begin to
fail however, it becomes more important to maintain
appropriate levels of sodium intake.
The easiest way to avoid excess sodium intake is to
eliminate putting extra salt on foods. People fre-
quently add salt during cooking and at the table.
Even just topping these behaviors will usually cut
back significantly on the amount of sodium ingested.
It is also important to avoid particularly salty foods
such as theater popcorn, potato chips, salted pretzels,
bacon and other cured meats, and processed cheese.
Checking the ingredients list of processed, frozen, and
canned foods is a good way to see how much sodium
the product contains. Canned soups are often surpris-
ingly high in salt, but often times there are low-sodium
alternatives available.Kidney diet