Short Answer: Butter is bad for CKD. Because it has saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and phosphorus, and they can worsen your CKD and increase your risk of complications.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition that affects your kidneys, which are the organs that filter your blood and remove waste and excess fluid from your body.
In CKD, your kidneys gradually lose their function over time, which means they cannot filter your blood as well as they should.
This can lead to various health problems, such as high blood pressure, anemia, bone disease, and cardiovascular disease.
One of the key factors in managing CKD is diet.
What you consume can affect your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and electrolyte levels, which can impact your CKD symptoms and overall health.
To effectively manage CKD, you should consume protein, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium in moderation, and get enough calories, vitamins, and minerals from your diet.
You should consume protein-rich foods like lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products, but limit them to the amount recommended by your doctor or dietitian.
You should also avoid potassium-rich foods like bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, and dried fruits, unless otherwise advised.
Phosphorus-rich foods like dairy products, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains should also be limited, as they can cause your bones to lose calcium and weaken.
Sodium-rich foods like salt, processed foods, canned foods, and sauces should be reduced, as they can raise your blood pressure and make you retain fluid.
Now, butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream.
It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat.
People usually use butter as a spread, melted as a condiment, and as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures.
Butter is bad for CKD because it contains high amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and phosphorus.
These ingredients can worsen your CKD and increase your risk of complications.
One tablespoon (14 grams) of butter can give you 102 calories, 11.52 grams of fat (7.29 grams of saturated fat), 30.5 milligrams of cholesterol, 91.6 milligrams of sodium, and 24.2 milligrams of phosphorus.
These amounts are 36%, 10%, 4%, and 2% of your daily needs, respectively, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol levels, which can clog your arteries and damage your heart and kidneys.
Cholesterol can also contribute to plaque formation in your blood vessels, which can reduce blood flow to your organs and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Sodium can increase your blood pressure and make you retain fluid, which can strain your heart and kidneys and cause swelling in your legs, ankles, and feet
Phosphorus can bind with calcium in your blood and form deposits in your soft tissues, which can damage your blood vessels, heart, lungs, eyes, and skin.
Furthermore, butter is a dairy product and dairy products are generally bad for CKD.
Because, they are high in protein, phosphorus, and potassium, which can overload your kidneys and cause them to work harder.
That’s why I suggest you limit your butter intake to avoid worsening your CKD and increasing your risk of complications.
Stick to no more than one teaspoon (5 grams) of butter per day, which can provide you with 36 calories, 4.1 grams of fat (2.6 grams of saturated fat), 10.8 milligrams of cholesterol, 32.4 milligrams of sodium, and 8.6 milligrams of phosphorus.
These amounts are 1%, 2%, 1%, and 1% of your daily needs, respectively, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Also, you shouldn’t eat butter if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or bone disease to prevent aggravating these conditions.
Because, butter can raise your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and lower your bone density.
You can buy fresh butter in your local market or can order it from online.
Always choose unsalted, organic, and grass-fed butter, as they have less sodium, hormones, and antibiotics, and more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K2.
Because, these factors can benefit your health and reduce inflammation. You can store butter in the refrigerator for up to a month or in the freezer for up to a year.
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Finally, remember, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management, and essential medical care, is key to managing CKD effectively.
I always recommend my CKD patients to follow a CKD-friendly diet to improve their overall well-being and enjoy a longer and healthier life.
