Your kidneys are paired, bean-shaped organs that filter toxins and wastes from your blood every day. Kidney disease can attack the chief filters in your body known as your nephrons. If your nephrons can no longer properly filter particles, these materials build up in your blood and cause adverse symptoms. This can include particles in normally healthy foods like phosphorus, proteins, sodium or potassium. For this reason, you can adopt a special diet that reduces the demands placed on your kidneys.
Protein Sources
Your body breaks down proteins into their building blocks, which are known as amino acids. When protein is broken down, it gives off wastes that the kidneys then filter in the blood. To keep the kidneys healthy, consume a diet that meets -- but does not exceed -- your recommended protein intake. This includes consuming about 1 g of protein per kg of your bodyweight, which translates into roughly 1 g for half your weight in pounds. If you have kidney disease, your physician may adjust this recommendation. Choose sources your body can best utilize including eggs, fish, poultry and pork. If you have trouble fitting protein into your daily diet, protein shakes can help as well.
Sodium
While excess sodium intake can be harmful for any person, sodium can particularly affect you if you have kidney problems. This is because your kidneys are responsible for maintaining fluid balance and sodium affects the amount of fluid in your body. If you consume a high-sodium diet, your kidneys may not be able to properly filter fluids, which increases your blood pressure. Some of the initial steps you can take to cut back on sodium include refraining from adding salt to foods, cutting back on eating canned or frozen foods and avoiding high-salt foods like chips, crackers and French fries. You also may need to avoid salt substitutes, which tend to be high in potassium, another mineral the kidneys filter.
Phosphorus and Calcium
Phosphorus is another mineral in your daily diet that your consume with caution when you are eating for kidney function. Excess phosphorus in your blood can rob your body of calcium, which leads to weakened bones and increased risk for bone breakage. Striking the right balance between phosphorus and calcium is important to keep your bones healthy. Your physician may recommend avoiding high phosphorus foods like milk, yogurt and cheese in favor of foods like butter, cream cheese, ricotta cheese and Brie cheese, which have calcium but are lower in phosphorus. A calcium supplement also may help, as many high-phosphorus foods also contain calcium.
What to Eat
When you are eating for kidney health, it's important to take in enough calories per day from healthy sources like vegetables and fruits. Good examples include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, yellow squash, peaches, pears, apples, plums and watermelon. Because you are closely monitoring and possibly restricting your protein intake, whole grains can act as an energy source for your body. You also can try cooking vegetables and protein sources with healthy fats, like olive or canola oil, and herbs and spices, which enhance flavor but have a lesser impact on the kidneys.
References
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse; The Kidneys and How They Work; February 2009
- MedlinePlus; Diet - Chronic Kidney Disease; June 2011
- National Kidney Foundation; Nutrition and Chronic Kidney Disease; 2006
- Edinburgh Renal Unit; Diet for the Failing Kidney; Elizabeth Sloan et al.; August 2006
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