Educational Videos

  • Did you know the average American takes in 3400 mg of sodium a day when the recommended amount is 2300? That’s 1100 more mg a day than the FDA’s recommended amount. The consequences of this sodium amount are risks for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure,......

  • ** DISCLAIMER: Do not try this at home without talking to your doctor, especially if you have Stage 4 or 5 Chronic Kidney Disease ** I don’t normally talk a lot about studies on my channel, but I do think it is very important sometimes......

  • Water keeps your body hydrated but we’ve always been tole y our body needs 8 x 8 ounce glasses each day. Your body, however, doesn’t need to force water in because most of us are excellent judges of how hydrated we are and how to......

  • What foods will you be eating in 2022 according to Whole Foods? Will you be eating plant-based foods? What will you be drinking? Is 2022 the year you start eating and drinking flowers? Well, the people at Whole Foods (whomever they are) get together each......

  • A Kidney Cleanse is set up to “cleanse your kidneys” the same way a filter in your house or car is cleanses. Teas, smoothies, drinks all are supposed to work by cleansing your kidneys. Does it work? Is it worth the money?...

  • In my last video I talked about how much water someone needs to drink to keep themselves hydrated and I talked about your “wicked smart” kidneys. Of course, I neglected all the people who follow me who have chronic kidney disease and whose kidneys don’t......

  • I was going through my spice cabinet the other day and it inspired me to make this video. If you follow me on social media you have probably heard me talk about using spices instead of relying on salt to flavor your food. So it......

  • Today I want to talk a little bit about this important topic as we have been dealing with COVID 19 for almost 2 years now. I have personally cared for over a hundred or more people who have passed away from the disease. This has......

  • Have you made a new year’s resolution before? Probably so. Have you ever completed it through to the end of the year? Probably not. So, this year, why don’t you do something different instead of make a new year’s resolution?! Keep watching to see what......

  • When I see my patients in the office, we don’t have a lot of time to talk and I try to give them easy suggestions for changes they can start making that day to boost their kidney health. I want to share with you five......

  • As a kidney doctor (nephrologist), I diagnose hundreds of people with kidney disease every year. If you were recently diagnosed or if you have a diagnosis of kidney disease, there some important things to do to help protect your kidneys and prevent your kidney disease......

  • Ever had that hungry feeling where you are looking for a filling food but you don’t want to choose something that isn’t healthy? That is a huge pitfall when trying to maintain healthy habits. Once you get hungry, it’s easy to choose unhealthy foods. Or,......

  • I had a few minutes at the office last week and recorded a few of the questions that I had gotten from my patients that morning. These are common questions that people have about kidney disease. As a partner of the America Kidney Fund, I......

  • When The Cooking Doc (Dr. Blake Shusterman) and The Kidney Dietitian (Melanie Betz, MS RD) talk to people about kidney stones and diet, a number of common questions arise. Here, they talk about the most common questions they get asked about kidney stones and diet......

  • I was joined by Registered Dietitian and expert kidney nutritionist Melanie Betz, MS RD in a discussion about the best and worst foods for kidney stones, and the top 5 myths about food and kidney stones....

  • As part of the Are You OK 5.1 campaign, which I partnered with the American Association of Kidney Patients, here are the top 10 questions about potassium and kidneys asked by people all over the country. Remember, though I am a kidney doctor, I am......

  • Have you ever tried to make health changes and were unable to sustain them for a long period of time? Ever started a new exercise routine or healthy eating kick, only to find out that those changes were not sustainable? Well, join the club. Studies......

  • Earlier this month I was fortunate to be a guest on the Courageous Wellness Podcast where I spoke to Aly and Erica about my love for food and how I have incorporated cooking into my medical practice. In this video, I turned the table on......

  • Patients often tell me how difficult it is to maintain a low salt (sodium) diet. That’s usually because salt hides everywhere in prepackaged food and restaurants foods and because they think unsalted food tastes flavorless, and often gross or inedible. However, lowering the salt in......

  • Has anyone ever told you that you should switch to sea salt or Himalayan salt? Or has anyone ever told you kosher salt is better for you than table salt? As both a cook and a kidney doctor, I understand the importance of salt in......