Is dalia good or bad for kidney patients?

Dalia is a popular food ingredient that is commonly used in many Indian households. The question “is dalia good for kidney patients?” is often asked by my renal patients. In this article, I will explain the benefits of eating dalia for kidney patients.

What is dalia made of?

Dalia is produced by the coarse grinding of whole wheat grains. When whole wheat is husked, processed, and cleaned to a smaller size, dalia is formed.

Since it is made of whole wheat and does not under go heavy refining, dalia is considered a healthy alternative to other refined grains.

What is dalia called in English?

Dalia is also referred to as broken wheat in English. Many people also refer to it as porridge which is incorrect, as porridge is a dish while dalia is the grain itself and can be made into a porridge. 

Dalia is also called Bulgur Wheat. The only difference is that bulgur wheat undergoes a little bit of a refining process in comparison to dalia which does not go any additional refining and maintains much of its natural nutrients. 

Benefits of Dalia

Heart Health

Dalia is a good option for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases as it helps the body in lowering high LDL levels in the body.

Dalia is also rich in magnesium which is ideal for people suffering from high blood pressure as it helps the blood vessels to relax allowing proper blood flow.

Promotes satiety

Since dalia is not refined like other grain, it maintains its fiber content. Fiber is a nutrient that triggers the hormones of fullness in your digestive tract quicker than any other nutrient.

This means, you wouldn’t need to eat a large portion of dalia to fulfill your hunger as the fiber content in dalia will trigger the satiety hormones resulting in you, not overeating, which is not only good in general but especially ideal for people seeking to lose weight.

Healthy option for diabetics

As mentioned above, since dalia is rich in fiber and hence does not cause a big blood glucose spike in diabetic patients.

The fiber in dalia will facilitate a slow breakdown of carbohydrates into the bloodstream making it a safe choice for diabetic patients.

Good for gut health

To maintain a healthy gut it is important to have a variety of gut bacteria and research suggests that eating whole grains like dalia may help build and promote healthy bacteria in the gut.

Dalia for kidney patients with high creatinine

Creatinine is toxic waste derived from a chemical known as creatine. Creatine is required by the body to produce energy in the muscles.

When the muscles use up the creatine and the muscle tissue is broken down, it also produces a by-product known as creatinine. 

The creatinine needs to be expelled out from the body by the kidneys. For a healthy person with no renal disease, this would not be a problem. 

However, for a person suffering from kidney failure or CKD, his/her kidneys are unable to filter out creatinine at the same rate as they did when they were healthy.

A person suffering from a kidney disease like CKD will usually have high creatinine levels in the blood, which means the person will need to carefully manage his diet and limit or avoid food that can increase creatinine levels and put a further load on the kidneys.

Including foods like dalia in the diet of a person with high creatinine levels can be a healthy addition as dalia does not raise creatinine levels in a renal patient.

Dalia is also lower in its potassium and phosphorus content in comparison to other grains such as oats, millets or quinoa.

However, it is important to talk to your dietitian to figure out the appropriate amount of dalia to include in your diet according to your individual requirements.

Dalia for patients with stones

Kidney stones are usually formed in the ureter because of certain chemicals in the urine.

There are different types of kidney stones and depending on which one you have, the diet would be needed to modify accordingly.

Calcium stones – Calcium stones are one of the most commonly found kidney stones. Calcium stones are formed from calcium and oxalate or calcium and phosphate.

Uric acid stones – Uric acid stones are caused when the urine is high in uric acid. Uric acid stones can be formed due to a diet rich in purine which increases the level of uric acid in the body and when they are not properly expelled it leads to uric acid stones.

Struvite stones – Struvite stones commonly occur due to infection in the urinary tract during which the levels of ammonia increases in the urine.

Dalia can be eaten for all the above-mentioned kidney stone patients. It may aid in preventing further formation of kidney stones since dalia contains phytates which are known to prevent crystallization of kidney stones.

Summary

Dalia is made from the grinding of whole grains. Dalia is rich in minerals, vitamins, and in its fiber content.

Dalia can be a part of a healthy kidney diet due to its various health benefits. Dalia is not difficult to cook and can be cooked into numerous dishes.

While dalia might be healthy for a kidney patient, it is advisable to consult a health care professional to decide on the exact amount of dalia to include in your diet. Balance is important and excesses have to be avoided.

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