Best Kept Secret About Kidney Disease Diet
Healthy food choices are important for all of us. Consuming the right foods that suit our body's needs enables us to perform our everyday tasks efficiently. A diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats helps maintain a healthy body weight and keeps our kidneys healthy. If you are diagnosed with kidney disease, check with your nutritionist to get a suitable kidney disease treatment diet plan.
What Is A Kidney Disease Diet?
A kidney disease diet enables you to eat friendly and helpful foods for your Kidneys. Following a kidney disease diet can limit the impact of minerals like sodium, phosphorus, and potassium from causing more damage.
Importance Of Kidney Disease Treatment Diet
The kidney's main functions are to filter blood and remove toxic wastes. Kidney problem disturbs the regular filtering of waste, which makes certain minerals build up in your body. If you are diagnosed with kidney problems, altering your lifestyle early on can help manage your kidney disease and slow down the damage to your kidneys. Following a personalized diet for kidney disease will help you tackle health issues and prevent further complications.
Protect Your Heart Too!
Kidney disease patients are at higher risk of developing heart disorders than the general population. This creates a necessity for a heart-friendly diet. DASH diet is a quite popular diet plan for a healthy heart, and it is an approach to stop high blood pressure through diet. The main motive of this diet plan is to reduce blood pressure by consuming foods rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts. We all know hypertension is a silent culprit that paves the way to various heart and kidney issues. Hence controlling blood pressure through a DASH diet can prevent the progression of both heart and kidney diseases.
Watch Your Protein Intake
It is well known that proteins are essential for building muscles, repairing tissues, and fighting infections. However, the diet for kidney disease requires you to limit protein intake to prevent waste from accumulating in the blood, eventually helping your Kidneys work longer. Your nutritionist will guide you regarding daily protein intake based on the stage of your Kidney Disease. Tofu, nuts, seeds, cheese, low-fat milk, chicken, fish, etc., are some protein-rich foods. Ask your nutritionist regarding kidney-friendly protein options.
Lower Your Phosphorus Intake
When your kidneys are not functioning adequately, the phosphorus in the body is not eliminated easily. This leads to hyperphosphatemia, a common occurrence among Kidney Disease patients. Since elevated phosphorus levels in the body lead to undesirable consequences, a low phosphorus diet is the key to maintaining kidney health. Chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, wheat, and rice are healthier options if you are on a low-phosphorus diet.
Balance Your Gut Microbes - The Gut & Kidney Connection
Our intestines consist of a well-balanced composition of microorganisms. Chronic kidney disease disrupts this balance leading to a condition called gut dysbiosis. When there is no healthy balance of microbes in the gut, toxins accumulate in your body, further aggravating health complications. Probiotics are live bacteria that can improve gastric functions and restore intestinal health. Consuming probiotics rich in lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, and streptococcus significantly improves the quality of life in kidney disease patients. You can either take probiotic supplements or consume them through food.
Avoid Foods Rich In Sodium And Potassium
Once you have been diagnosed with kidney problems, your physician might have told you to reduce your sodium and potassium intake. Many people consume foods rich in sodium and potassium without knowing. While we cannot deny the importance of these minerals, it is essential to control their intake for healthy kidneys and heart.
Healthy kidneys can control sodium levels in the body. However, if you have kidney problems, sodium builds up in your body, leading to high blood pressure. You can limit your sodium intake by avoiding ingredients like soy sauce, salt, canned and processed foods, hot dogs, chips, and fast foods. Different people require different quantities of potassium based on their body needs. If your physician suggests reducing potassium in your diet, consider including low-potassium foods such as apples, cauliflower, onion radish, strawberries, chicken, and white rice.
Maintain A Food Journal
A separate notebook where you can write what you eat and drink helps you be mindful of your food choices. You can also monitor your food intake with the help of certain apps that track your diet, medications, and overall health. Maintaining a food journal can ease your process of finding the right kidney disease treatment diet plan suitable for your body. You can use this journal to discuss your health progress during your visits to your physician's clinic.
