Does healthy eating protect the kidneys?

When you have kidney disease, your body can no longer eliminate waste as efficiently as before, leading to serious health consequences. A healthy diet can help keep your kidneys healthier and slow the progression of kidney damage. Let’s explore how healthy eating can protect the kidneys through the following article.

1. How does diet affect kidney health?

Kidney disease is one of the common health conditions today, greatly impacting patients’ health and placing a heavy burden on both the healthcare system and the global economy. Besides medication and lifestyle changes, maintaining a healthy diet to support kidney health is also essential. Before we explore what foods and drinks are beneficial for the kidneys or how a healthy diet can protect the kidneys, let’s first understand how diet affects kidney health.

An unregulated diet can negatively impact kidney function. Consuming too much salt is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease, which can harm your kidneys. Moreover, a diet high in protein, sugary fats, and foods containing a lot of sugar increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and kidney disease.

On the other hand, a healthy diet that protects the kidneys can help prevent and manage kidney disease and slow down kidney damage. A kidney-friendly diet helps prevent certain minerals from accumulating in your body, which is essential since your kidneys aren’t functioning well enough to remove waste from the body.

A kidney-protective diet can also help prevent other serious health issues and control high blood pressure and diabetes, preventing kidney disease from worsening. It ensures that you receive the right balance of nutrients to help you:

• Have energy to perform daily tasks
• Prevent infections
• Build muscle
• Maintain a healthy weight

2. Suggestions for a kidney-protective healthy diet

After understanding the benefits of a diet for kidney health, let’s explore what foods and drinks are good for the kidneys in the following section.

2.1. Choose and prepare foods low in salt and sodium

A low-salt diet will help control your blood pressure and improve kidney disease. This is one of the dietary approaches to protect your kidneys that you should adopt. To limit salt in your diet, you should do the following:

• Regularly buy fresh foods. Many processed or packaged foods, as well as dried foods, contain a lot of salt, which can negatively impact kidney health.
• Cook meals from fresh ingredients instead of consuming processed foods, fast food, frozen dinners, and canned foods, which tend to have higher sodium levels. You can control the ingredients and seasonings in your food if you cook it yourself.
• Use sodium-free spices, herbs, and seasonings instead of salt.
• Check the sodium content on the nutrition labels of food packaging. A daily value of 20 percent or more means the food is high in sodium. Look for labels that say no sodium or salt-free; or low, reduced, or no salt or sodium; or unsalted or lightly salted.
• Rinse canned vegetables, beans, meats, and fish with water before consuming.

2.2. Eat the right amount and type of protein

Your kidneys eliminate waste created after your body uses protein. Eating more protein than needed can make your kidneys work harder. Therefore, limit protein intake in your kidney-friendly diet. You should eat small amounts of foods that contain protein from both plant and animal sources.

Animal-based protein foods you can consume include chicken, fish, lean meat, eggs, and dairy. A serving of cooked chicken, fish, or meat should be about 2 to 3 ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards. A serving of dairy is ½ cup of milk or yogurt, or a slice of cheese.

Plant-based protein foods include beans, nuts, and grains. A serving of cooked beans is about ½ cup, and a serving of nuts is ¼ cup. One serving of bread is a single slice, and a serving of cooked rice or pasta is ½ cup.

2.3. Choose heart-healthy foods

Choosing heart-healthy foods will help prevent fat buildup in your blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. To limit fat in your diet, you can follow these tips:

• Bake, roast, boil, grill, or stir-fry foods instead of deep-frying them.
• Use a small amount of cooking oil with a spray bottle instead of pouring directly, and use a small amount of olive oil instead of butter.
• Trim fat from meat and remove poultry skin before eating.
• Limit foods that contain high levels of saturated fat in your diet.

If you’re wondering what foods and drinks are good for the kidneys, adding heart-healthy foods can also benefit your kidney health. Some heart-healthy foods include lean meats such as tenderloin or round cuts, skinless poultry, fish, beans, green vegetables, fruits, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese.

2.4. Choose foods and drinks low in phosphorus

When you have chronic kidney disease, phosphorus can build up in your blood. High levels of phosphorus in the blood will decrease the amount of calcium in your bones, making your bones thin, weak, and more prone to fractures. High phosphorus levels in your blood can also cause itchy skin, bone, and joint pain.

Low-phosphorus foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, pasta, rice, rice milk, corn and rice cereals, soft drinks, and light-colored carbonated beverages such as lemonade, passion fruit, or homemade iced tea.

2.5. Choose foods with the right amount of potassium

Damaged kidneys can cause potassium to accumulate in your blood, which may lead to serious heart problems and affect muscle function. Your food and drink choices can help lower potassium levels in your body.

Low-potassium foods include apples, peaches, carrots, green beans, white bread and pasta, white rice, cooked rice and wheat cereals, oatmeal, apple juice, grape juice, or cranberry juice.

High-potassium foods include oranges, bananas, and orange juice, potatoes, tomatoes, brown rice, bran cereals, dairy products, whole grain bread and pasta, beans, and nuts.

3. Foods to avoid in a kidney-healthy diet

After learning about what to eat and drink for kidney health, let’s explore the foods to avoid in order to prevent and improve kidney disease. Eliminating or limiting these five types of foods from your daily diet can help keep your kidneys healthy:

3.1. Soft drinks

Soft drinks provide no nutritional benefits and are high in sugar, which may be natural or artificial. This can lead to an excess of calories in your diet, eventually resulting in unwanted weight gain. Studies have shown a link between soft drinks and conditions like osteoporosis, kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, and dental issues.

Diet sodas may be lower in calories but still provide no nutritional value and often contain additives, including artificial sweeteners. Skip soft drinks and opt for water instead. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, add a slice or two of fresh fruit to enhance the flavor.

3.2. Processed deli meats

Avoid processed deli meats like bologna and ham in your diet. Processed meats can be a significant source of sodium and nitrates, which have been linked to cancer. Choose leaner meats such as fresh roasted turkey or chicken, and always opt for low-sodium, nitrate-free options.

3.3. Butter

Butter is made from animal fat and contains high levels of cholesterol, calories, and saturated fat. Margarine, made from vegetable oil, may contain better fats than animal butter, but it can also contain trans fats. Therefore, margarine may not be a healthy option if consumed frequently. When possible, substitute with canola oil or olive oil. If you choose a spread, go for one with fewer calories, less saturated fat, and no trans fats.

3.4. Mayonnaise

One tablespoon of mayonnaise contains up to 103 calories. Not only is it high in calories, but it also contains a significant amount of saturated fat. While low-calorie and fat-free mayonnaise options are available on the market, they often contain more sodium and sugar and may include other additives. A healthier alternative is replacing your mayonnaise with non-fat Greek yogurt, which is higher in protein and can be used to bind salads together.

3.5. Frozen foods, processed foods

Studies have shown that processed foods can contribute to type 2 diabetes, and frozen or pre-packaged meals like frozen pizza and microwave dinners are often heavily processed. Heavy processing often means hidden sugars, sodium, and fats. Look for low-sodium or no-added-sodium options, and avoid frozen meals with added sugars, fillers, or any other additives. Balance your meal by adding fresh fruits and vegetables if they are not included in the frozen meal.

Kidney disease is a common chronic illness and one of the leading causes of death today in our country. Therefore, if you have kidney disease, it’s essential to find suitable treatment solutions early. Additionally, start following a kidney-protective healthy diet early on to prevent disease, enhance your health, and increase your longevity.

References: Kidney.org, Niddk.nih.gov, Kidneyfund.org