Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys lose their ability to function properly over time. Your kidneys are vital for filtering waste and excess fluids from your blood, balancing electrolytes, and regulating blood pressure. When they aren’t working as they should, waste builds up in the body, which can lead to serious health issues.
While CKD is not always reversible, nutrition plays a powerful role in slowing its progression and improving quality of life—and that’s where Cronometer can help.
Role of Nutrition in Chronic Kidney Disease?
When living with chronic kidney disease, your dietary choices can have a major impact on how you feel day to day and how the condition progresses. Since the kidneys are less effective at filtering and balancing nutrients, even healthy foods may need to be adjusted. This may mean monitoring and limiting your intake of:
- Sodium – to support blood pressure and reduce fluid retention.
- Protein – too much can stress damaged kidneys.
- Potassium – high levels can affect heart rhythm.
- Phosphorus – to prevent bone and heart problems.
The right balance varies depending on the stage of CKD, which is why personalized tracking is key.
How can Cronometer Help?
Cronometer makes it easy to monitor all the nutrients that matter most in CKD management. With lab-analyzed food data and a highly customizable diary, you can:
Personalize your nutrition goals by setting custom micronutrient targets. Just head to More > Targets > Nutrient Targets to adjust individual vitamin and mineral goals based on your unique health needs or recommendations from your healthcare provider. Check out this Cronometer University video to learn more.
Your Nutrition Report gives you a clear, visual breakdown of your macro and micronutrient intake over time. It’s a powerful tool to spot trends, identify gaps, and stay aligned with your nutrition goals at a glance. Check out our Nutrition Report Cronometer University video here.
Cronometer integrates seamlessly with CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) devices, allowing you to visualize how your food choices impact your blood sugar in real time. This helps you make more informed decisions and fine-tune your diet for better metabolic health. Check out our blog here to learn more about CGM devices and Cronometer.
Whether you’re just diagnosed or managing later stages of CKD, Cronometer gives you the insight and control to make informed nutrition choices.
Take Charge – Don’t Wait for Symptoms
CKD often develops silently, especially in early stages. Common causes include diabetes, high blood pressure, and genetics. By the time symptoms like fatigue, swelling, or nausea appear, kidney damage may already be advanced.
That’s why prevention and early intervention are so important. Tracking your nutrition with Cronometer is a proactive way to support your kidney health—especially if you’re at risk.
FAQ
Does Cronometer support a diet for Chronic Kidney Disease?
Yes, Cronometer can absolutely support a diet for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
While Cronometer doesn’t promote or prescribe any specific diet, it’s built to support all dietary approaches by providing accurate, science-backed nutrition data. That means you’re in control—whether you’re following a CKD-specific meal plan, working with a healthcare provider, or managing nutrient intake, Cronometer gives you the tools to track precisely what matters to you.
How do you monitor nutrients that effect Chronic Kidney Disease?
Cronometer makes it easy to track the nutrients that are most important to you. Check out your Daily Report or Nutrition Report to get a holistic view of your diet. Watch our our Cronometer University video here to learn how to leverage your reports.
Gold users can also utilize their Highlighted Nutrients to keep a close eye on key micronutrients. To set up your Highlighted Nutrients on mobile go to More > Targets > Nutrient Targets and select up to eight nutrients to show up on your Diary. On web click More > Display Settings > and scroll down to Highlighted Nutrients!
How do you track Oxalate on Cronometer?
To track Oxalate on Cronometer on the mobile app, tap More > Targets > Nutrient Targets > General, scroll down to Oxalate and toggle on “visible”.
On the desktop app, click More > Profile + Targets and scroll to Nutrient Targets and toggle on “visible” for Oxalate.
Oxalate will now show up on your Daily Report so you can keep an eye on your intake. You can also add this to one of your highlighted nutrients so it will appear on your Diary Header.
For more information on tracking Oxalate on Cronometer check out our blog here.
How can I get my medical professional involved with my tracking on Cronometer?
Getting your healthcare provider involved in your nutrition tracking is a great way to make your health data even more actionable. With Cronometer, there are a few easy ways to collaborate:
- Set personalized targets and goals together – You and your medical professional can identify specific nutrient targets based on your health needs (like protein, sodium, or micronutrients), which you can manually enter into your Cronometer settings.
- Use the Print Report feature (Gold users) – If you’re a Cronometer Gold subscriber, you can generate detailed Nutrition Reports to bring to appointments or share digitally. These reports provide a comprehensive view of your intake, trends, and nutrient breakdowns to support informed discussions. Visit our User Manual on the Print Report here.
- Cronometer Pro – If your healthcare provider uses Cronometer Pro, they can add you as a client. This gives them automatic access to your nutrition data, so they can monitor your progress in real time and make tailored recommendations—without any extra work on your end.
