Hi there Adam,
One thing we’ve learned over the years is this: the best kidney care doesn’t live in silos.
Nutrition matters. Labs matter. Lifestyle matters. And for many people, questions about supplements and herbs matter too. Kidney health is complex—and it deserves an approach that is evidence-based, kidney-focused, and whole-person oriented.
That’s why RenAlign was built through a partnership we’re genuinely proud of.
A partnership rooted in kidney-first care
RenAlign brings together two teams who care deeply about kidney health:
Renal dietitian experts at Kidney Nutrition Institute (that’s us)
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Kidney-focused naturopathic experts at Kidney Coach
This collaboration reflects something we strongly believe: kidney health is best supported when nutrition is guided by evidence and viewed through a holistic lens—without losing sight of safety, science, or the realities of daily life.
Why this partnership matters
We get a lot of questions about herbs and supplements for kidney care—and for good reason. There are hundreds of products on the market promising “natural” kidney support, and it can be incredibly hard to know what’s helpful, what’s unnecessary, and what could actually cause harm.
Our core expertise at KNI is nutrition—helping people understand protein needs, interpret labs, make sustainable behavior changes, and navigate the real-life challenges of eating for kidney health.
At the same time, we recognize that herbal and natural therapies are their own discipline. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to learn from experts who are deeply trained in this area and highly kidney-conscious. Kidney Coach has been a trusted resource for us when it comes to understanding the research, safety considerations, and kidney-specific nuances of supplements and herbs.
Both Lindsey Zirker from our KNI team and I have also been regular guests on Kidney Coach’s YouTube channel, sharing conversations around nutrition, labs, and what actually helps people with CKD move forward with confidence. This partnership grew naturally from shared values and a mutual respect for each other’s expertise.
How this shows up inside RenAlign
RenAlign is a dietitian-led nutrition program, with a clear emphasis on establishing strong dietary foundations first.
Throughout your 10 weeks, your renal dietitians guide you through weekly classes and personalized support to help you:
- apply the PLADO (plant-dominant) framework safely and realistically
- understand your labs and what they mean for your nutrition
- navigate protein, potassium, phosphorus, and overall kidney workload
- build a plan that fits your life—not just on paper
As part of the RenAlign methodology, our dietitians have had additional training and education informed by Kidney Coach around key considerations related to herbs and supplements. This allows us to ask better questions, recognize important safety flags, and provide clearer education within the scope of nutrition care.
When appropriate, this may include thoughtful conversations around supplementation. Not everyone needs supplements, and they’re never a default. Instead, we focus on helping you understand what’s useful, what’s unnecessary, and what’s safest for your kidneys, all within a nutrition-first approach.
Our collaboration with Kidney Coach helped shape this broader perspective—bringing insight into metabolic health, lifestyle factors, and long-term sustainability—while keeping everything integrated into a program grounded in evidence-based nutrition.
What’s coming next
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more about:
- what the RenAlign program looks like week to week
- how personalization works within a group setting
- how we help you apply kidney-protective nutrition with confidence
If you haven’t yet, I’d also love for you to join us for our free CKD nutrition class, where we break down the PLADO framework and answer the most common kidney nutrition questions we hear every day.
Choose the time that works best for you: