Serving size: 1 chicken breast



Preparation:  

Western Dietary Pattern Associated with Kidney Function Decline

New research finds that a Western dietary pattern, high in red and processed meats, saturated fats and sweets, is associated with increased odds of kidney function decline. The research is published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. Traditional studies about diet and health focus on specific nutrients or foods, but dietary patterns may better reflect how people really eat.

In the first of its kind study to look at dietary patterns and change in kidney function over time, researchers evaluated the effect of three different dietary patterns: Western, Prudent and DASH-style. The researchers looked at the change in kidney function over 11 years in 3,121 female participants. While the women tended to have well functioning kidneys overall with very few who met criteria for having chronic kidney disease, the researchers found that the Western style diet was associated with increased levels of albuminuria and increased risk of rapid eGFR decline. The DASH-style diet was in reverse associated with eGFR decline. The association persisted after controlling for other health factors such as smoking, activity level, obesity and diabetes. Researchers note that the study population is comprised mainly of middle-aged and older Caucasian women and that additional research is needed to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and progressive kidney dysfunction especially in non-whites and men.

Exercise in Older Adults Shown to Improve Memory 

One year of moderate physical exercise can increase the size of the brain's hippocampus in adults age 55 and older, leading to an improvement in spatial memory, a new study shows. The hippocampus is a brain structure involved in all forms of memory formation. The results of the study are particularly interesting in that they suggest that even modest amounts of exercise by sedentary older adults can lead to substantial improvements in memory and brain health. Such improvements have important implications for the health of the expanding population of older adults worldwide.

For their project, researchers recruited 120 sedentary older people without dementia and randomly placed them in one of two groups -- those who began an exercise regimen of walking around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week, or those limited to stretching and toning exercises. The results showed that the aerobic exercise group demonstrated an increase in volume of the left and right hippocampus of 2.12 percent and 1.97 percent, respectively. The same regions of the brain in those who did stretching exercises decreased in volume by 1.40 and 1.43 percent, respectively.

It has been thought that atrophy of the hippocampus in later life is almost inevitable but this research shows the brain at that stage remains modifiable.

At times, convenience reigns supreme when it comes to homemade meals. If you're on a kidney diet, being aware of what you eat can require extra planning and preparation. A slow cooker makes mealtime one less thing to worry about when you have a full schedule. You can start your slow cooker, let it go while you're at appointments or dialysis and come home to a ready-to-eat meal. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your slow cooker:

• It is important to fill your slow cooker properly. Too much liquid may boil over, and too little may cause the dish to burn. The unit should be between one-half and two-thirds full at all times.
• Keep the lid in place as much as possible. Steam gathers at the top of the cooker to help cook food from the top. It takes a while to reheat after you remove the lid. If you must uncover your dish, add ingredients or stir quickly and then replace the lid so that you minimize heat loss.
• For extra flavor, brown meat, vegetables and onion in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker.
• Add fish or seafood during the last half to one hour of cooking to prevent it from falling apart and overcooking.
• Raw vegetables take longer to cook in a slow cooker since the liquid simmers instead of boiling. Place vegetables in the bottom of the cooker or cut into bite-size pieces before adding to the cooker.
• Adjust herbs and spices, because longer cooking times may increase their flavor.
• Spray the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray beforehand for easier clean up.

If you are adapting slow-cooker recipes for your kidney diet, explore ways to limit or substitute high sodium, potassium or phosphorus ingredients. Since slow-cooking uses more liquid for cooking, you may also need to adjust your fluid intake.