Foods That Heal Kidneys – Here Are The Best Ways For A Healthy Kidney

If I asked you to point to where your Kidneys are located and what they do, would you be able to answer both questions? A few years ago, I wouldn’t be able to answer either of these questions. Fast forward to today, I’m very familiar with where and what they do. At the time of writing this article, my Brother had a kidney transplant two weeks ago. Hopefully, you will stick to some of my tips and Foods That Heal Kidneys so you don’t ever go through the same thing he did.

You never know; it can happen to anyone. Kidney disease is a common problem, and it affects 10% of the world’s population. There are some things that you can absolutely do to help prevent anything from going wrong with your Kidneys. I will also go over what their purpose is and why they fail.

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WHAT ARE YOUR KIDNEYS AND WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE

Your kidney is about the size of a Baseball and is a bean-shaped organ. They are found just below your rib cage in the middle of your back.

Here is the crazy part that I find the most interesting. The Kidneys can process about 200 quarts of blood, and out of the 200 quarts, they filter out about 2 quarts of waste and water, which is extra. This waste and extra water become urine and continue to the bladder.

If you are wondering where all this waste comes from, like I was. The waste comes from the breakdown of the food you eat and muscle breakdown. Your body basically takes what it needs from the food, and whatever it doesn’t use will be sent to the blood.

This is where the importance of kidneys comes into play because if they do not remove the waste, then there would be build-up in the blood and potential damage to your body.

If we dig a little deeper into the Kidney, you will find what is called Nephrons. This is where the filtering of the blood occurs, and there are about a million of them.

Digging even deeper into the nephrons are tiny blood vessels called capillaries which twist together with tiny urine-carrying tubes called tubules. Along with these wastes, your Kidneys release 3 vital hormones.

• Renin regulates blood pressure and fluid balance in the body. If Potassium is too high or sodium levels are too low in the body, Renin is released.
• Erythropoietin plays a big role in producing red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
• Vitamin D is the active form that helps maintain calcium for the bones in your body.

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WHY DO KIDNEYS FAIL?

I mentioned the Nephrons earlier. They get attacked by most kidney diseases causing them to lose their filtering ability. These Nephrons can be destroyed rather quickly if you get injured or from poison.

The other way is a kidney disease that destroys the nephrons quietly and slowly. This is very scary because it can take many years for anyone to notice the damage. These are two of the most common risk factors.

If you are worried about your kidneys failing, then I recommend you pay very close attention to your blood pressure and make sure you don’t have diabetes. These are the two most common causes of why Kidneys fail.

If your family has any history of kidney problems, you may want to get looked at by your doctor even if you are not feeling any symptoms.

Polycystic kidney Disease, also known as (PKD) is hereditary. PKD is a genetic disorder where the Kidneys will form cysts. These cysts will start taking over the kidneys and stop or reduce their function of the kidneys, which leads to failure.

Sometimes, they can show signs of Kidney problems as early as when they are still developing in the womb. If your child is having some back or side pain, this could also be an early sign.

The best way to keep track of this is to have your Doctor check for high blood pressure or low amounts of red blood cells. Like any health-related situation, it’s always best to catch things immediately before it becomes too late.

I have been told not to overdo it with Aspirin or Ibuprofen. These can be dangerous for your kidney health because there are good amounts of people who take painkillers regularly. If this is you, I would recommend getting a check-up with your Doctor.

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FOODS THAT HEAL YOUR KIDNEYS

One of the most important things you can do for good kidney health is to stay hydrated, which will help your kidneys function properly.

OK, now to the food.

These foods can come in 2 different parts because they depend on the level of Kidney damage. People with kidney failure vs. people in the early stage of kidney disease.

Unfortunately, you can not reverse your Kidneys if they have failed, which is another reason why you don’t want this ever to happen.

For most people with advanced Kidney disease, you should be watching out for foods that increase the amounts of waste in the blood and look to decrease them. There is a name for this type of diet, and it’s called the renal diet.

The purpose of the renal diet is to increase kidney function while making sure there is no further damage.

The foods I will list are good kidney-friendly diet choices. They are based on the following paragraph I will write with nutrients that are bad for your Kidneys. Each of these foods has low enough levels in all three nutrients you should keep at low levels.

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• EGG WHITES without the Yolk because the Yolk contains high amounts of Phosphorus. You can get a good source of protein that’s not harmful to your Kidney. They are also a good option for someone on Dialysis because they have high levels of protein but a very low level of 5mg of Phosphorus.
• PINEAPPLE is one of the fruits that are not high in potassium. Most fruits like Bananas and Oranges are, so this is a good option if you like fruit. A banana has around 425 mg of potassium, but a pineapple has only around 150mg.
• BELL PEPPERS have a lot of healthy nutrients and are actually low in Potassium, unlike most vegetables. They are also a great option if you are really trying to keep your sodium levels low since they only have 3mg.
• CHICKEN BREAST WITH NO SKIN I have mentioned you want to keep your protein levels low with kidney problems, but you still need quality protein for good health. I would recommend you don’t buy pre-made chicken breast because it already has high phosphorus and Sodium.
• OLIVE OIL has NO Phosphorus, only .3 grams of Potassium, and .5 grams of sodium. Olive Oil is very high in calories which is good for people having trouble keeping on weight with Kidney problems.  Try and buy extra virgin olive oil if you can. It is one of the best healthy fats you can choose.
• BLUEBERRIES are one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet and still have very low Sodium, Potassium, and Phosphorus levels.

These are some great kidney-friendly foods. Keep in mind they cannot do miracles. If you are worried you may see signs of kidney problems or run in the family, then there would be some great choices.

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FOODS THAT ARE HARD ON YOUR KIDNEYS

This can vary a lot. As I mentioned above, there are different stages people can be in. In general, though, I recommend you should stay away from these nutrients.

• Damaged kidneys can’t filter out sodium if the amount is high enough. This is tough because it’s found in many foods. This will cause the blood level to rise. I don’t eliminate all my salt intake, but I recommend staying under 2,000mg per day. A lot of canned foods and packaged foods are very high in sodium.
• Potassium needs to be limited to avoid your blood levels being at a dangerously high levels. I would recommend keeping potassium to less than 2,000mg per day.
• Phosphorus, like sodium, can’t be removed if there is too much. In general high levels of Phosphorus can cause damage to your body. I would recommend keeping this even lower than Sodium and Potassium to around no more than 1,000mg per day. Dairy foods are high in phosphorus, so you may want to limit them.

I have been guilty of overdoing it with Protein but now monitor how much I take daily. This is something people with kidney disease may need to limit. Waste is metabolized from protein that damaged kidneys can’t remove.

Thankfully many healthy options are low in Sodium, Potassium, and phosphorus.

WHAT TYPES OF KIDNEY DISEASE ARE THERE

There are two main types of people with kidney disease – short-term (acute kidney injury) and lifelong (chronic kidney disease). Acute kidney injury is often caused by a sudden, traumatic event such as a car accident or major surgery. It can also develop over time as a result of another illness or condition. Chronic kidney disease, on the other hand, is a more long-term condition that can slowly damage the kidneys over time. Some common causes of chronic kidney disease include high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

Both acute and chronic kidney diseases can lead to serious health complications if left untreated. In some cases, they may even be fatal. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of both conditions and seek medical help if you think you may be affected.

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk of developing either type of kidney disease. things you can do include:

– Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced kidney-friendly diet.

– Limiting your intake of salt and saturated fat

– Exercising regularly

– Monitoring your blood pressure and blood sugar levels

– Taking medications prescribed by your doctor

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VITAMIN C AND KIDNEY STONES

Kidneys are one of the organs in our body that are very important for filtering and cleaning blood. When we eat foods that are high in vitamin C, it can put a lot of stress on our kidneys and increase our risk of developing kidney stones.

Calcium oxalate is the most common type of kidney stone, and it is formed when calcium combines with oxalate, which is a naturally occurring substance in many foods. Vitamin C can increase the amount of oxalate in our urine, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

If you are at risk of developing kidney stones, it is best to avoid foods high in vitamin C. This includes citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli, and spinach. Instead, try opting for low-oxalate foods like bananas, watermelon, and white rice.

It is also important to drink plenty of water when you are eating high-vitamin C foods to help flush out the oxalate from your system. Staying hydrated will help reduce your risk of developing kidney stones.

CONSIDER BEING A DONOR

I think the Kidney is extremely overlooked until you or someone close to you has problems.

Please consider being a donor if you know someone in need because you are literally saving their life. You can still function just fine on one and live a healthy life. Technology has come so far and has made the donor process very simple.

There are nearly 100,000 people on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. More people are on the list waiting for a Kidney than all the other organs combined. As a kidney donor, your risk of having kidney failure later in your life is not any higher than it is for someone in the general population.

The operation can take around 2 hours, and most will be out of the hospital 3 days later!

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