CKD stands for Chronic Kidney Disease. The disease can damage kidneys that can worsen over time, which may further cause your kidney functions to fail and stop. The health condition is known as kidney failure or ESRD (end-stage renal disease).
Diabetes, High blood pressure (hypertension), Heart disease, genetic conditions, old-age are some common causes that can increase your risk of Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidneys play a vital role in the elimination of the wastes and extra fluid from the body. If kidneys damage or stops, it can impact your overall functioning of the body and can lead to health issues.
Symptoms of Kidney Failure
Below, we have listed some common signs that show your kidneys are beginning to fail:
- Itching
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea
- Loss of Appetite
- Feet and Ankles Swell
- Too much or not enough urine
- Breathing issues
- Loss of Sleep
But if your kidney stops or fails, you may start noticing more of the listed symptoms:
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Nosebleeding
- Rashes
- Vomit
- Back problems
Having more of the symptoms is a sign of danger. The person might be suffering from a chronic kidney problem. One can visit a nearby specialist or can make minor lifestyle changes to improve the health condition.
What a person eats and how we carry ourselves in everyday life plays a vital role in the overall functioning of the body. In this post, we have listed Foods for Healthy Kidneys.
It is vital to keep a check on what you eat and drink if suffering from CKD. Besides removing waste from the body, kidneys also help balance your body’s fluids and vital minerals, like salt and potassium.
Diet Therapy is a practice in Naturopathy that works on the concept of eliminating and cleansing the body to revitalize and improve health. The therapy aims that your body gets the right balance of protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals to fight unwanted diseases and stay healthy.
Avoid Sodium
If you are suffering from kidney issues or are a CKD patient, cut the sodium from your diet. Extra sodium builds up in your body and leads to swelling in ankles or feet, high blood pressure, breathing issues. It may further lead to the accumulation of fluids near your heart or lungs.
Sodium is a mineral that can be easily found in many food products, most importantly table salt. It helps maintain water balance in the body, but excess consumption may affect your blood pressure.
Here are steps that to follow on how to cut sodium from the diet:
- Avoid Soy Sauce, Garlic Salt, Table Salt, Sea Salt
- Try eating home-cooked food. Fast foods or food in restaurants prepare in bulk which is why they are high in sodium.
- Add more natural spices and herbs to your food and diet in place of Salts.
- Cut the consumption of Package foods as they are high in sodium.
- Buy low-sodium foods from the market. Check the labels before investing.
- Wash canned foods, especially beans, meat, fish, or veggies, before eating or serving.
Limit Food with Excess of Phosphorus and Calcium
Phosphorus and Calcium are the minerals essential for the body to keep the bones healthy and strong. Do you know? Our Kidneys remove excess phosphorus from the body when they are functioning well? That is true! But if you are suffering from CKD, the level of phosphorus in the body can be too high as the kidneys are not performing well. This condition can also have a negative impact on your heart condition. Thus, it is vital to keep a limit on Phosphorus and Calcium.
Also, under Chronic Kidney disease, the calcium levels commence dropping. To maintain calcium, the body starts pulling it from the bones. As a result, over a while, the bones become weak and easy to break.
Here are steps that to follow on how to limit Phosphorus and Calcium from the diet:
- Buy Food items with the label “PHOS” on the back. These are food items with low levels of phosphorous.
- Consume more fruits and veggies.
- Corn
- Rice Cereals
- Avoid meat, poultry, and fish.
Limit Dairy Food as there are few foods high in calcium which are also high in Phosphorus. Add dairy foods that are low in phosphorus, such as sour cream, swiss cheese, sherbet.
Cut down on any calcium supplements that you might have been consuming. Visit your nearby doctor to get more information on your current health condition and what other diet practices can help maintain your phosphorus level.
Reduce Potassium Intake
Potassium is a vital mineral for the body as it helps in the smooth working of your nerves and muscles. Patients with CKD cannot filter extra potassium from the body. An excess amount of potassium in the blood can increase the risk of heart problems.
It is easy to find potassium in fruits and veggies, such as cooked broccoli, raw carrots, kale, bananas, potatoes, avocados, oranges, tomatoes, and melons. Too much intake of potassium in the body can affect your body. Before following a strict diet, consult a naturopath or a doctor whether your body needs to limit minerals in the diet. If so, they will recommend you to practice low-potassium foods in your diet:
- Apples and apple juice
- Cranberries and cranberry juice
- Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
- Plums
- Pineapples
- Peaches
- Cabbage
- Beans
- Cucumber
Precautions:
Here are further precautions one can take if suffering from CKD as damage to the kidney is generally permanent. These precautions can stop your condition from getting worsen.
- For Diabetic patients, keep control of your blood sugar.
- Maintain healthy blood pressure.
- Practice a low salt, low-fat diet.
- Regular exercising
- Maintain the weight level.
- Avoid Smoking or Tobacco.
- Limit the use of Alcohol.
If you track the symptoms and catch kidney disease early, the chances are high to prevent kidney failure.
Follow the Kidney-Friendly Diet Therapy if suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Consult a Naturopath who can guide you on what to eat and drink to stay healthy. Diet Therapy for Kidney Disease is also effective for general people as it protects your kidneys from further damage. Limit certain foods as listed above to pause further damage and protect minerals from building up in our body.