Chronic nephritis is a group of diseases with hematuria, proteinuria, hypertension and edema as the main clinical manifestations. The principles of dietary treatment for patients with chronic nephritis include limiting the intake of protein in food, salt and water intake for those with edema and hypertension, as well as limiting the intake of cholesterol, saturated fatty acids and phosphorus in food. Energy intake should be adequate, and calcium, various vitamins and folic acid should be supplemented adequately. The body needs daily intake of protein to repair tissues and build muscles. Protein is broken down in the body and the waste product produced is urea. When the kidney function of kidney disease patients is impaired, urea cannot be removed from the body in time, thus producing azotemia. Therefore, patients with kidney disease need to control their protein intake so as to avoid excessive accumulation of urea. Food containing protein is divided into two categories: one is high biomass protein, also known as high-quality protein, which can provide the most complete amount and the appropriate proportion of the essential amino acid spectrum, synthesize the high utilization of human protein and produce less metabolic waste. These foods include egg whites, milk, beef, poultry, pork, fish, etc. The other category is low biomass-valued protein, also known as non-quality protein, which contains less essential amino acids, such as vegetable protein from rice, flour, fruits, beans, and vegetables. Patients with mild hematuria and proteinuria, and renal function damage is not serious, it is not necessary to strictly limit protein intake, but it should not exceed 1 g/kg body weight per day, and the total amount should be slightly less than that of healthy people; when there is a large amount of proteinuria and moderate to severe renal function damage (creatinine clearance <60 ml/min), protein intake should be limited according to the condition, generally 0.6 g to 0.8 g/kg body weight is appropriate. In the latter case, for example, a patient with a blood creatinine of 200 micromol/liter and a body weight of 60 kg, the daily protein intake should be controlled at 36 g to 48 g, with at least 20 g of high-quality protein, roughly 1 egg + 1 bottle of milk + 1 portion of meat (100 g), with the rest provided by vegetable protein. If more stringent protein restriction can be tolerated, protein intake can also be reduced to about 0.4 g/kg body weight and supplemented with a compounded alpha keto acid preparation of 0.20 g/kg body weight daily. Due to the need to restrict protein intake in renal patients, the organism needs to ensure energy intake through the intake of other types of food such as fat and carbohydrates. Energy intake and consumption should be kept in dynamic balance. If energy is insufficient for a long time, it will cause degeneration of bones, malnutrition, anemia, and decreased resistance, which will affect life and work. If energy intake is too much, it will be transformed into fat deposits in the body causing obesity, which will easily lead to hypertension, coronary heart disease, fatty liver, gout, gallstone disease and other diseases. Energy is released by the metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrates in food through decomposition. Each gram of fat produces 9 calories of heat, while each gram of protein and carbohydrate produces 4 calories of heat. The following methods can increase the energy intake while ensuring the restriction of protein intake: increase the intake of unsaturated fats (vegetable oils, olive oil); increase the intake of sugars (granulated sugar, fructose, honey, etc.). Different patients with different etiologies, different degrees of kidney lesions, different degrees of renal insufficiency and different metabolic status need to develop individualized treatment plans rather than one standard plan. Can't chronic nephritis patients eat salt? Patients with chronic nephritis often experience hypertension and edema, which are caused by the decreased ability of the kidneys to excrete sodium. The retention of sodium in the body along with water in the blood can cause increased blood volume and higher blood pressure. Nephrolithiasis can lead to high blood pressure, and increased blood pressure often increases the burden on the kidneys. The presence of hypertension is often an important sign of worsening kidney disease, accelerating the destruction of the kidneys. Excess water in the blood vessels can also leak out from the vessels and form edema, such as eyelid edema, lower limb edema, and even ascites, pleural fluid, and pericardial effusion. To control hypertension and edema, salt and water intake should be limited in chronic nephritis. If the urine output is high and no hypertension or edema is present, the salt intake can be relaxed appropriately to no more than 6 grams per day. And those patients who have developed less than 1000 ml of urine in 24 hours or have obvious edema and hypertension, they must do strict salt and water restriction to 2 to 3 grams per day. When edema is severe, salt should be even more strictly controlled to less than 2 grams per day, or even given a salt-free diet. In addition to salt, foods with high sodium content should also be eaten sparingly or not, mainly soy sauce, pickles, kimchi, salted eggs, cured meat, steamed buns made of caustic soda, pastries, etc. Sugar, vinegar and ketchup can be used instead of salt for flavoring. Can chronic nephritis patients eat soy products? Patients with chronic nephritis need to control the intake of protein, of which the proportion of high-quality protein should exceed 50%, and should not consume too much vegetable protein. Most doctors and patients therefore believe that soy products should not be eaten either. So, can chronic nephritis patients ingest soy products or not? Soy protein belongs to a kind of vegetable protein, but its nutritional value is much higher than that of vegetable protein. Soybean protein content up to about 40%, the composition of amino acids is also more comprehensive, containing 8 kinds of amino acids necessary for the human body, is a high-quality protein. Its content and quality is much higher than that of plant proteins such as millet, rice and flour, and also higher than the general pork and beef proteins. For children, histidine is also an essential amino acid, and its content in soybeans is also high. Soybeans are also rich in peptides, whose amino acid composition is almost identical to that of soy protein, and can be absorbed directly by the intestine, and at a faster rate than amino acids. The fat content in soybeans is as high as 18% to 22%, of which unsaturated fatty acids account for about 85%, including linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid three essential fatty acids, without cholesterol. Soybeans contain 1.2%-3.2% phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine (commonly known as lecithin), phosphatidylinositol (commonly known as inositol phospholipids), phosphatidylethanolamine (commonly known as ceruloplasmin) and phosphatidylserine. Soy contains protease inhibitors, saponins, phytohemagglutinin, phytic acid, isoflavones and other nutritional factors, which play an important role in the prevention of tumors and cardiovascular diseases. Soy is also rich in fiber, and in 2007 the USDA revised its dietary guidelines for the population to include beans and soy products in the same category as meat, indicating the importance attached to the nutritional value of soy. There is no sufficient evidence of the harmful effects of soy protein (rather than other vegetable proteins) intake in patients with chronic nephritis. On the contrary, soy protein is a high quality protein with high biomass value, and soy protein and soy isoflavones have hypolipidemic, antioxidant and anticancer effects, which are undoubtedly helpful in delaying the progression of kidney function and reducing the complications of kidney disease. The correct approach is not to not eat soy products, but to limit the total intake of soy products. Should I restrict water intake in patients with chronic nephritis? Water is a necessary substance for the survival of the body, accounting for about 60% of body weight. The body will feel weak if it loses more than 5% of water, and will die if it loses more than 20% of water. Water in the body is both a carrier of nutrient transport, but also a medium for metabolites out of the body. Water is also beneficial to blood circulation and regulation of body temperature. Water refers to drinking water, food, fruit, beverages, rehydration fluid and all other fluids that enter the body. Ice, milk, beverages, porridge, soup, etc. are also part of the water intake. The daily water requirement of adults is about 2500ml, of which 1200ml comes from drinking water, 1000ml from food and 300ml from water produced after food metabolism. And the excretion of water mainly relies on the kidneys, up to 1000-2000 ml, about 200 ml in the feces, about 500 ml from sweat, and about 300 ml from lung exhalation. Daily water requirements should be adjusted with the temperature, intensity of activity, physical condition and different. You should not wait until you are thirsty to remember to drink water, you should ensure adequate daily water intake. Most patients with chronic nephritis do not need to limit their water intake. Patients with mild edema should lower their water intake appropriately. Patients with chronic nephritis who have significant edema and hypertension must strictly limit water intake and sodium intake. Patients with decreased urine output need to limit their intake to the amount of water they drink according to their 24-hour urine output, usually the total daily intake is the previous day's urine output + 500 ml.