By Lynne Sanditen

Every kidney patient – or caregiver tending to a kidney patient’s needs – is aware of the dangers of consuming certain nutrients in high proportions: phosphorus, potassium, protein and sodium, to name the most common. But to adhere to a prescribed or suggested renal diet presents challenges:

• When there is no food packaging, what's considered a portion size?
• With prepared, processed or restaurant foods, how do you find vital potassium, protein, phosphorus and sodium amounts beyond the typically listed calorie, fat and carbohydrate counts?
• How do you easily identify nutrients in unfamiliar foods to determine whether they conform to a recommended diet?
• When on the go, without easy access to reference books on the subject, how do you make the right meal or grocery food choices?
• How do you ensure you get a balanced diet that’s right for you (or your patient), based on specific physician recommendations?

Fortunately, the same convenient, portable technology that has made email, games, songs, GPS and photos accessible 24/7 has now made it possible for renal patients to address these concerns: your Smart phone.

What’s more, you can use your Smart phone to personalize and track your very own kidney diet plan in a daily diary format – so you, your caregiver, physician, nephrologist and others invested in your health and well-being all have instant access to the same, vital information.

How It Works – Easy as 1-2-3
If you’re new to iPhone, Blackberry, Android and other Smart phone use, an “app” or application is like a mini computer program designed to run on Smart phones. You can download the KidneyDiet app discussed in this article (more information about how to download is provided below) and open it on your Smart phone for a nominal fee. Updates to the app’s data, functionality and features are included in the fee.

Once the app is loaded, it’s as easy as 1-2-3 to get started with your personalized plan to kidney health through diet:

1. Enter in your physician’s recommended daily allowances of nutrients based on your individual needs. If you don’t know the amounts, or if you haven’t yet designed a personalized diet with your physician, skip to Step 2.
2. Keep track of the foods you eat daily within the app. The nutrient totals will be automatically tallied every time you add a food for that day. Total consumption can be compared with recommended daily allowances. 
3. Use the alphabetical listing of foods to make good choices. Foods with nutrient counts highlighted in red indicate you might want to avoid this food, or consume in small quantities. Always consult your physician for advice.

Because your phone is always with you, it’s easy to access and enter information at home, work, while shopping, at the doctor’s office, at the dialysis clinic or wherever you might be … at any time of day.

Other KidneyDiet app features include:

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