Kelly Picard graduated with honours from the dietetics program at the University of British Columbia in 2008. Over the past 13 years she has focused her work on chronic disease management working predominantly with patients with diabetes and kidney disease. She currently works as a registered dietitian for Alberta Kidney Care North in Edmonton, Alberta. Kelly is also a graduate student with the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on studying the impacts of diet quality and food processing on hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia management for adults living with kidney disease.
Do you eat bananas? Stop! Eat donuts instead - they're low in potassium. This may seem like an odd message but it is likely one that patient's living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) inadvertently hear all the time. That's because fruits and vegetables tend to be high in potassium. Patients living with CKD often are advised to follow low potassium diets to help prevent or manage hyperkalemia. However, this practice is increasingly being called into question as evidence suggests that this type of messaging may create barriers to healthy diets and that potassium additives in processed food may significantly impact potassium content. This presentation will review the impact of food processing on the management of hyperkalemia. Sodium, diet quality and dietary acid load will also be discussed as they relate to food processing and management of potassium intake.