The purpose of this diet is to maintain a balance of electrolytes, minerals, and fluid in patients on dialysis. The special diet is important because dialysis alone does not effectively eliminate ALL waste products. These waste products can also accumulate between dialysis treatments. Most dialysis patients urinate very little or not at all, and therefore fluid restriction between treatments is very important. Without urination, fluid will accumulate in the body and cause excess fluid in the heart, lungs, and ankles. Patients on dialysis need a high protein intake to maintain adequate nutrition. Patients on dialysis can become malnourished and this often means a poor outcome. The diet will help dialysis patients feel as good as possible.
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