How a Carnivorous Diet Can Save Kidneys

Just as I spent 5 hours a day for weeks trying on the web to find a cure or reversal method for my first diabetic cat, I did it again for my new CRF (chronic renal failure) cat, only it didn't take weeks--it only took hours. Boy, the science has sure changed since the last CRF cat I owned (over a decade ago). Unfortunately, some vets haven't changed with it...this does not surprise me.

Fortunately, I have a young recent grad on my cat's case.

Standard rule-of-thumb gold standard treatment for kidneys in any stage of failure (in any species) called for the lowering of meat protein to lower the digestive after-effects, which cause creatinine, BUN, and phosphorus to rise, taxing the kidneys. Usually, conventional wisdom (with humans in this case) says to go vegetarian--a diet with problems of it's own. How do you do that with a carnivore?

Answer: you don't. You avoid red meat (supposedly), since it produces the largest quantities of the digested nasties that hurt kidneys....until now. Conventional wisdom be damned!

I teased you in a previous article about how bacon can be used in a renal diet. Well, here's how:

Bacon (1 oz. cured) protein levels--raw (3 gr.) and cooked (11 gr.). Low indeed, even though (to my surprise) protein levels go UP after the meat in question is cooked--I always thought cooking caused a loss of nutrients. At this point, even 11 gr. is low for a human!

I found other such protein surprises that definitely would be fit for a cat, such as:

Beef tongue, 1 oz. raw = 4 gr. and cooked = 5 gr.
Chicken liver, 1 oz. raw = 5 gr. and cooked = 7 gr.
Bison muscle meat (grass-fed), 1 oz. raw = 6 gr. and cooked = 7 gr.
Chicken hearts, 1 oz., raw = 4 gr. and cooked = 7 gr.
Lamb muscle meat, 1 oz. raw = 2 gr. and cooked = 3 gr.

Those were among the dead-bottom protein-level foods I could find in the meat category. Yes, the lower values are for RAW, but a cat can (and some say should) eat a raw diet. The lowest food in that category goes to lard, which is zero on all counts except fat. Some other usable foods include clams/sardines, unsalted butter, eggs, and raw grass-fed beef (although the NDB doesn't have cooked numbers for grass-fed beef, only raw).

Those who indulged in raw meat millenia ago got quality protein, but less of it per ounce--this may be why cavepeople and generations that followed rarely ever saw a death from failing kidneys. If we were to indulge in it again (using grass-fed/pastured/non-commercial meats), just think of all the daisy-chain surgery miracles we could eliminate, and organ donation as a whole would disappear from lack of use! It sounds like we should be donating organs FOR CONSUMPTION rather than for surgical implant.

For humans, it wouldn't always be necessary to eat meats raw to gain lower protein status, but rather lower the QUANTITY of it--take bacon for example: 1 oz. cooked = 11 gr., or beef hearts: 1 oz. cooked = 24 gr., or beef liver: 1 oz. cooked = 21 gr., or beef kidneys: 1 oz. cooked = 23 gr., or grass-fed bison: 1 oz. cooked = 22 gr. This is in great contrast to the normal recommended daily allowance. My own recommended protein intake each day is 70 gr. according to this calculator.

Needless to say, people with kidney issues have to get very creative when it comes to using limited protein sources--bacon bits, muffin-size casseroles, single servings of Mexican food, etc. The smaller you can cut your meat, the further it goes. Also, the rarer it is, the less you have to worry about post-digestive toxin build-up harming the kidneys.

If anything, raw liver serves as a cheap multivitamin--especially when you mix your livers. There's even a study on how a high-fat ketogenic diet saves kidneys. Unfortunately, I'm not finding anything positive on using dried meats (the only warnings are for commercial ones, nothing at all for plain homemade ones).

I'm not an expert, but this raw-foods thing sounds like it's shaping up to be the same cure-all as the Paleo diet is for humans: high fat and quality protein.

I probably could've done a better job rescuing my diabetic cats with raw meats, but I was advised against using them in regard to the cats' compromised immune systems--live and learn. I'm going to take the leap with the help of a veterinary nutritionist (now on staff at my current vet's office), and a diet she will create for my impaired cat. I believe I can look forward to many more good years with this cat before having to administer sub-cutaneous fluids and more meds, and fall back into nurse-mode again.

How's this for cutting cooking time in the kitchen?