Your Kidney Dietitian

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Your Kidney Dietitian

A virtual private practice helping people slow CKD progression with a plant forward diet approach

13/02/2025

If you have Medicare and you've ever seen a dietitian to help with nutrition care for kidney disease or diabetes, I need you to take action.

As of March 31, telehealth coverage for dietitian services are set to expire. This is extremely detrimental and impacts your ability to get care.

For example: currently, I am the only Board Certified Renal Dietitian in the state of Illinois who's listed in the NKF directory. This means that after March 31, I can't even provide telehealth services to patients in my own state. This means that YOU will have a harder time finding a dietitian who specializes in kidney nutrition to help you with your nutrition plan.

If you have Medicare and you have ever seen a dietitian who helped you, I STRONGLY encourage you to do the following things:

🚨 Call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE and ask them to extend telehealth coverage for nutrition

🚨 Contact your legislative representatives too and ask them to advocate for extension of telehealth benefits

🚨 Contact the advocacy line at NKF and ask them to raise broader awareness of this issue. You can email them at nkfadvocacy@kidney.org

Thank you for taking the time to stand up for access to this vital service. It has been my pleasure over the last couple years to support so many patients with Medicare across the country and I sincerely hope I can continue to do so

19/01/2025

💥NEW BLOG POST: You Have a New CKD Diagnosis. Now What?

If you have been diagnosed with chronic disease you may be feeling overwhelmed. Learn 8 steps to take, to begin managing your health to protect your kidneys.

Read It Now: https://yourkidneydietitian.com/you-have-a-new-ckd-diagnosis-now-what/

10/01/2025

Final call! Enrollment for Kidney Nutrition Foundations closes TONIGHT at midnight CST 😱

The program starts Monday - I am SO excited to meet those who've already enrolled!

Don't miss out on a chance to learn THE most important components of kidney nutrition from a true expert. I sure hope to see you there!

Link in bio to register. Don't delay! ⏰

08/01/2025

Have you ever wanted to feel LESS confused and MORE confident about your kidney nutrition knowledge and gameplan?

Then Kidney Nutrition Foundations is right for YOU! 🥳

This is a 6-week course that starts Monday, January 13th, but enrollment closes FRIDAY NIGHT at midnight CST so don't delay in signing up!

You can check out the link in my bio to learn more - or visit yourkidneydietitian.com/live-course

Will I see you there? 😊 feel free to leave a comment with any questions you have.

BTW, if this course isn't right for you, don't forget I also accept 1:1 appointments, covered by insurance! I'm happy to help out, whichever option you need 🩷

06/01/2025

IT'S BACK! Kick off 2025 by joining me for a new session of Kidney Nutrition Foundations, beginning Monday, January 13th 💥

This 6-week program covers THE most important things to know about nutrition when navigating a kidney disease diagnosis, and it's facilitated by ME, expert renal dietitian! 🙋🏼‍♀️

The program includes a mix of self-paced video & audio modules, written articles, and live education calls to support ALL types of learners in their journey.

The details:

✅ DATES: January 13-February 21
✅ COST: $525.00 (FSA/HSA eligible)
✅ ENROLL BY: Friday, January 10

Register for the program at yourkidneydietitian.com/live-course - or click the link in my bio. I can't wait to see you in the program!

25/12/2024

Wishing all my friends a happy holiday season! 🎄❄

28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! 🦃🍂🌽

May your day be filled with gratitude, delicious food, and quality time with loved ones. Don't forget to include a hefty portion of plants on your plate!

15/11/2024

If you heard eating more plant-based was supposed to help the kidneys and help you feel better...
.. but you tried it out and you're feeling WORSE... 🙃
.. you might be doing it wrong.

A few big mistakes I see when trying to go more plant-based for kidney health are:

❌ You went overboard and cut back on sodium a little TOO much
❌ You’re focusing on processed plant foods like Beyond Meat and fake chicken instead of whole plant foods like beans & lentils
❌ You’re not eating enough calories or missing out on important micronutrients like B-12

There is a RIGHT way to do plant-based for kidney health - and this is why it's best to work with a dietitian who can guide you on the best approach.

Lucky for you, this is my specialty area! I'm a kidney dietitian who loves to help my patients explore plant-based eating approaches to help the kidneys 🍏🥦🍌🍊🍓🍇🫐

Working together, we'll explore key aspects of a plant-forward kidney-friendly diet and you'll learn how to put these steps into action, the right way ✔️

Ready to book your appointment or nutrition program? I'm taking new patients now - insurance accepted. Check out the link in my bio to get started!

12/11/2024

🔹 WHAT IS ACIDOSIS? 🔹

Acidosis is a condition in which too much acid accumulates in the body.

When kidney function declines, the body has a harder time maintaining its acid-base balance, because the kidneys are unable to remove enough acid from the body 👎

Unfortunately, acidosis can have consequences like muscle loss, weak bones, and worsening kidney function. Therefore, we need a plan to tackle acidosis!

Acidosis is typically treated with sodium bicarbonate tablets, which are "alkaline" - the opposite of acidic. This helps to balance out the acid in the body.

But, diet can impact acidosis too! Studies show that increasing fruit and vegetable intake decreases acid in the body.

In one study, participants strategically increased their intake of produce such as carrots, cauliflower, spinach, apples, peaches, and berries.

As a result...

✅ Risk for acidosis decreased
✅ Systolic blood pressure improved
✅ Kidney function was better preserved
✅ Participants had fewer hospitalizations and cardiac events
✅ Dosages of certain medications were decreased

Um, WOW!!

The authors concluded that increasing fruit + veg intake (as compared to medication therapy with sodium bicarbonate) resulted in better health outcomes. It was a cost-effective treatment as well. Pretty cool!!

NOTE: sodium bicarbonate is also known as baking soda. I sometimes see patients encouraging other patients to take baking soda for kidney health. This is NOT something you should simply start taking without your doctor's approval. Please talk with your doctor if you have questions about acidosis.

08/11/2024

We need to talk about "low sodium diets" 🧂

To start - what does "low sodium" mean, anyway?

A common misconception about low sodium is that it means avoiding ALL sodium... trying to get as close to zero milligrams of sodium as possible.

This is not necessarily the correct approach though. I've had some patients try to overly restrict salt, only to head up with symptoms like nausea and lightheadedness 😯

Sodium IS a nutrient after all - you need a little bit!

So, eating "low sodium" just means choosing foods and meals that fit within your daily sodium needs.

But, how much is that?

The National Kidney Foundation recommends to limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day. Other organizations such as the American Heart Association recommend a stricter limit of 1,500 mg ❤️

However, nutrition is individualized. Some people may need less, some people may need more!

A renal dietitian can help you figure this out, and determine what's the correct amount for you.

Need more guidance on this? I'm booking appointments for November and December now - let's work together on a plan just for you!

See link in bio for more information 📲

05/11/2024

Your vote is your voice! It's election day in the US and I encourage you to get out & vote - especially for the local candidates and issues that shape the policies and decisions in your own community. If you've got the right to vote - make sure you use it 🇺🇸

11/10/2024

We accept insurance! 👏

Did you know your insurance plan may cover a renal dietitian? 🙋🏼‍♀️

It's time to stop the endless Google searches and finally get a personalized nutrition plan from an expert. Most patients have a $0 copay!

Current insurance plans accepted include: BCBS PPO/HMO/Medicare Advantage, UHC commercial plans, Cigna (NEW!), and Original Medicare. UHC Medicare Advantage will also be accepted starting 11/1/2024.

If I don't accept your plan, I can provide a Superbill which you can submit to your plan for possible OON reimbursement. Additionally, I continue to offer equitable self-pay rates for 1:1 counseling services 💪

Patients in many states can book appointments via telehealth. There is also limited availability for in-person appointments for patients in the Chicago area.

More questions about insurance before you book? 🤔

Check out my insurance FAQ on my website & use my handy dandy benefit verification checklist, also available on my website.

Once you're ready to book, use the link in my bio or simply DM me "BOOK" and I'll send you the booking link! 📆

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+12247253530

Website

https://yourkidneydietitian.com/

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