7 Ways To Change Your Eating To Manage Your Kidney Health

Apr 30, 2018

Living with kidney disease is an everyday struggle, but it is entirely manageable with the correct medication and with the optimal diet.

Below, you will find seven ways you can change your diet today that will help your kidney disease tomorrow.
 

Your kidneys are responsible for processing and filtering all of the liquids that pass through your body. If they're already damaged or weakened, they'll be less effective at this job. Reducing your fluid intake will ease the burden on your kidneys.
 

Sodium and salt can worsen kidney damage by causing you to develop high blood pressure. Your kidneys are supplied with blood by tiny blood vessels. High blood pressure can damage these tiny blood vessels, reducing the amount of blood your kidneys receive and cause your kidneys to become damaged or fail. Limiting your sodium intake can reduce your blood pressure and promote healthy kidneys.
 

Potassium is an essential nutrient for all of the muscles and cells in your body. Unfortunately, if you suffer from kidney damage, the excess potassium in your blood will continue to circulate through your system which raises your potassium to dangerous levels. If you're concerned about your kidney damage becoming worse, eat less potassium-rich foods and eat more foods with low potassium.
 

Your kidneys are your body's major source of filtration to remove toxic or harmful substances from your blood. Alcohol is one of the most toxic substances that people frequently put into their body. Refraining from drinking alcohol can help to prevent your kidney damage from worsening by preventing them from overworking to filter your blood of excess amounts of alcohol.
 

Phosphorus is a nutrient that is essential to the health of your body, but it is also filtered out of your bloodstream by your kidneys when consumed to excess. Excessive phosphorus can cause damage to your blood vessels, which can worsen your kidney damage. Reducing the amount of phosphorus in your diet can be beneficial in ensuring the health of your kidneys.
 

While eating excess amounts of protein doesn't directly damage your kidneys, it can increase your chances of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. These two common medical conditions can certainly cause lasting and severe damage to your kidneys. Keeping a balanced diet with regards to protein consumption can only help your kidneys remain healthy longer.
 

A diet heavy in saturated fats can cause an autoimmune response in your body that will worsen the damage to your kidneys. You want to avoid foods with a high saturated fat content as often as possible and switch to unsaturated fats instead.

If you have any friends or family members suffering from kidney damage who could benefit from this information, do not hesitate to spread awareness of these eating habits that could save their lives.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!