Foods for Kidney Health

According to a 2009 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 4.5 million Americans suffer from a diagnosed kidney disease. This alarming number may drive home the importance of proper nutrition with regards to kidney health. As the organ that keeps the blood in your system clean and chemically balanced, the kidney's health is vital to life itself. There are a number of foods that can help the kidney remain active and functioning properly. By creating a diet that includes these foods, you can help stave off kidney disease.

Cranberries

An April 2002 study by Mune M of the Department of Internal Medicine at Wakayama Medical College and published in "Mechanisms of Ageing and Development" found that treatment with antioxidants holds promise as an effective way to prevent the progression of kidney disease. One of the best sources of antioxidants is cranberries. An article in the November 2010 edition of the Des Moines Register says cranberries are one of the highest-ranking foods in terms of antioxidant capacity. Cranberries contained the highest quantity of disease-fighting phenols, a type of antioxidant that is believed to cut the risk of some chronic diseases that arise from inflammation, such as cancer, stroke and kidney disease.

Sunflower Seeds

Melatonin is an antioxidant produced pineal gland and protects tissues from harmful free radicals, according to Dietary Fiber Food. Sunflower seeds have substantial amounts of melatonin. According to Yasmir Quiroz of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California in research published in the October 2007 issue of "American Journal of Physiology," deterioration of renal function was improved significantly with melatonin treatment.

Fatty Fish

The omega-3 oil in fish appears to have many positive benefits for the kidney, according to the National Institutes of Health. They state that fish oil can slow the loss of kidney function in high risk patients with nephropathy, reduce the kidney-damaging rise in blood pressure after a heart transplant, may reduce some of the side effects of medical treatment involving cyclosporine and can prevent blockage of grafts used in kidney dialysis. Excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids are tuna, salmon, mackerel, bluefish, mullet, sardines, anchovies, herring and trout. Each 3.5 ounces of fish, the NIH says, provides about 1 g of omega-3 fatty acids.