Pretzels Chips And Crackers
Snack foods such as pretzels, chips, and crackers are typically high in sodium. They also lack important nutrients your body needs to function properly.
Potato chips are also high in potassium since they are made from potatoes and should be avoided.
One small bag of potato chips contains around 150 milligrams of sodium and 336 milligrams of potassium.
Instead of pretzels, chips, and crackers choose low-sodium snacks. Good kidney-friendly snack options include unsalted popcorn, low-sodium crackers, and pita chips.
Top Foods For Optimal Kidney Health
Your kidneys, while small, are among the hardest working organs. As a part of your internal filtration system, theyre responsible for removing waste and extra fluids from your body. But thats not all these two tiny bean-shaped organs do. They also control blood pressure, orchestrate the creation of red blood cells, make vitamin D to support bone health, and balance the bodys pH levels. To maintain healthy kidney function, its important to feed them well.
A diet rich in healthy foods can enhance the performance of your kidneys, especially if you have a propensity for kidney stones or are at risk of kidney disease. Poor food choices, on the other hand, can put stress on the kidneys, particularly if they arent functioning optimally. Heres the breakdown of what to eat and what to avoid for healthier kidneys.
Eating Right With Chronic Kidney Disease
If you have Chronic Kidney Disease , you may prevent or delay some health problems by eating the right foods. As CKD progresses, nutritional needs will change. Your health care provider may recommend a specific diet to help prevent decline in your kidney function, and to minimize CKD-related complications. The following steps can help you understand the bullet points of a CKD diet.
Step 1: Choose and prepare foods with less salt and sodium
To help control your blood pressure, your diet should contain less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day. Most of the salt comes from eating processed foods , or adding salt to food while cooking and using the salt shaker at meals . On average, the more salt a person eats, the higher his or her blood pressure. Eating less salt is an important way to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, which may in turn reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney damage. To reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, eat less processed food and use less salt while cooking and at the table.
Step 2: Eat the right amount and the right types of protein
- Animal-protein foods: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, whey protein powder
- Plant-protein foods: Beans, nuts, grains, soy protein powder
Step 3: Choose foods that are healthy for your heart
To help keep fat from building up in your blood vessels, heart, and kidneys choose heart-healthy foods such as:
- Lean cuts of meat, such as loin or round
- Poultry without the skin
Also Check: What Does Alcohol Do To Your Kidneys
How To Choose Quality Supplements
There are several factors to consider when deciding whether to take supplements.
For one thing, some ingredients can interact with certain medications and may negatively impact people with specific health conditions.
Therefore, its very important to talk with a trusted healthcare professional before adding any supplements to your routine and to use products only as directed.
Additionally, keep in mind that not all supplements are created equal. For this reason, its best to buy only from reputable brands that use high quality ingredients.
Be sure to also check the label carefully and steer clear of any products that contain high amounts of fillers, additives, or artificial ingredients.
Opt for products that are tested for safety and quality, ideally by a third-party organization such as USP or NSF International. Looks for a seal from one of these organizations on the product label.
Food In Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are an important part o life that helps you to improve your kidney function. If you are suffering from kidney disease then you have to use fruits including grapes, cranberries, and blueberries. And in vegetables including fennel, onions, celery, beets, spinach, string beans, and asparagus.
Recommended Reading: What To Expect After Kidney Stone Removal
What Foods Are Bad For Kidneys
Someone with kidney disease may have a buildup of waste products in their blood. A doctor may recommend that individuals change what they eat to help manage the condition and support kidney function.
The kidneys are a pair of essential organs situated on either side of the spine at the bottom of the rib cage.
They perform many crucial functions for health, including filtering waste products and excess fluid from the body and removing it through urine.
The kidneys also play a critical role in regulating the bodys mineral balance, and they produce a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production.
Kidney disease means that the kidneys are damaged and do not function properly. Poorly controlled diabetes can also
include age, high blood pressure, heart disease, alcohol use disorder, and carrying the hepatitis C virus. A recent study also found that African American people are about five times more likely to develop end stage kidney disease than white people.
When a person has kidney disease, they may have excess waste products in their blood. A doctor may suggest a change in diet to help manage the condition and support kidney function.
This article looks at which foods to avoid or limit with kidney disease. It also provides an overview of the renal, or kidney-friendly, diet.
Typically, a specialist kidney dietitian will work with people with kidney disease to tailor a diet to their needs.
List Of Fruits That Contain Fluid But Dont Count As Part Of The Fluid Allowance
Fruits are considered water-rich foods that will help you stay hydrated, but not all of them are kidney-friendly for dialysis patients who must keep track of their daily fluid allowance. The following fruits below may be high in water content but they are not included as part of the fluid allowance:
- Strawberries
- Tangerines
Don’t Miss: Is Hibiscus Tea Good For Kidney Disease
Nutrients To Be Aware Of
Keep in mind that there are plenty of other healthy options that will do your kidneys, and your body, plenty of good. If you do have chronic kidney disease, there are a few nutrients you should be aware of.
Your kidneys regulate potassium, which is why its so important to monitor how much you are eating on a regular basis. Your kidneys also have a role in red blood cell production, meaning that if they arent functioning correctly your count may be low. Eating iron-rich foods can help prevent this and help keep your energy levels up.
On the opposite side of the equation, salt can be your enemy. Too much salt can raise your blood pressure and make your heart and kidneys work too hard. Be careful about how much salt you use in cooking and also watch the salt content of pre-packaged foods like canned soups, frozen dinners, and boxed meals. Salt substitutes may also contain a lot of potassium, so try herbs to add flavor and give it some time. You can get used to eating less salt, but it does take six to eight weeks for your taste buds to get used to it.
Lastly, we mentioned phosphorus, but it is worth repeating. A low-phosphorus diet should include lots of fresh fruits and veggies, rice milk, corn and rice cereals, as well as lemonade and even ginger ale.
Benefits For Blood Pressure
Citrulline can help make arginine. Arginine and citrulline are amino acids, which are building blocks of protein.
Our body can create a substance called Nitric Oxide from these two amino acids.
Nitric Oxide can help open and relax our blood vessels. This is called vasodilation. This process can help lower blood pressure.
Not having enough nitric oxide available in the body may contribute to poor blood flow and increased risk of high blood pressure as well as other heart problems.
Since watermelon contains a high amount of citrulline, including it in your diet can be a good way to increase your bodys nitric oxide.
Why is this important for your kidneys? The heart and kidneys are two organs that work together in our bodies.
Having high blood pressure can damage your kidneys. On the other hand, if your kidneys arent working well, it can make it harder to manage blood pressure.
Including more foods that help control blood pressure can be a great way to care for your kidneys!
We still need more research to truly understand the connection between watermelon and blood pressure.
However, if you are struggling with blood pressure control, talk to your dietitian about how watermelon can fit into your diet.
Don’t Miss: Where Is You Kidney Located
What Foods Are Good For Kidneys
Kidneys play a significant role in the overall health of the body. They filter out waste products from blood and send them out of the body as waste through urine. The kidneys also balance fluid and electrolyte levels in the body while making hormones that regulate the function of other organs of your body. But to keep your kidneys healthy, you need to watch what you eat and drink because some foods boost the performance of the kidneys while others stress, degrade and damage them.
Anthocyanins A Powerful Flavonoid
Anthocyanins are a class of flavonoids with high antioxidant properties. Found naturally in a number of foods, anthocyanins are the pigments that give red, purple, and blue fruits their rich coloring.
The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral abilities of the body significantly improve when anthocyanins combine with vitamins A, C and E.
There have been many claims about anthocyanins from the health and wellness industry. However, laboratory and clinical studies support only minor benefits regarding decreased cholesterol levels, improved cognitive function, lowered cardiovascular disease risk, and cancer prevention.
Although more clinical trials are needed to support claims on major illnesses, many studies confirm the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits of anthocyanins. For gout, researchers have shown eating more fruits rich in anthocyanins lowers uric acid levels.
The top fruits for anthocyanins are shown in the table below.
Only nine fruits from the list were found to contain anthocyanins. Compared other fruits, berries, cherries and grapes contain significantly more anthocyanins and flavonoids. Only these three fruits are shown by a long bar on the chart.
| Fruit |
|---|
- *Includes chokeberries, elderberries, wild berries, acai
- **Includes most common types
- Several types of berries, cherries and grapes have high amounts of anthocyanins among fruits that help prevent gout
Don’t Miss: Does A 3mm Kidney Stone Hurt
What Can I Eat With Chronic Kidney Disease
Your dietary restrictions depend on what stage of kidney disease youre at, says Prest. In the early stages, its all about following an overall healthy low-sodium diet, especially if you have other conditions like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, she tells Health. But as the disease progresses, youll find that you also need to start restricting protein, as well as foods high in the minerals potassium and phosphorus.
Here are eight foods that are good to include as part of your regular diet, no matter your stage of CKD.
By MatheaW
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables are typically beneficial for healthy people, but if you suffer from chronic kidney disease, you may need to avoid certain produce.
The exact foods you should eat and not eat are to be determined by your doctor. Renal diet restrictions are different for everyone, due to the differences in the stages of CKD. How well your kidneys are functioning will decide if your body can handle certain foods.
However, this article will provide you with general guidelines about what produce you should and should not eat if you have chronic kidney disease.
Which Fruits Are Good For Kidney Disease
When the question which fruits are good for kidney pops out, what will come to your head is that there are many fruits good for kidneys. The fruits that are good for kidneys depends on the status of the kidney and if you have any kidney disease.
The main function of the kidney is to filter the blood and remove the excess water and toxic products out of the body. The excess salts and minerals and fluids are washed out as urine from your body. When there is a disease in the kidney, it will not function properly and these waste products can remain in the body.
Also Check: Can Green Tea Cause Kidney Stones
Eat The Right Amount And The Right Types Of Protein
Why? To help protect your kidneys. When your body uses protein, it produces waste. Your kidneys remove this waste. Eating more protein than you need may make your kidneys work harder.
- Eat small portions of protein foods.
- Protein is found in foods from plants and animals. Most people eat both types of protein. Talk to your dietitian about how to choose the right combination of protein foods for you.
Animal-protein foods:
Keep Your Bones Healthy
Potassium can help balance out the effects of a diet high in salt. It may also lower your blood pressure, along with your chances of kidney stones and bone loss. You need about 4,700 milligrams of potassium every day, and itâs far better to get it from food than a supplement. One small peach has 247 milligrams of potassium, and one medium peach can give you as much as 285 milligrams of potassium.
Don’t Miss: How To Test For Kidney Failure
Kidney Stones And Plant
Approximately ten percent of urinary stones are formed from uric acid. The most common risk factors associated with urinary stones are high uric acid excretion, low urine volume and acidic urinary pH values. Diets that help reduce these factors may lower the incidence of urinary stones and uric acid crystallization. An investigation of 10 healthy male subjects ingesting a high meat-containing diet for 2 weeks, followed by three different standardized diets for 5 days each . This study suggested that the western diets may lead to the highest risk of urinary stone formation. Although the omnivorous diet displayed a significant decrease in uric acid excretion this was reduced even further in the ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet. Therefore, a vegetarian diet may help reduce the risk of urinary stones due to a higher alkali load with fruits and vegetables alkalizing urinary pH and lowering uric acid concentration.
Fruits Good For Kidney
Best fruits for kidney cleansing are available in nature where most natural foods endow with nutritional benefits other than some are considered Superfoods. Despite the fact that there is no technical definition of the term Superfoods most consider it to be a food that contains an extraordinarily large amount of antioxidants, vitamins or some other nutrients.
Following are the fruits for the kidney patients that are loaded with the plentiful nutritional punch.
Read Also: Can You Drink Coffee With Kidney Stones
Incorporate Tasty Fruits Regularly Into Your Diet
great food choicesFor more ways to incorporate fruits into your kidney disease diet, search our recipes.
References1Dreher ML. Whole Fruits and Fruit Fiber Emerging Health Effects. Nutrients. 2018 10:1833. doi:10.3390/nu101218332 Collins MW, Saag KG, Singh JA. Is there a role for cherries in the management of gout? Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2019 11. doi:10.1177/1759720x198470183National Kidney Foundation. Why You Should Avoid Eating Starfruit. Accessed March 2, 2022. kidney.org/atoz/content/why-you-should-avoid-eating-starfruit .
Nutrition And Kidney Disease
If you are a kidney patient, you have most likely had a conversation with your doctor about your diet. You might have been instructed to follow a diet low in sodium, potassium, and/or phosphorus.
This page has been designed to help point out some foods to avoid, as well as suggest a similar food that is a better alternative.
While its not an all-inclusive list, we hope that this tool will help you learn and remember some of the foods you need to stay away from, as well as some good ideas for safer alternatives. Please consult your health care provider for specific nutritional advice.
Recommended Reading: Can Kidney Disease Be Reversed
Eating Right For Your Kidneys
| Sejal Bosnic, RD, DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital |
If you or a loved one has had kidney failure or are on dialysis, foods that are typically good for your body may no longer be your allies in health. When kidneys cant do their job of getting rid of waste products through urine a doctor may prescribe a special diet that limits fluids, potassium, phosphorus, and salt. While it may sound daunting at first glance, this so-called Renal Diet still offers many flavorful and popular food choices.
To simplify the Renal Diet, here are a few guidelines to avoid excessive Potassium, Salt and Phosphorus while still eating pleasurable and healthy meals:
Read Also: Std And Kidney Pain
Foods Good For Kidneys: Fruits Dates And Vegetables
- Kidneys are responsible for filtering your blood and other waste products.
- Maintain a healthy weight and have good sleeping habits to keep a healthy kidney.
- Vegetables and fruits like dates can help in protecting your kidneys from various illnesses.
You may have known that you have kidneys. However, maybe the only thing some people know is that it is inside of us. It is important to know what a kidney is and how it works. We also need to know how to spot any signs of kidney disease. Finding and eating foods for kidney health, including dates, can be a great way to help prevent these diseases. In this article, we will cover all that you need to know!
You May Like: How Long For Flomax To Work For Kidney Stones
Also Check: Is Cabbage Good For Kidney Stones