Certain foods can be bad for your health if you have kidney disease.
You’ll also need to restrict protein unless you’re on dialysis.
Healthy kidneys regulate the bodys mineral and protein levels, butkidney diseasecauses progressive damage that interferes with kidney function.
AlexPro9500 / Getty Images
Your nutritional needs will depend on the stage of your kidney disease.
Your healthcare provider will recommend when to make dietary adjustments to protect your kidney health.
The stages are based on tests showing how well your kidneys work.
Be sure it works within your kidney diet guidelines.
You may only need to reduce the serving size to ensure you don’t consume too much.
Or, if your kidney disease has reached an advanced stage, you may need to choose other cereals.
However, too much potassium leads to muscle weakness and a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
In severe cases, high potassium can causecardiac arrest.
Phosphorusbuilds and strengthens bones.
It also helps support your muscles, heart, and nerves.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are popular, healthy snacks for most people.
If your healthcare provider says your potassium levels are high, you may need to limit them.
Avocados
Avocados are a great source of heart-healthy fats and important vitamins and minerals.
However, they are high in potassium.
Certain Other Fruits
Some fruits are very high in potassium.
If you oughta limit potassium, you should avoid:
Dried fruits can be problematic, too.
They’re also high in phosphorus and potassium.
Though protein is essential, it makes your kidneys work harder.
Your healthcare provider may recommend limiting total protein and replacing some animal proteins with plant-based proteins.
However, if you need dialysis, your protein needs increase.
One cup of 2% milk contains:
What About Beans?
You may need to limit beans if your kidney disease is in an advanced stage.
However, the National Kidney Foundation recommends them because they provide plant-based protein, fiber, and iron.
(Iron deficiency is a common problem in people with kidney disease.)
Potatoes
Potatoes are naturally high in potassium.
One medium potato contains around 610 mg of potassium.
There are ways to reduce the potassium content in potatoes.
One of the best methods is leaching (soaking them in water) before cooking.
Leaching can reduce the potassium content by at least half the original amount.
A kidney-friendly diet usually recommends a person stay below 2,300 mg of sodium per day.
Watching Sodium Levels
Sodium is a nutrient that’s carefully watched at every stage of kidney disease.
High sodium levels increase body fluids and raise your blood pressure.
High blood pressure is one of the top two causes of kidney disease (diabetes is the other).
It doesn’t just cause kidney disease; it also accelerates the ongoing kidney damage.
Consuming too much sodium makes your condition progress more rapidly towardend-stage renal disease(kidney failure).
Pickles and Relish
Pickles and relish are cured foods.
As a result, they’re high in sodium and should be avoided on a kidney diet.
For example, one large dill pickle (4 inches long) contains around 1,092.2 mg of sodium.
Consuming processed meat is associated with a higher risk for chronic kidney disease.
Examples include frozen pizza, prepackaged frozen dinners, and soups.
They are also high in calories and sugar and should be limited on all diets.
Most dark-colored sodas contain anywhere from 50 to 100 mg of phosphorus in a 200 milliliter serving.
Studies show that the absorption rate for phosphorus additives is higher than natural or plant-based phosphorus.
Root beer is an exception, with less than 1 mg of phosphorus and potassium per serving.
While everyone with kidney disease can protect their health by limiting certain nutrients, there’s no one-size-fits-all diet.
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