Green leafy vegetables are the “health providers” that not only can meet our body needs, but also can guarantee our body health. Well then, are green leafy vegetables still suitable for patients with dialysis?

The health benefits green leafy vegetables for a general diet are well know. But it may be different for patients who are on dialysis. Dialysis is commonly applied when the kidney function decreases to 10% or 15%. It can help kidneys discharge extra wastes and toxins from the blood effectively. But it only just help remove the wastes but fails to repair kidney damage. Generally, dialysis patients are required to have strict dietary restrictions so as to well control progression of illness condition.

Can dialysis patients eat green leafy vegetables?

To be frank, there is no specific answer for the question. In most condition, dialysis patients are required to limit intake of potassium level. The healthy kidney is responsible to excrete extra potassium from blood while when when diagnosed with kidney damage, the injured kidneys fail to function well. Although dialysis can expel some wastes to some extent, some harmful substances will stay the body inside and cannot remove effectively. In the condition, eating too much potassium will worsen illness condition and speed up the process of deteriorate.

Unfortunately, although most green leafy vegetables contains many health benefits like vitamins, for dialysis patients, they also still contain a large amount of potassium level which is dangerous for dialysis patients. Therefore, it is better to stay away from green leafy vegetables for dialysis patients. But it does not mean that all leafy vegetables are not suitable for dialysis patients. For example, the kale is a lower potassium cooked green. Patients should make a wise decision according to their own illness condition. You can talk with our online doctors directly or email to renal-disease@hotmail.com for an individualized diet plan.