So first off, as others have stated, a keto diet doesnt have to be high in meat.
It can, however, be high in meat should you go the carnivore route. The research has shown that high protein is not bad for someone w/ normal kidney function. There does seem to be some research indicating that it can cause further kidney damage for someone who already has weakened kidneys, although I do wonder if that's just a misinterpretation of the tests, as I'm about
to explain.
When I did carnivore, my BUN shot up from a 16 to a 30. I freaked out a bit, until I went into a carnivore group on FB and talked to a bunch of people and read past posts. What happened to me is very common, and I saw dozens of posts "my BUN is a 32, help!". From what I was able to gather, the reference ranges on the tests are based on a SAD. If you consume a ton of meat, you are producing more urea/nitrogren, so your BUN goes higher simply due to the fact that more input = more output, not because of damage. Your dr sees this and says, "ahah, protein is bad for your kidneys".
Intuitively it makes sense. Meat is not bad for you and its not going to hurt you.
But I do have a trick that I discovered to help the kidneys.
When I first went into ketosis 9 months ago, my uric acid shot up from a 5.0 to a 9.0 (took about
5m to normalize). I also developed interstitial cystitis (which my urologist told me is probably an acid problem, and has since gone away). I could not figure out what was happening, and I researched it a lot. What I've since discovered is that the body begins to dump oxalate. This oxalate competes w/ uric acid for filtration. The oxalate is toxic and some people are very sensitive to it, so you want to dump it, but it can take a while for your body to rid itself of it. I've actually suspected this may be behind my inflammatory arthritis.
Anyway, i started to research ways to bring down uric acid because I was very concerned about
gout. I did all the tricks you see online, and would test myself weekly at Quest Direct (you can order the uric acid test youreself through quest direct). Lemon water (did nothing), potassium citrate (dropped it from a 9.0 to like an 8.7), tart cherry extract (got bigger drop, 9.0 to like an 8.2). Then I tried sodium bicarbonate. Wham, my uric acid dropped from a 9.0 to a 6.1 in a few days, and my acid pee sticks showed my pH went froma 5.5 to a 7.5.
But...and this is the reason I mention this. My creatinine, which is always like a 1.20ish area for the past 8 years since I've been monitoring it, dropped to a 1.00area. I repeated the test a few times. Sodium bicarbonate will bring your creatinine down. My rationale is that it breaks up acid crystals that are taxing your kidneys for filtration.
I have to pat myself on the back, as I discovered this little tidbit on my own. I then googled it and found some proof that baking soda can be used as a protective measure for kidney disease.
https://www.nicswell.co.uk/health-news/baking-soda-for-kidney-patientsEven though I dont think carnivore is necessarily bad for the kidneys, my creatinine has always been a touch higher than I'd like, so just to be safe from time to time I'll take some bicarbonate. I use alka seltzer gold as it has both potassium and sodium bicarbonate in the right ratios to keep the electrolytes balanced
Post Edited (dcd2103) : 1/22/2022 6:17:34 AM (GMT-7)