Low-salt, kidney-friendly holiday treats for all to enjoy

Low-salt, kidney-friendly holiday treats for all to enjoy


The holidays are upon us and that means lights, decorations and holiday gatherings to attend. For many people with kidney disease, get-togethers with food can be stressful – it’s hard to know if anything on the menu will be kidney-friendly. Well, worry no more – the newly updated recipe section of our website has many delicious, low-sodium recipes perfect for the holidays. So the next time you’re tasked with bringing a tasty treat to a party, try out one of the following:

 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bars

We love these protein bars – they’re delicious, packed with protein and so easy to make! No need to turn the oven on – there’s no baking required with these bars. Just remember to make them a bit in advance as they need a few hours to chill before being served. Here’s the full peanut butter chocolate protein bar recipe, a must try for all looking for a sweet-but-not-too-sweet treat this holiday season.

 

Lemon Loaf

This bright and citrusy dessert is perfect for a party. Not too heavy, it’s great to pair with tea or coffee at the end of the evening, or served in slices at a potluck. Just scrumptious! Check out the full lemon loaf recipe and give it a try sometime soon.

 

Cool Whip Ice Cream Sandwich

ice cream sandwich
Who says cold desserts have to be a summer thing? Not us! These delicate cool whip sandwiches are light enough while completely satisfying that post-dinner sweet tooth many of us have. If you’re bringing these to a party to share, simply pop the frozen cool whip dish back into the freezer when you arrive and make them to order post-meal. They’re sure to be a hit and they’re kidney-friendly. Check out the full cool whip ice cream sandwich recipe and give it a try.

 

What recipes do you like best this time of year? We’d love to hear them — share your ideas with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Living Life to the Fullest

Musician, actress, singer, poet, activist, student and social worker are all titles held by Andrea Skywalker over the course of her extraordinary life. Born in Germany to a German mother and a Black American/Cherokee father, she credits her father’s military background and her mother’s meticulous nature with instilling in her a discipline and drive that would help her pursue her many interests. She has traveled extensively, and, with a degree in Human Services, she has enjoyed a long career as a social worker for the State of Washington. During her tenure as a social worker, she worked with victims of domestic violence, seniors and other people in need. “I like helping people who can’t help themselves.” She adds, “I want to leave something positive and beautiful in this world to promote unity.” Andrea enjoys the performing arts and has appeared on the stage and screen as a singer, musician and actress. She continues to perform at local venues.

In 1999 she suffered a major stroke which left her in the hospital for 2 months. She had to re-learn how to walk, talk and function, and her determination would be essential in her rehabilitation efforts, “As soon as I could walk, I went back to work. Never give up” she advises based on her own experience. When her doctor told her six years ago that her kidney function was declining and she should prepare for dialysis, Andrea was adamant that dialysis was not for her and she managed to keep her kidneys functioning for six more years. Eventually her kidneys would fail and she was faced with the ultimate choice. At this point, she did choose to continue living with the aid of dialysis treatments; “I decided I’m too busy to die.” Just a few months after beginning dialysis Andrea celebrated the debut of her first book, entitled “The World As I See It.” Now Andrea has just completed a second book and will soon be recording a music CD. She shares, “Even though dialysis is time consuming and takes up three days of each week, I often think about where I’d be without the dialysis. I choose to be grateful and to be happy that I’m still alive.

Enjoy a poem from Andrea’s new book, “The World As I See It”:

I’M SUPPOSED TO LIVE
I GOT THINGS TO GIVE
I GOT PLACES TO SEE
DON’T YA KNOW
I GOT PLACES TO GO
IN WIND – RAIN – AND SNOW
AND THE CLOCK KEEPS TICKING
REAL SLOW

WHEN I WAS 63
I WAS TIRED AND CRANKY
AND MY PRESSURE
WAS WAY TOO HIGH
AS MY KIDNEYS WERE FAILING
AND I LAY AILING
I WOKE UP AND SAID
NO – I’M NOT GOING TO DIE

I’M SO LUCKY I GET A SECOND CHANCE
TO WALK AND TALK
AND LEARN HOW TO DANCE
MAYBE FIND A LITTLE ROMANCE
TO APPRECIATE EACH MOMENT AND SAY
HOW ARE YOU TODAY

LET’S TAKE A CHANCE
AND DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
CAUSE I’M SUPPOSED TO LIVE

By Andrea Skywalker @2017

Tasty low-sodium, kidney-friendly recipes for fall

In many parts of the country, the weather is changing – the sunny days of summer are being replaced by brisk, crisp days of fall. Instead of barbecues and picnics, it’s time for slow cooker meals, soups and casseroles. If you have kidney disease and follow a low-sodium diet, rest assured – the newly revamped recipe section of our website has many tasty, kidney-friendly recipes perfect for fall and every season. Here are just a few of our fall favorites:

 

Overnight WafflesOvernight waffles

Crazy mornings, getting kids off to school, yourself off to work — or both? Take breakfast out of the equation and make those mornings just a little bit simpler. Most of this waffle recipe can be made the night before. Just add the eggs in the morning, pop the batter into your waffle maker and, once cooked, top with fresh berries. Absolutely delicious! Check out the full overnight waffle recipe and try these sometime soon.

 

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup

Fall is all about soups and chicken noodle is an absolute staple. The best part? Soup just keeps getting better and better as days go on and flavors develop, so making a large batch of this over the weekend to have for lunch throughout the week is a win-win. You won’t need to think of a lunch meal each day, and you’ll have a hot meal packed with flavor to devour come lunchtime. If you’re working, simply heat this up in the morning and pour it into a thermos to take to work. Here’s the full chicken soup recipe, a must try for all looking for a kidney-friendly soup this fall.

 

Crock-Pot Pot Roast with Vegetables

We just love a good slow cooker meal and this one does not disappoint. Simply add ingredients to your Crock-Pot in the morning and, come evening, you’ll have a delicious, tender roast and vegetables for dinner. If you want to sear the roast before, or add potatoes, you can but even as is, this roast is flavorful, low in salt and kidney-friendly. Take a look at the full pot roast with vegetables recipe and give it a try.

 

Apple Cranberry Cobbler

cobbler

A slice of apple cobbler is the perfect dessert for fall. Having guests over? Make this the night before, then pop it in the oven to warm before you serve it. Add the maple cream (the recipe includes this tasty topping) and you’re sure to have friends asking you for the recipe. So what are you waiting for? Check out the full apple cranberry cobbler recipe, head to the store for ingredients, and make this tasty treat this fall.

 

What recipes do you like best this time of year? We’d love to hear them — share your ideas with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Step into Fall: exercise tips for dialysis patients

Exercise is important for everyone but especially for people on dialysis. For most, dialysis requires sitting in one place for four to five hours at a time. It can also make you feel drained and tired. Once you’ve rested and recovered from your treatment, focus on exercise. Get moving so your endorphins can kick in and give you energy. Exercise can also help you sleep better and lower your blood pressure and blood sugar.

Here are our ideas for exercises you can do in the fall. As always, run your exercise plan by your doctor to make sure its OK for you.

1. If the weather’s nice, go for a hike or a walk around your neighborhood. If you’re on dialysis at a center, chances are your days are pretty packed. If you’re feeling energetic, head to a local trail for a walk in the woods. Or, there’s no need to hop back in the car – just head outside and walk your neighborhood.

2. Stretch, stretch, stretch. There’s a reason people love yoga so much. It’s a great way to stretch so many muscles in your body. Stretching can also make you feel more relaxed and less stressed, and you can do it from just about anywhere. Check with your doctor if you’re unsure of the stretches to do.

3. Lift light weights. Building, strengthening and toning muscle can increase blood flow and make you stronger. You can even do it in front of the TV! Start slow and take your time. Don’t have weights? Grab some canned food to use!

4. Weed your garden. Head outdoors and spend some time preparing your garden for next year’s crop. You’ll thank yourself come spring, and you’ll be getting some exercise now! Weed, rake and breathe in that crisp fall air.

5. Dance. Dancing is one of the best ways to get a workout in – and it’s fun! Crank up the tunes and dance around your house. Just keep moving and you’ll be getting a workout done in no time.

Remember, exercising should be a bit of a challenge but if you’re out of breath, feeling any pain, or have swelling or blurred vision, stop right away and call your doctor.

What exercises do you like best this time of year? Let us know! Share your ideas with us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’d love to hear from you!

Top ten tips for people starting dialysis

Dialysis can be daunting – learning more about it and understanding your options might help you feel calmer and better prepared. Here are ten ways to get ready for dialysis.

1. Find a kidney doctor if you don’t already have one. A nephrologist — a kidney doctor — is an expert on kidney care. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, use our search tool to find a nephrologist near you.

2. Learn about your treatment options. If you need dialysis, there are different options that might work for you. Learn about home dialysis and in-center dialysis, then talk to your kidney doctor about what could work best for you.

3. Meet with a nutritionist at your dialysis center to discuss the kidney diet. If you need dialysis, you’ll likely benefit from changing your diet. Eating the right foods while on dialysis will help you feel better.

4. Take a class about kidney health. There are many resources out there to help you learn how to feel good while on dialysis. Sign up for our free classes to understand your treatment options, how diet and exercise can make you feel better, and other ways to help slow the progression of your kidney disease.

5. Try to create a dialysis schedule around work and regularly scheduled activities. Dialysis is time-consuming but it doesn’t have to mean you’ll miss out on all your usual activities. Work with your dialysis care team to find a treatment schedule that helps you stay involved with work and your community.

6. Talk to the care team at your dialysis clinic about insurance. Speak with members of your dialysis clinic’s financial team to learn about Medicare and what kidney care it covers. 

7. Talk to someone who has been on dialysis. One of the best ways to understand what dialysis is like is to chat with people who are also on it. While undergoing treatment, talk to others who are dialyzing to get tips from them. Or, meet up with someone from The Road Back to Life, a group of people with kidney disease who have been on dialysis or received a kidney transplant.

8. Find recipes that follow your kidney diet and stock up on those foods. There are some absolutely delicious foods that align with the kidney diet. Check out our kidney-friendly recipes for some to try.

9. Make an exercise plan with your doctor. Fitness is important for everyone, including people on dialysis. Regular exercise — even short walks or stretching — will help you feel better and could help slow your kidney disease down. Work with your doctor to create a fitness plan that works for you.

10. Be your own advocate. No one knows you better than you. If something isn’t going well for you, speak up. Talk to your nephrologist or the kidney care team at your dialysis center to see how your care plan could change to make you feel better.

 

Although adjusting to being on dialysis can be difficult, there’s a community of people here to help. You’re not alone with your disease — talking with others and sharing your own experiences can help. Search, and share your own story, with #MyKidneyStory on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Keep cool when it’s hot: tips for dialysis patients

When you’re on dialysis, it can be difficult to manage your fluid intake and when it’s hot out, that becomes an even bigger challenge. It’s good to have a list of ways to keep cool on those hot summer days so you’re not tempted to go over your fluid limit. Below are some of our favorite ways to keep cool without gulping down more drinks.

1. Freeze fruit⁠ — like strawberries, raspberries or blackberries ⁠— to suck on when you’re thirsty.

2. Measure out your daily water limit and pour it into an ice cube tray. (Ice cubes last longer than sips of water.)

3. Stay in air-conditioned places like malls or grocery stores.

4. Take a cool bath or shower and let your hair air dry instead of using a hairdryer.

5. Cool a washcloth and drape it over your forehead, then sit in front of a fan.

6. Wear lightweight clothing.

7. If you have diabetes, pay close attention to your blood sugar as high blood glucose can make you extra thirsty.

8. Avoid spicy foods.

9. Stay away from strenuous activity so as not to dehydrate your body further.

10. Suck on a lemon or lime to quench your thirst.

How do you stay cool during the hot summer days? We’d love to hear your creative ideas! Share your tips with us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Daniel and Sylvia’s story

Our patients and their families are our reason for being, and each of them has a story of their own that testifies to the value of our mission in individual lives. Here is the story of one couple’s experience of the PSKC community.

Both born in Austin, Texas, Daniel and Sylvia have a nearly lifelong relationship. In fact, Sylvia vividly remembers the first time she met Daniel.


“I walked into the church talent show holding my mother’s hand and saw this young boy up on stage singing and kicking up his feet dancing to a Righteous Brothers’ song. I just couldn’t stop looking at him.”


She was just five years old.

Daniel and Sylvia eventually found themselves in the same youth group where they began dating.

“I knew right away I wanted to marry her and I put a ring on lay away for two years,” says Daniel.

They married in 1974 and enjoy living in the Pacific Northwest near their daughters and grandchildren.

As a diabetic, when Daniel learned his kidneys were declining and that he would soon be in stage five renal failure, he admits, “I didn’t want to do dialysis. I was going to let myself go,” but he credits his prayer group for encouraging him to fight on. Since then, Daniel has dialyzed many places, but he feels there’s something special about Puget Sound Kidney Centers.


“I’m comfortable at home because no one’s going to care for you like your family, but I have to say I’ve come to feel the same about here. I wish everyone had the level of care that you get at Puget Sound Kidney Centers.”


Sylvia adds, “We have come to feel safe here. To be able to live longer…and be stronger. Had we not had access to dialysis, what would have happened? Dialysis is a miracle.”

Thank you, Daniel and Sylvia, for sharing your story! Hear from more kidney patients about their experiences living with kidney disease. Follow #MyKidneyStory on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

From kids to seniors, how one couple shows compassion for the community

While working at Boeing, Tom and Christy Lee contributed to the Boeing Employee Community Fund, a fund that supports a wide variety of charitable causes in the community. Through this, the Lees saw the impact charitable giving can make in helping people in need. Thus, when they retired, they continued donating to a number of causes, including the Homage Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels program, the Marysville Community Food Bank and an international ministry — of which Tom says, “We buy goats for the ladies in Africa.”

Still, Tom and Christy felt they could do more and came up with the idea of paying off the lunch debts of students at Kellogg Marsh Elementary School, the school their son attended as a child. When they went to the district office to inquire, however, they were surprised to find that the debt for that school was only $259. They then asked how much it would cost to pay off the lunch debt for the whole Marysville School District and were told the total debt was $5,495 for 262 kids in 10 schools. Tom and Christy decided to donate that amount, and felt good knowing that the debt was gone for these kids. Thanks to the Lee’s initiative and generosity, families in the district who were struggling to pay off their children’s lunch debt would have one less worry.

A few years ago, Tom learned that his kidneys were failing and he would need to start dialysis. He fell ill just as he and Christy were getting ready to depart on a long-awaited dream trip to Hawaii. Instead of heading away, they needed to focus on getting Tom healthy enough to qualify for a transplant. Today, Tom is still dialyzing but feeling better and determined to have that great vacation. Meanwhile, he and Christy continue to make a difference in the community by helping others in need.


“I just love the way it makes me feel,” Tom says about donating. “It feels so good and we’re fortunate to be able to help.”


Thank you, Tom and Christy, for the incredible support you have shown this community!

From colony to community: how a former beekeeper keeps buzzing

For more than 40 years, Pedro Lopez — who dialyzes at our Everett center — was an apiarist, otherwise known as a beekeeper. He maintained thousands of hives in tiny Reedley, California, a place known as “The World’s Fruit Basket,” a nod to the town’s fruit cultivation.


“I loved everything about working with the bees,” says Pedro. “I learned something new every day; the bees were excellent teachers.”


Today, Pedro’s nephews Raul and Rafael own and manage his farm, Reynaga’s Bees, and they produce hundreds of pounds of honey every year. Altogether, they maintain over 7,000 hives. With approximately 4,000 bees per hive, that means they’ve got a whopping 28 million bees at work. And boy do they work! The bees can produce, on average, 100 pounds of honey per hive, per year. And that gold equates to a lot of green: a 200-gallon barrel of honey is sold for about $1,800. There is no wealth without risk, though, as Pedro remembers being stung over 200 times on one particular day!

Reynaga’s Bees harvest their honey twice per year, usually in May and August. During the winter, they maintain the hives and routinely feed the bees corn syrup.


During the pollinating season, bees work from sunrise to sundown, unless it’s raining or very cold, and only live for 40 days. To keep the hive “alive,” the queen bee lays approximately 500 eggs per day. The male drone bee who acts as the father is selected from more than 100 drones — some dating pool! It takes 21 days for the egg to grow into the larvae stage, and then “nurse” bees feed and maintain the young with special food until they are ready to go to work.

When bees head out and find the flowers with pollen and nectar that they need to make honey, they report back to the hive and do a special dance to tell other bees the exact location of the specific flower patch they found.

Once the bees collect the nectar and pollen, they are ready to store it in cells within the hive. When the hives are full, bees create a wind with their wings that evaporates all of the water, leaving behind the delicious honey.

These days, Pedro stays busy walking the neighborhood and talking to people about bees.


“One of my transit drivers wants to start keeping bees, and I’ve offered to help teach him and get him started.”


He visits his family in Reedley several times a year and is all set to go again in March, having just celebrated his 90th birthday and 13 years on dialysis!

Isn’t that just bee-utiful!

April 22 is Earth Day and, just like Pedro, this year’s campaign is focused on bringing back the bees! Bees are essential pollinators and unfortunately, the world’s population of bees is declining. One simple way to attract more bees is to plant wildflowers. Visit www.earthday.org/campaigns to read more about bringing back the bees and other campaigns of focus this year.

It’s World Kidney Day!

Time to raise awareness of kidney disease and its effect around the globe

March is National Kidney Month in the United States and March 14 is World Kidney Day, a day when people all over the world raise awareness of the kidney and how important it is. This year’s theme is ‘kidney health for everyone, everywhere.’ Kidney diseases are increasing across the globe — 850 million people are estimated to have some form of it — and the campaign is calling for universal health coverage for prevention and early treatment of kidney diseases.

Global burden of chronic kidney disease

1 in 10 people around the world have chronic kidney disease, and half of people aged 75 or older have some degree of it. Luckily, there are ways to lower your risk of developing the disease.

Ways to prevent kidney disease

To prevent chronic kidney disease, you should:

  • Manage your diabetes, if you have it
  • Maintain a healthy blood pressure
  • Stop smoking
  • Exercise regularly
  • Follow a low-sodium diet

Check out this infographic to learn more about the global burden of kidney diseases as well as more ways to reduce your risk of kidney problems.

On social media? Share facts about the kidney and ways to keep your kidneys healthy this Thursday, March 14, in honor of World Kidney Day. We’ll be doing the same – share with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! And visit www.worldkidneyday.org to learn more about kidney disease and how people are recognizing World Kidney Day around the globe.

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