Sneaky Protein: Not just shakes!

I think most dialysis patients have been in this situation: You are eating as much as you can, but you still have a low score on your protein when it’s time for monthly labs. This could be from a myriad of reasons and is even more common when you first start. After (sometimes years) of restricting your protein, you now have weekly treatments, so your blood protein drops.

When your protein is low it can cause muscle loss, a weakened immune system, weakened lungs, and a weakened heart.* Let’s talk about how to sneak protein into your diet so that you can keep that protein up.

Protein Liquid - Most of your clinics will give you some kind of protein liquid, Mom’s is called Liquicell, which can be mixed with water and drunk. This is almost like syrup, and if you go in-center they may have you drink one during treatment. They are often in a variety of fruity flavors, I think we got a cream soda one at one point too. You could take these as directed, but they also can be used places you would normally use some kind of syrup mix in or topping. We’ve used them as pancake syrup, mixed them in gelatin, substituted them into baked goods for a section of the wet ingredients, and mixed them with items like applesauce or cottage cheese. Mom loves these and has practically invented a whole cookbook on ways to use them daily.

Protein Shakes - Whether you are drinking pre-made ones, or making yours from scratch, you can always mix them up with more to take them to the next level. These can also be used in baking to substitute for wet ingredients. One that we like is a vanilla protein shake (pre-made) substituting milk in a sweet recipe (like muffins or cookies). We’ve also used protein powder to substitute partially the flour in a recipe. Make sure you know how much protein will be in each serving you eat, you want to be able to increase your protein by larger numbers, so a scoop for a scoop on something that makes 10 servings won’t work, but you also want to balance the flavor. You can also take the pre-made ones to the next level by mixing them in a blender with fruits and veg, it will help cut out some of the aftertaste that the pre-made ones can get.

Seeds - You may have to restrict nuts, but there are a lot of seeds that can help bring up your protein levels. Chia seeds can be a great source, but make sure you pay attention to the potassium in your serving. 2.5 tablespoons will give you 5 grams of protein, so toss them on salads, make chia pudding (and mix in some liquid protein!), and add them to homemade baked goods. Hemp hearts are another source of protein. They can be high in phosphorous and potassium, so definitely make sure you are checking the label, but they can give you close to 10g of protein in a serving. Flax seeds are lower in potassium than the others, but they are also lower in protein. They are still a great addition that will give you a couple of grams of protein per tablespoon. Sesame seeds are also weirdly a decent source, just watch for potassium again.

Protein Jelly - Do you love jello? Several fitness and medical companies are making protein jelly now, and there are a ton of recipes online for it too. You can have it for a snack or dessert and get some protein in. We buy it from Medline (Gelatein Plus) and it has about 20g of protein in each cup.

Eggs - This won’t work for every meal, but many can have an egg prepared in any way you chose added to them. Having ramen? Put a soft or medium boil egg with it. Having a salad? Add some hard-boiled egg. Having a breakfast sandwich? Throw a sunny-side-up egg on it. Like them poached or basted? Add them to toast with a couple of slices of tomato or in a noodle-based dish. The possibilities are endless as long as you don’t have an egg allergy.

Beans - This one can be tricky, and always check with your dietician first. We have found some no-salt-added canned beans at Whole Foods (365 brand) that are relatively low (for beans) in potassium and very low in sodium. These work great for us because Mom boarders on low potassium. We use them as beans, but I’ve also mashed them up to use in baking and spreads. We most commonly use chickpeas, which have 6g of protein in 1/2 cup.

I’ll try to add to this more over time, but these are some of the things we are doing to get Mom’s protein up. What has been working for you? Find us on TikTok or Instagram, or on our contact page and let us know.

* Hypoproteinemia is the condition that comes from having low protein in your blood.

**None of the links today are affiliate links.