World Kidney Day: Foods to avoid if you have kidney disease By Mr. Satkam Divya, CEO, KlinicApp, Food & Health : Today Indya

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World Kidney Day: Foods to avoid if you have kidney disease By Mr. Satkam Divya, CEO, KlinicApp

World Kidney Day: Foods to avoid if you have kidney disease By Mr. Satkam Divya, CEO, KlinicApp

13 March 2019 IST

The bean-shaped organs, kidneys are very vital organs in your body, responsible for performing very important functions including blood filtration, hormone production, minerals balancing, and maintaining the fluid balance in your body.

Unhealthy or bad kidney(s) can cause a lot of health-related problems including fluid buildup in the body, accumulation of waste in the blood, blood and protein in the urine, acute injury to one or both kidneys, and pain at the kidney region, kidney stones, and hepatitis C, etc.

If you are feeling any of these symptoms at any stage of your life, you must have to give proper attention to your health. Otherwise, you can suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD) or even kidney failure that can be proved life-threatening.

Diet is one of the most important factors to treat an unhealthy condition, and the same applies in case of kidney disease as well. Also, to knowing about what to eat if you have any kind of problem associated with kidneys, knowing about the foods to avoid is also very important. Here are some dietary restrictions you must have to follow if you are facing any kidney related problem.

• Dark colored soft drinks:

Soft drinks are unhealthy and harmful even for healthy individuals. These highly acidic soft drinks are not only high in calories and sugar, but they also contain a high amount of phosphorus-containing additives. Your body can absorb phosphorus very easily and quickly, and excessive absorption of phosphorus is not only harmful to your kidneys, but it can also cause some other health-related problems like severe constipation, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, etc.

• Canned foods:

Canned foods like vegetables, beans, and soups, etc. contain high amounts of sodium as a preservative. Excessive intake of sodium in any form can make kidney problems from bad to worse. You can opt for lower-sodium varieties or food products labeled as “no salt added.”

• Whole-wheat bread:

Whole-wheat bread is usually advised to healthy individuals, but for individuals having kidney problems are advised not to use it, because of higher contents of potassium and phosphorus. Kidney patients should eat white bread in place of whole-wheat bread, as they are very low in phosphorus and potassium.

• Bananas:

Bananas are also high in potassium. One medium sized banana contains 420 mg of potassium. If you are suffering from any kidney problem, a daily staple of bananas can make the condition more severe and serious.

• Oranges and orange juice:

Orange is not only known as the rich source of vitamin C, but it is also high in potassium contents. One large orange contains about 330 mg of potassium, while there is approx. 470 mg of potassium in one glass of orange juice. Due to high contents of potassium, oranges and orange juice should be avoided or limited in renal diseases. Some good substitutes to oranges and orange juice are grapes, cranberries, and apples.

• Processed meat:

Processed meat contains a high amount of preservatives mainly salts to keep the taste and flavor in balance. Eating processed meat regularly can increase sodium levels in your body which is harmful to the kidneys. If you have kidney related problem(s), you also need to keep an eye on the protein intake, and processed meat is high in protein as well. So, it is better to avoid processed meat as much as possible.

The conclusion:

Ignoring even mild symptoms of kidney problems can be very harmful and can be proved as slow poison. Healthy and proper diet can make a huge difference in your fight against kidney disease. These are the foods you need to avoid if you have some kind of kidney related problems. The bottom line is, you must have to reduce the intake of potassium, sodium, and phosphorus if you have a kidney problem. Avoid and limit all other food products having a high amount of sodium, potassium, and phosphorus.