CKD Module 7
The American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA) 24
Role of Dietary Protein
• Beneficial role of restricting protein in diet is
unclear.
• Encourage “normal” protein intake of .8 to 1.0
gm/kg of body weight per day.
• High-protein diet or supplements should be
avoided.
Newer FAD Diets appear to offer alternatives for weight loss. These FAD Diets are
marketed well. They may include books, tapes, and tools that are supposed to make
compliance to the diet easier. Unfortunately, some of these diets encourage
alterations in the makeup of the food intake that may cause stress to the kidneys. For
some people, using these diets in the short-term may not be harmful. However, for
the diabetic, any diet that is based on high protein intake causes additional stress to
the kidneys and should be avoided. The patient should be instructed to avoid highprotein
diets such as the Atkins and South Beach Diets. Many practitioners are
steering away from diets that restrict protein. It is important that the patient is aware
that high-protein diets overstress the kidneys and patients should be advised to
avoid them.