If you are among those people who are suffering from any kind of kidney disease, then it’s quite obvious you face challenges in digestion. Not only it alter other functions of your body, but your entire diet is also restricted to certain things. Your nutritional requirements indeed alter as kidney disease worsen and it is highly important to modify your eating habits accordingly. Even though you will have to consult a dietician for your choice of food, there are certain foods to avoid with kidney disease, which we will discuss in this article.
Before we begin with the list of foods to avoid, let’s look at your diet’s role in kidney diseases.
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The Role of Diet in Kidney Disease
Making the proper eating choices and avoiding bad ones can greatly impact how further any kidney disease develops. As in kidney diseases, you are also supposed to control electrolytes in your body, which you mainly get from your diet and this includes sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. Let’s see how these electrolytes play a role in kidney diseases.
1. Sodium
Sodium is present in almost all foods that we eat, including table salt as well. However, sodium can aggravate renal disease by upsetting fluid balance and increasing blood pressure due to ineffective sodium disposal. This can further cause sodium imbalance and can cause symptoms like hypertension, increased thirst, and swelling in hands, feet, face, and body.
2. Potassium
Potassium is crucial for heart health and other related functions, but it needs to be balanced in our body. When you suffer from kidney disease, this is one of the most important electrolytes to control in your body. It becomes challenging as you cannot have a high level of potassium and not even a low level of potassium.
3. Phosphorus
The next is phosphorus, and it is clustered with calcium in our bones. If you are a kidney patient, this is something that will be difficult for you to balance as lowering phosphorus leads to weakening of bones and lower calcium.
Foods to avoid with kidney disease: A detailed part
Regardless of the stage or type of kidney disease, changing your diet can do wonders in your overall improvement. As mentioned above, you need to balance and control the three main electrolytes, there are certain foods that may imbalance those. So, here’s a list of foods to avoid with kidney disease:
- Whole Grains
- Bran Cereals
- Oatmeal
- Granola
- Nuts
- Sunflower Seeds
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Certain Fruits (like bananas and oranges)
- Dairy Products
- Potatoes
- Beans
- Spinach
- Beet Greens
- Chips
- Crackers
- Pickles
- Processed Meats
- Frozen Meals
- Canned Foods
- Dark-Colored Sodas
1. Whole grains’ effects
Despite being usually healthy, whole grains are high in potassium and phosphorus. This includes mainly whole wheat bread and brown rice, which may need to be avoided by people with mild to advanced kidney diseases to maintain balanced mineral levels.
2. Choose Cereals of Choice
You need to look at the sodium and phosphorus content present in different cereals and then choose the one that will not cause harm to your kidneys. Some grains may have hidden phosphorus, so reading the label carefully is important. For instance, you should avoid bran cereals, oatmeal, and granola.
3. Nuts and Sunflower Seeds
It’s true that nuts and sunflower seeds are healthy for most people, but for those with kidney issues, they are high in potassium and phosphorus content.
4. Tomatoes
Because of their high potassium content, tomatoes should be avoided by people with kidney illness.
5. Avocados
Even though there are numerous nutritional benefits of avocados, the fact they are high in potassium, makes them one of the foods to avoid with kidney disease.
6. Choosing Right Fruits
Fruits that are high in potassium like bananas, oranges, and apricots, should be usually avoided.
7. Managing Dairy Intake
It’s true that dairy products are also heavy in phosphate and potassium, making them among the foods to be avoided with kidney issues.
8. Leafy Greens
Swiss chard, spinach, and beetroot greens are among the leafy greens that are high in potassium and should be used cautiously.
9. Keeping Processed Foods Away
Foods that have been processed like snacks and canned food, contains too much sodium, making them inappropriate for kidney patients.
Final Words
Managing your diet if you have kidney disease briefly includes avoiding foods that are high in sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. So, besides searching on your own and cutting out the foods to avoid with kidney disease, it’s also recommended to work with nutritionists and medical professionals as they ensure a customized strategy that maximizes your kidney health. Overall, you need to make wise dietary decisions that can significantly enhance your quality of life and delay the progression of kidney disease.
FAQs
1. Are Canned foods good for kidney patients?
No, canned food, contains too much sodium, making them inappropriate for kidney patients.
2. Is Phosphorus good for kidney patients?
If you are a kidney patient, this is something that will be difficult for you to balance as lowering phosphorus leads to weakening of bones and lower calcium.
