Kidney Health Toolkit.
Kidney Health, PKD, Nutrition, and More.
Find helpful education and other information about diet, chronic kidney disease, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), oxalates, plant-based diets, and other nutritional topics all in one place.
Top 8 Diet & Lifestyle Changes for PKD!
We’ve come up with 8 dietary and lifestyle changes you can make if you have polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Along with KetoCitra®, these changes could improve your life. We recommend working with an experienced dietitian to help you implement these changes and an appropriate PKD diet.
Every person is different and some people need to modify their diet in a specific way depending on their level of kidney function or other medal conditions they may have.
Watch the Santa Barbara Nutrients YouTube Channel:
Santa Barbara Nutrients YouTube Channel is the home for science-based content on polycystic kidney disease (PKD) featuring expert interviews, customer success stories, and informative analyses of current research.
Tune into a Kidney Health Podcast:
The PKD Dietitian Podcast is hosted by Diana Bruen, a PKD nutrition expert. Join as Diana digs into health, nutrition, research, and all things proactive & protective for Polycystic Kidney Disease.
Healthy Kidney Lifestyle and Affordability:
Is it possible to stay within your food budget and follow a kidney-healthy diet? Yes, it is.
View Is a Healthy Kidney Lifestyle AFFORDABLE ?? where the founder of Santa Barbara Nutrients, Dr. Thomas Weimbs, and Jessianna Saville from the Ren-Nu.org program, discuss how to make the Top 8 diet & lifestyle changes for polycystic kidney disease affordable.
Oxalates and Polycystic Kidney Disease
If you have polycystic kidney disease (PKD), you may be curious about whether or not you should avoid foods with oxalates.
In this article, we review the relationship between kidney disease and oxalates including what oxalates are, how oxalates impact the kidneys and tips for managing oxalates with PKD.
Oxalates List:
What foods to avoid with kidney cysts and PKD?
We have put together a curated list of the oxalate content of different food items based on published sources. Check the foods you eat to know how much oxalate they contain. Try swapping high-oxalate foods for low-oxalate alternatives!
Download the Oxalate Content of Foods List
What are Oxalates Anyway?
Oxalate is a “tiny little compound. It has two carbons, four oxygens, a couple of double bonds, and it has the ability to drop its protons which makes it an acid”, but how do oxalates impact you?
In this video interview with SBN, oxalate expert Sally Norton, MPH, discusses the structure and function of oxalates, how they are absorbed in the body, and how they can cause damage in the body including the kidneys.
Discover Plant-Based Proteins:
In this video, Diana Bruen, MS, RDN, discuss plant-based and animal-based proteins for kidney disease. Diana also discusses recommendations on how to keep one’s kidneys healthy and maintain a kidney-healthy lifestyle.
Check out Plant-Based Proteins: What You Need To Know | Proteins & Kidney Disease ft. Diana Bruen on YouTube.
What is a Plant-Focused Ketogenic Diet Anyway?
Plant-focused, ketogenic diets can be a powerful change for people with polycystic kidney disease and people in general.
Learn more in this short video where Santa Barbara Nutrients interviews Jessianna Saville, a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition (CSR).
The Ren.Nu Program
A plant-focused low oxalate nutrition program for people with PKD developed by PKD research experts and renal nutrition experts. In this program, you will learn about the what, why, and how of PKD nutrition.
Click here to read the first paper in the scientific literature describing the Ren. Nu program. The paper describes the features of the Ren. Nu program and reports the first qualitative experiences of a group of beta testers.
Dietary Interventions in ADPKD
A news release from UCSB about a published paper titled “Ketogenic dietary interventions in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease—a retrospective case series study: first insights into the feasibility, safety, and effects.”
This paper was published based on the research findings from the Weimbs laboratory at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Fighting PKD at the Dinner Table
Keto and ADPKD
The clinical study below looked into the feasibility of a ketogenic diet and polycystic kidney disease. The results might surprise you.
Results from a KETO-ADPKD clinical trial
Learn about Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy
Dr. Thomas Weimbs, President and Founder of Santa Barbara Nutrients, speaks with a variety of healthcare professionals and individuals about the benefits of ketogenic metabolic therapy for the dietary management of kidney disease and other chronic conditions.
View the ketogenic metabolic therapy video library on the Santa Barbara Nutrients YouTube channel.
How to Monitor Urine pH?
Urinary pH is important to monitor for those who have kidney disease. The urine pH can vary considerably depending on the kind of foods we eat and depending on certain health conditions.
In this video, Santa Barbara Nutrients President and UCSB Professor Thomas Weimbs, PhD, discusses how to measure urinary pH, why it’s important for individuals with kidney disease to monitor their urinary pH, and the effects of diet on urinary pH.
Resources
Santa Barbara Nutrients’ pH Paper
Learn how Santa Barbara Nutrients’ pH test paper helps those with kidney disease accurately measure their urine pH.
Protocol for Self-Monitoring of Urine pH in Kidney Patients
The urine pH can vary considerably depending on the kind of foods we eat and depending on certain health conditions. Learn why it’s important to monitor your urine pH if you have kidney disease.
Learn about potassium and kidney disease
Are you curious if you need to limit potassium if you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) or polycystic kidney disease (PKD)?
Check out Potassium And Kidney Disease | What Is Potassium | Potassium Health Benefits For Body where Diana Bruen, MS, RDN, discusses potassium as it relates to kidney disease. She explains what potassium is, what foods are high in potassium, why potassium is important for the body, and what potassium has to do with kidney disease.
Learn about sodium and kidney disease
If you have chronic kidney disease or polycystic kidney disease (PKD), you’ve probably heard about the importance of monitoring your sodium intake, but what does this really mean?
Santa Barbara Nutrients interviews Nikki Gepner, a Registered Dietitian, Certified Dietitian, Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition, and Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioner. Nikki discusses what high sodium intake means for those with kidney disease, how to monitor sodium intake, and what foods are typically high in sodium.
Learn about phosphorus and kidney disease
Kidney disease impairs one’s ability to effectively remove phosphorus in the body compared to someone without kidney disease. Thus, high levels of phosphorus can build up in the blood and cause long-term health effects such as weak and brittle bones and cardiovascular issues.
There are two types of phosphorous, inorganic phosphorus and organic phosphorus. In this discussion, Jen discusses the difference between the two types and why it is important for those with kidney disease to take a proactive approach when monitoring their phosphorus intake.
Stay up to date on the latest research in kidney disease
⇒ Read this recent journal club
Article where we explore the need for more information on dietary interventions in managing chronic kidney disease.
Watch the Kidney Disease Research playlist on Santa Barbara Nutrients YouTube Channel
The Science Behind KetoCitra®
KetoCitra®, the first medical food for the daily dietary management of individuals with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Learn about: KetoCitra®, Santa Barbara Nutrients, and the science and research behind the first medical food, KetoCitra®.
ADPKD dietary program results
Read about the results of the FIRST paper in the scientific literature describing the Ren. Nu program, a research-backed nutritional intervention program, for individuals with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
This paper describes the features of the Ren. Nu program and reports the first qualitative experiences of a group of beta testers.
Ketosis vs. Ketoacidosis?
Ketosis and ketoacidosis have very different meanings and should not be confused.
Nutritional ketosis is generally safe and is the result of a ketogenic diet.
Ketoacidosis is a direct result of high blood sugars that occur in those with uncontrolled diabetes and can be potentially dangerous.
⇒ Download the handout here to learn more
The Safety of KetoCitra®
Learn about KetoCitra® and what makes KetoCitra® safe.
Download the handout here to learn more
The Science Behind KetoCitra®
Learn about the science behind KetoCitra®.