Diabetes & CKD Workbook: Your Guide to Protecting Your Kidneys and Heart
Control Your Diabetes. Protect Your Kidneys. Strengthen Your Heart Health.
Living with diabetes means managing more than blood sugar.
Diabetes is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and many people do not realize their kidneys may be affected until changes appear in their laboratory results.
What does an elevated urine albumin level mean? How does diabetes damage the kidneys? Which medications provide kidney protection beyond lowering blood sugar? And what can you do today to help reduce your risk of worsening kidney disease?
The Diabetes + CKD Workbook, created by practicing nephrologist Andrew Kowalski, MD, FASN, provides an easy-to-understand, evidence-based guide to managing diabetes while protecting kidney and cardiovascular health.
This comprehensive 44-page interactive workbook explains the relationship between diabetes, kidney disease, and heart health while helping you develop practical strategies for managing your condition.
Through 10 educational sessions, interactive worksheets, medication education, and personalized planning activities, you'll learn how to become a more informed and confident partner in your diabetes and kidney care.
What You'll Learn
1. How Diabetes Affects Your Kidneys
Understand how elevated blood sugar can damage the kidneys' filtering system, contribute to hyperfiltration, increase protein leakage into the urine, and eventually lead to declining kidney function. Discover why kidney protection involves more than controlling blood glucose alone.
2. Understand Your Most Important Diabetes and Kidney Numbers
Learn how to interpret the laboratory results and monitoring tools that help evaluate kidney and metabolic health. Understand why tracking changes over time is often more informative than focusing on a single result.
3. Learn About Medications That Protect Your Kidneys and Heart
Explore the different treatments used to manage diabetes and chronic kidney disease, including:
ACE inhibitors and ARBs
SGLT2 inhibitors
GLP-1 receptor agonists
Finerenone
Metformin
Insulin and other glucose-lowering therapies
Learn how these medications work, why your healthcare team may recommend certain combinations, and what safety considerations are important when kidney function declines.
4. Understand the Kidney Benefits of SGLT2 Inhibitors
Discover how medications such as empagliflozin and dapagliflozin can provide kidney and cardiovascular benefits in appropriately selected patients.
Learn why a small initial decrease in eGFR may occur after starting treatment and which symptoms or situations require medical attention.
5. Eat for Both Blood Sugar Control and Kidney Protection
Explore practical nutrition strategies that support blood glucose management and kidney health.
Learn how food choices, carbohydrate intake, sodium, protein, and meal patterns influence your overall health without relying on unnecessary dietary restrictions.
6. Use Exercise to Improve Metabolic and Kidney Health
Understand how physical activity and muscle health affect glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. Develop a realistic movement plan based on your current fitness level and medical needs.
7. Recognize and Prevent Dangerous Low Blood Sugar
Learn why people with declining kidney function may face an increased risk of hypoglycemia.
Understand the warning signs of low blood glucose, common contributing factors, and the importance of developing an individualized treatment plan.
8. Manage Illness Safely With Diabetes and CKD
Discover why dehydration, infections, vomiting, and reduced food intake can create additional risks for people living with diabetes and kidney disease. Learn how to prepare a personalized sick-day plan with your healthcare team, including questions about medication safety.
9. Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes-Related Complications
Understand the importance of monitoring kidney health, cardiovascular risk, blood pressure, cholesterol, eye health, and foot health. Learn how preventive care and consistent monitoring can help identify problems earlier.
10. Build Your Personalized 90-Day Kidney Protection Plan
Bring everything together by creating a practical action plan focused on your individual goals, medications, monitoring needs, and daily habits.
More Than a Diabetes Book...A Practical Kidney Protection Guide
The Diabetes + CKD Workbook is designed to help you actively participate in your healthcare.
Inside, you'll find:
10 educational sessions written in understandable language
Interactive worksheets and self-assessments
Diabetes and kidney health tracking activities
A1C, CGM, eGFR, and uACR education
Kidney-protective medication guides
Nutrition and physical activity planning tools
Hypoglycemia prevention and safety education
Medication and sick-day planning exercises
Questions to discuss with your healthcare team
A personalized 90-day kidney protection plan
Knowledge checks, explanations, and a medical glossary
Most sessions take approximately 20–40 minutes and can be completed at your own pace.
Who Is This Workbook For?
This workbook is designed for:
Adults living with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease
People with diabetes who have elevated urine albumin or declining kidney function
Individuals recently diagnosed with diabetic kidney disease
Patients interested in understanding kidney-protective diabetes medications
People managing diabetes alongside high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease
Adults with diabetes who want to better understand their kidney health risks
Family members and caregivers supporting someone with diabetes and CKD
The workbook also discusses considerations relevant to other forms of diabetes, although treatment decisions must be individualized.
Developed by a Practicing Nephrologist
Created by Andrew Kowalski, MD, FASN, the Diabetes + CKD Workbook reflects the mission of Kidney Strong: empowering patients through reliable, evidence-based kidney education.
Dr. Kowalski emphasizes a whole-body approach to diabetes and kidney care, recognizing that blood sugar, blood pressure, cardiovascular health, kidney function, nutrition, and physical activity are closely connected.
The goal isn't simply to improve your A1C. It's to understand the many ways you can help protect your long-term health.
Take Control of Your Diabetes and Kidney Health
A diagnosis of diabetes and chronic kidney disease can feel overwhelming, but you are not powerless.
Evidence-based medications, individualized glucose and blood pressure management, healthy lifestyle habits, and appropriate monitoring can help many patients reduce their risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular complications.
The first step is understanding your condition.
The next step is building a plan.
Your Diabetes Doesn't Have to Define Your Kidney Future.
Get Your Diabetes + CKD Workbook Today and Start Building Your Personalized Kidney Protection Plan.
Educational use only. This workbook does not replace medical advice, individualized diabetes management, medication prescribing, or treatment recommendations from your healthcare team.