23 Delicious Ways to Dine Your Way to Kidney Health

5. Reduce Your Potassium Intake

Another eating habit that can help keep the kidneys healthy and prevent disease is to reduce the amount of potassium in one’s diet. Potassium is essential for the body as this mineral helps the nerves and muscles work properly. However, if a patient has chronic kidney disease, their body cannot filter out excessive potassium that the person is consuming. When there is too much potassium in the blood, it can also lead to critical heart problems. This mighty mineral is found in a lot of fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, potatoes, avocados, and melons, and these specific foods can affect potassium levels in the blood. The patient’s doctor should let them know if they need to limit this mineral in their diet and may recommend the individual consumes foods low in potassium and does not exceed 2,000 mg per day. Low-potassium foods include apples and apple juice, cabbage, pineapple, boiled cauliflower, plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, and cranberry juice.

6. Watch Sodas, Sugars, And Sweeteners

Sugars are only an issue with kidney disease if the patient has high blood sugar levels, or Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. However, consuming foods with artificial sugars and sweeteners will cause a decrease in the function of kidneys over time. Synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame have proven to decline kidney function due to their high toxicity and acidity. Sodas, whether they are diet or not, contain phosphoric acid that dissolves calcium, lowering bone density, which makes them more weak and brittle. Whether they contain sugar or not, soda increases the risk of chronic kidney diseases. Some alternatives to sugar and sweetener are honey or raw, organic cane sugar. Remember to lower the intake of all sugars for better kidney health.