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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Health & Science

Grass Jelly's High Water Content Can Undermine Fluid Limits for Dialysis Patients

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A 61-year-old dialysis patient's weight increased significantly despite careful fluid intake monitoring, due to consuming large amounts of grass jelly (aiyu).
  • Doctors explained that grass jelly is over 99% water, meaning consuming it counts towards daily fluid intake for kidney patients.
  • The patient learned to adjust her grass jelly consumption by reducing the sugary syrup and accounting for it in her fluid records, successfully managing her weight.

A 61-year-old woman, referred to as 'Axe' by doctors, faced a weight management challenge despite meticulously adhering to fluid restrictions for her two-year dialysis treatment. Known for her precise nature, cultivated during decades as a tailor, she strictly controlled her intake of beverages and broths. However, she recently discovered that her consumption of lemon grass jelly, which she believed to be a healthy alternative to ice water, was causing her weight to increase.

Grass jelly is more than 99% water. For dialysis patients who need to limit fluids, eating grass jelly is equivalent to drinking water.

— Lin Hsuan-jenExplaining the high water content of grass jelly and its implications for kidney patients.

Dr. Lin Hsuan-jen, director of the peritoneal dialysis department at Asia University Hospital, highlighted that grass jelly is composed of over 99% water, according to Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration. For kidney patients on fluid restriction, consuming grass jelly is essentially equivalent to drinking water. Axe's habit of eating two bowls daily, each containing over 200 milliliters, added nearly half a bottle of mineral water's worth of fluid to her intake, bypassing her usual monitoring methods.

One bowl is 200 milliliters, and two bowls a day is equivalent to nearly half a bottle of mineral water. It bypasses the water bottle's markings and can easily lead to exceeding weight limits.

— Lin Hsuan-jenQuantifying the fluid intake from consuming grass jelly.

Adding to the fluid intake was the sugary syrup often served with grass jelly. A 2024 UK Biobank study indicated that higher consumption of sugary drinks negatively impacts kidney health. This combination of hidden fluid and sugar contributed to Axe's weight gain.

Sugary syrup is a hidden burden. According to a 2024 UK Biobank study, the more sugary drinks you consume, the more your kidneys suffer.

— Lin Hsuan-jenWarning about the impact of sugary syrup often served with grass jelly.

Upon returning for her follow-up appointment, Axe had successfully controlled her weight. She continued to enjoy grass jelly but applied her tailor's precision to its preparation. She now discards most of the syrup, adds only a little lemon juice, uses a smaller bowl, and meticulously records 'one bowl of grass jelly, count as 150ml water' in her fluid log. This adjustment allowed her to manage her weight effectively while still enjoying her preferred treat.

Don't be misled by natural healthiness: the most dangerous things are often the hardest to guard against.

— Lin Hsuan-jenCautioning against deceptive 'healthy' foods.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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