When the kidneys are not functioning properly, restricting the amount of sodium in the diet is essential. By limiting or eliminating foods that are high in salt the stress on the kidneys is greatly reduced. Foods containing the highest level of salt include; cured meats, cheese, pickled foods, canned foods, take away or packaged foods and fermented sauces.

The best kidney disease diet includes low-sodium foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Going back to a natural diet rather than a fast food or processed food diet will reduce the amount of sodium intake that you consume.

Each kidney patient will have to adjust their diet according to their own specific needs but here are some general rules of thumb to follow:

• Season foods with herbs and spices rather than salt to add extra flavour.
• Eliminate alcohol, foods high in sugar, soft drinks, and processed foods to lessen the level of sodium in your diet.

Fluids must be restricted. Your doctor will let you know how much fluid you should consume daily, according to your kidney function. Each person’s body and condition is unique and will require an individually prescribed diet and fluid allowances. Patients that are retaining too much fluid will be instructed to reduce the amount of fluid they drink daily and will need to include foods that melt at room temperature as part of this allowance. Some foods that need to be included as part of water consumption include ice cream, soup, yoghurt and watermelon. These food items do not have to disappear from the diet, but they do need to be strictly controlled.

Whilst it seems like an excessive volume of food has been eliminated from a wise menu plan for those with renal damage, it is possible to include a healthy and delicious variety of food by being creative and innovative with the use of herbs and spices, rather than additives such as salt. By returning to a more natural way of eating, many of the problems that will aggravate a kidney disorder are avoided, and picking up an effective kidney disease diet will be easy.

In order for the kidneys to filter toxic wastes from the blood, the flow of blood going to the kidneys must be adequate to flush the system. If the main arteries that go to the kidneys are damaged, the blood flow will not be appropriate to keep the kidneys or other vital organs in a state of good health.

High salt intake overburdens the kidneys and causes the body to retain too much fluid, resulting in edema or swelling in the extremities and trunk of the body. It is important to learn how much sodium is required for the body and a health kidney disease diet; and just how much the ailing kidneys are able to excrete into the urine.

Salt is a compound of two naturally occurring substances, sodium and chloride and is essential to maintaining the fluid balance in the body…except when the kidneys are not functioning properly. Salt will leach calcium from the body when the kidneys are not able to excrete excess sodium from the body, which can result in brittle bones and osteoporosis.

Western diets are well known to contain too much salt. The evidence is seen in the epidemic proportions of individuals suffering from kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Even when an individual does not add extra salt to food at the dinner table, many of the processed foods loved by Westerners contains copious amounts of salt. Examples of these foods are processed meats, canned foods and the much loved fast foods.

Unfortunately, even the so-called salt substitutes are not suited for those who are coping with renal failure due to the fact that there are large amounts of potassium in the formulations. Another big no no in a kidney disease diet.

In order to give food flavour, while avoiding salt it is recommended to try different herbs and spices added to cooking or in sauces. Read on to discover some of the herbs and spices that will add flavor and not salt to the diet.

• Beef, vegetables and fruit are enhanced by the spice identified as Allspice. This natural flavor enhancer is derived from the berries of a tropical evergreen tree.
• Basil has been used for centuries as a flavor enhancer for vegetables.
• Beef, pork and many vegetables taste great with the use of Bay Leaf, a small evergreen tree of the laurel family with stiff dark green aromatic leaves. Native to the Mediterranean, many Middle Eastern dishes feature Bay in the recipe.
• The nutty flavor of Caraway adds a delightful taste to green vegetables and many meats. Caraway oil is great on salads and as a base for marinade.
• Other flavor enhancers that do not include sodium  are: cardamom, curry, dill, ginger, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon and sage.

By using flavor enhancers rather than salt to flavour food, the risk of fluid retention, which threatens to cause further damage to the body, is greatly reduced. Consult your healthcare provider before any dietary changes are made, when on a kidney treatment program. Even individuals that have healthy kidneys will benefit from reducing the salt intake in their diet. Whole body wellness depends on creating a balance in the body and reducing salt is one way to retain this balance and reduce strain on the kidneys. You’ll be amazed how well this small component of a kidney disease diet really helps.

Whole body wellness depends on the proper balance of vitamins, nutrients, minerals and exercise. When the body is busy fighting infection or disease it is especially important to understand the needs that the immune system has in order to function at its best. Whole body wellness is the ideal state for the body and is obtained by a kidney disease diet rich in all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that the human body requires. In order to be at optimal health, even when recovering from a disorder or fighting infection the diet must supply what the body needs to function smoothly.

Most people know that potassium is one of the essential minerals needed by the body to ensure the proper function of cells, tissues and vital organs. Obtaining the levels of potassium that the healthy body requires is not difficult if the diet includes vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. Individuals with kidney disorders or disease must be careful to get just the right balance in order not to overwork the already ailing kidneys.

The condition known as hyperkalemia is when there is too much potassium in the blood. This is commonly seen in kidney disease, as the kidneys can no longer effectively remove excess potassium from the body. Knowing the facts about potassium is essential to repair the kidneys or slow the progression of kidney disease. High sources of potassium include potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, chocolate, pumpkin, nuts and seeds. For individuals who must strictly control their intake of potassium these foods must certainly be limited. Meal planning is best done with qualified healthcare providers who can educate each person on their unique needs to repair damage or slow the progression of kidney damage using a kidney disease diet.

Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider, be it conventional medical practitioners or holistic practitioners before you change your diet drastically or plan to add supplements to your diet. This holds particularly true for those who are afflicted with kidney disease.

Foods that are highly acidic, such as hard cheese, cereal grain, and meat, among many other examples, overload the kidneys and cause the body to become imbalanced, with too much acid in the blood stream. By reducing intake of highly acidic foods, one can avoid an overload of acid that must be filtered by the kidneys.  Green vegetables and fruits will help the body to naturally return to the delicate balance of acid in the body.

What is The Alkaline Kidney Disease Diet?

The alkaline kidney disease diet is a diet that emphasizes fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s based on the diet our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. The modern diet is filled with meat, dairy products, soft drinks, alcohol and other highly acidic foods and drinks. These departures from the diet that are bodies are designed to consume can cause serious injuries to our vital organs that have the job of maintaining a delicate balance in the body. Other factors that contribute to high acidity in the body are stress, lack of exercise and too many foods laden with sugar, saturated fats, yeast, and processed foods.

The “back-to-nature” aspect of the dietary movement to return the body to a state of wellness depends on the right amount of acid in the body. Too much acid can cause many physical problems, including a drop in energy, digestive disturbances and immune problems as well as burden to the filtration system of the kidneys.

A diet that is laden with sugars will cause acidity levels in the body to rise to dangerous levels when the kidneys are not functioning properly. The acid-alkaline kidney disease diet helps prevent the kidneys from becoming over stressed. This is especially important for those who are afflicted with chronic kidney disease. The presence of too much acid in the diet causes a vicious cycle to begin where toxins are created, the pH levels are lowered and bacterial and yeast growth causes an imbalance of bacteria within the digestive system. This type of toxicity can have devastating effects on the body.

Here is a short list of some of the natural remedies that will help detoxify the system:

• Buchu
• Burdock
• Dandelion
• Cleavers
• Couch Grass
• Echinacea
• Yarrow

These herbal supports to the filtration system of the body help return the body to a state of wellness that our ancient ancestors enjoyed. Leaving out salty, processed foods, alcohol and carbonated drinks does not hurt anyone and has proven to be beneficial even to those with healthy kidneys. Enjoy your kidney disease diet to the fullest!

A condition known as hyperphosphatemia indicates that there is an abnormally high level of phosphorus in the body. This condition will most often be found in individuals who are experiencing renal insufficiency. These individuals must limit their intake of phosphorus rich foods in order to help reduce the strain on the kidneys. If reducing phosphorus rich foods in the kidney disease diet does not reduce the amount of phosphate in the blood, an oral phosphate binder can be given to help reduce absorption of phosphorus by the body.

The function of phosphorus in the body is to assist in the development of bones and teeth. An excess amount of phosphorus in the body of a healthy individual is not often seen. Individuals that are afflicted with kidney disease are most often the individuals this condition is seen in. In order to maintain a balance that does not adversely strain the renal system, diet is closely monitored to prevent excess levels of phosphorus in the blood stream.

Kidney Disease Diet Foods To Avoid

Foods that contain high phosphorus include; milk products, meats, chocolate, cola drinks, eggs, beer, nuts and legumes. It is also noted by healthcare providers that preparations in the form of laxatives, purging liquids and some supplements may also contain high levels of phosphorus.

Whole body wellness is obtained when the body functions just as it was designed to. When optimal function does not occur, dietary and lifestyle indiscretions must be consider, and appropriate changes need to be made.  The most appropriate solution to acquiring the proper level of phosphorus is to address the underlying reason that the kidneys cannot process and filter enough of the phosphorus into the urine to keep the body healthy. Once the medical reason for high phosphorus is discovered, the road to recovery is always best started with a low phosphorus kidney disease diet.

When the fluid content of the body can no longer remain balanced, the excess fluid causes swelling in the body. This swelling is often first seen in the lower extremities may spread upwards over time, or otherwise swelling may be generalised. If left untreated, this fluid will cause the life threatening condition known as pulmonary oedema. As kidney disease advances, the renal system becomes unstable and not able to flush fluids out as urine. This is when restricting fluid intake becomes vital for the kidney patient.

It is difficult to restrict fluid intake because many foods that we eat and certainly everything we drink adds to the fluid levels in the body. Hydration is necessary to maintain a level balance in the healthy body, but this same course of hydration can be extremely dangerous to a patient suffering renal failure or other kidney disorders.

The more able the kidneys are to flush out fluids, the more fluid intake an individual with kidney problems can ingest. Most healthy individuals should ingest at least 1.5- 2 litres of water per day. Those with kidney stones should drink even more to help facilitate the body’s efforts to eliminate the stone or stones, as well as prevent new stone formation.

Whole body wellness depends on balancing diet, fluid intake and exercise in order for our organs to function effectively. Eating foods high in water content and drinking soft drink, alcohol or excessive amounts of water will upset this balance, and even more so in individuals afflicted with kidney disorders. Follow the advice of your healthcare practitioner in regard to your appropriate daily water intake, to avoid overburdening an already ailing kidney function. Remembering to avoid salty foods, prepared foods and foods high in saturated fats in order to help reduce the strain on the kidneys.

Kidney patients are often advised to drink (in water) the total urine output for 24 hours, plus another 600mls (just over half a quart). This will enable each patient to know just how much fluid and water consumption their body can handle the following day. For instance, if your total output of urine was 800mls for 24 hours, you would add another 600mls to get your total fluid intake of 1400mls (1 ½ Quarts) – this seems to be the best rule of thumb fluid measurement for all. Careful monitoring of the daily output of urine as the indicator of a safe level of fluid intake is a good rule of thumb to follow for the kidney patient; put back in what comes out. I hope those tips enable you to manage your kidney disease diet with ease!

Protein foods from animals are eggs, meats, fish and other seafood, poultry, cheese, and milk. Certain soy products contain the nine amino acids as well. High biological value proteins are the complete protein foods, while plant proteins are low biological value proteins as they are not considered complete proteins. Even though plant proteins are not complete proteins, they should still be included in the diet. These foods include grain, legumes, seeds, tofu, tempeh and nuts, and if combined correctly they can supply us with complete protein.

Eating foods that contain protein is essential for many aspects of human functioning. Proteins repair damaged tissue, help with chemical signaling of messages between cells, create antibodies and enzymes and assist in balancing the acid base in our bodies along with the fluid levels and electrolytes.

Protein makes up nearly fifty percent of the human body. If our bodies do not get enough protein injuries will not heal, bleeding will not stop and the body will not be able to fight infections. Whole body wellness requires we consume 40 to 65 grams of protein each day. However this can vary greatly and depends upon a person’s body size and their level of activity.

Protein has proven to be a tricky question in the treatment of kidney disease and levels must always be assessed as part of a kidney disease diet. Even though protein is necessary in the diet, too much harms the kidneys and leads to serious complications. Patients suffering kidney disease are often required to limit their intake of proteins, and this may be an issue that you need to discuss with your doctor. Individuals that are trying to bring their bodies to a state of whole body wellness need to be mindful of how much and what types of protein they are ingesting in order to keep all of their vital organs in good health, including their kidneys.

Protein in the diet is utilized by the body and the remaining waste products are eliminated via the kidneys by filtering the waste into the urine. Healthy kidneys are able to process very large amounts of protein, but kidneys that are ailing have a difficult time processing the same amount of protein.

When unhealthy kidneys are unable to process all of the protein that is consumed, the waste products will build up in the blood. As the kidneys continue to decline, the buildup creates a situation that is known as proteinuria. The kidneys are one of the essential organs responsible for purging the body of waste and over time, when the kidneys don’t function properly an individual can end up with toxic buildup of wastes.

Foods such as milk and meat are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. There are more heart and kidney friendly protein choices that include fish, lean skinless poultry, tofu, organic eggs and soy products. The amount of protein that you should consume if you have kidney damage will differ to that which was required when your kidneys were functioning effectively. If you are undergoing dialysis then your daily requirements will differ again. Body size and level of physical activity will determine how much protein an individual should consume to enable the body to support the kidneys and whole body wellness. The best option would be to speak to your doctor or health professional to assess the exact amount of protein that is appropriate for you, and have them devise the best possible kidney disease diet.