Cook your way to kidney health with plant-based medicine

It all started three years ago when Jean Gibson, a dietitian with KGH and a member of the Peritoneal Dialysis team, had the idea to promote healthy cooking and eating habits for patients on peritoneal dialysis. (This type of dialysis uses a person’s stomach to filter blood inside the body.)

Sponsored by Renal Directors Paula Hann and Donna Jansons, her idea started as a BC Renal-funded project to help patients with limited cooking skills read labels, find kidney-protecting foods low in phosphates and sodium in grocery stores, and better understand how to prepare them in the kitchen. 

The project was so well received by Interior Health (IH) clients that the program was extended for a second year, and expanded to include patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The goal was to improve the quality of life for those living with CKD, manage health outcomes, and optimize experiences, all through culinary medicine. 

Culinary medicine combines the traditional art and skills of food preparation, with the sciences of medicine and nutrition, to maintain health and manage disease.

Jean, in collaboration with Marie Goyet, also a dietitian with KGH, reviewed literature and asked patients about their needs and barriers to adding plant-based protein into their diet.

Their input led to Jean and Marie developing a web-based learning tool that provided an overview of how culinary medicine, including plant-based protein, can help patients manage and slow the progression of kidney disease.

Today, patients can learn how to use their kitchen to manage and slow the progression of CKD, thanks to the Plant-Based Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease website.

This colourful, easy-to-use learning tool explains the benefits of plant-based protein for people with kidney disease. The site includes recipes, cooking videos and beautiful photography and illustrations created by Shane Van De Sype, E-Learning Developer at IH.

JeanE is a patient with chronic kidney disease, and participated in the project as a patient partner. “This website is very easy to navigate and has a wealth of very useful information,” she says. “I recommend everyone begin adding appealing ingredients to your pantry like these, and try the recipes.”

The site also features practical ways to select, store and cook ingredients, and includes an interactive label reading activity. “In fact, anyone who would like to add more of these foods, but don’t know where to start, can use this site,” says Jean.

Jean and Marie couldn’t be happier about the learning resource. “This tool is the culmination of two years and hundreds of hours of collaboration with client partners, dietitians, program and practice experts, media services at IH, and nephrologists,” says Marie.

Visit Plant-Based Medicine for CKD