Patients with kidney disease have historically been told to avoid plant-based diets for fear of raising serum potassium or phosphate levels, developing kidney stones, or becoming nutrient deficient. However, many patients with kidney disease who eat plant-based diets do not experience these issues and actually experience several health benefits, including improved blood pressure; reduced acid and phosphate levels; reductions in mortality and proteinuria; and a slower progression - if not reversal (in select cases) - of their underlying renal disease. As a result, an optimal diet for patients with renal disease is one that emphasizes the consumption of plant-based foods.

Shivam Joshi, MD, is an internist, nephrologist, and plant-based physician practicing at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He is a faculty member of NYU's School of Medicine with research interests in plant-based diets, evolutionary diets, fad diets, and nephrology. He received his BS from Duke University and his MD from the University of Miami. He completed his residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami and his nephrology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. You can follow him on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter (@sjoshiMD) or on his website (www.afternoonrounds.com).

Free vegan refreshments after the lecture courtesy of Down to Earth.