- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik Castle, M.D.
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Erik Castle, M.D.
Erik Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancer.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgeons. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- MRI: Is gadolinium safe for people with kidney problems?
Treatments and drugs (2)
- Kidney dialysis: When is it time to stop?
- Kidney donation: Are there long-term risks?
Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
- Renal diet for vegetarians: Which protein sources are best?
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Question
Renal diet for vegetarians: Which protein sources are best?
Because I have end-stage kidney failure, I must follow a special renal diet. However, I'm a vegetarian. What are the best sources of protein for someone like me who also needs to limit phosphorus and potassium?
Answer
from Erik Castle, M.D.
The answer depends on what type of vegetarian you are.
A proper renal diet is an essential part of any treatment plan for chronic kidney failure. Although a renal diet restricts protein, you still need to eat some protein every day. The chart below lists various protein sources for specific types of vegetarian diets. If you're a lacto-vegetarian, you can also consider the vegan protein sources. If you're a lacto-ovo vegetarian, you can consider vegan and lacto-vegetarian protein sources, and so on.
| Type of vegetarian diet | Best protein sources for renal diet |
|---|---|
| Vegan — allows only plant-based foods |
|
| Lacto-vegetarian — allows plant-based foods, milk, dairy products |
|
| Pesco-vegetarian — allows plant-based foods, milk, dairy products, eggs, fish |
|
| Pollo-vegetarian — allows plant-based foods, milk, dairy products, eggs, poultry |
|
It's important to note that the protein sources listed above contain varying amounts of sodium, phosphorus and potassium, which may be limited on a renal diet. For help creating a renal diet that meets your individual needs, consult a registered dietitian who specializes in renal diets.
Next questionMRI: Is gadolinium safe for people with kidney problems?
- Nutrition and chronic kidney disease. National Kidney Foundation. http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=95. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Vegetarian diets. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/vegetarian_diets.html. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Protein (g) content of selected foods per common measure, sorted by nutrient content. USDA National Nutrient Database. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR20/nutrlist/sr20w203.pdf. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Frequently asked questions: Definitions. International Vegetarian Union. http://www.ivu.org/faq/definitions.html. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Eating vegetarian foods while living with kidney disease. American Association of Kidney Patients. http://www.aakp.org/aakp-library/Vegetarian-Kidney-Disease. Accessed Aug. 28, 2008.
