Your diet has a direct and very important role to play in the health and function of your kidneys. That is why, it is important for you to know about your diet and its role in relation to your kidneys and follow a healthy diet that is also healthy your kidneys.

Dietary factors that threaten kidney health

Your kidneys remove waste products from your body and eliminate them through your urine in the form of urea and uric acid. They form because of the breakdown of proteins and nucleic acids. Excessive protein intake increases urea. On the other hand, uric acid is a by-product of both protein and fructose metabolism but fructose can increase uric acid within minutes of ingestion. Fructose has a dramatic and devastating impact on your uric acid levels. People generally tend to consume more protein than they need and 2 to 4 times more fructose than it is safe for them. As a result of that, they can alone and in combination place significant stress on your kidneys and as a result of that cause kidney disease and kidney stones.

Many people suffer from kidney stones when they consume a diet high in processed fructose and other sugars. When you consume sugar, it upsets the mineral relationships in your body because it interferes with calcium and magnesium absorption. The soda you drink has phosphorus and it acidifies your urine and that can result in stone formation. If you consume analgesic medicines, they can also damage your kidneys if you consume too much of them over long periods of time. Such medicines include aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, naproxen, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. They become more dangerous for you if you consume them with alcohol.

Keys to kidney protection

There are three keys which can help you to save your kidneys and ensure proper kidney health. These keys are-

Restrict protein

Restrict protein to what your body needs. It should be around ½ g of protein per pound of lean body mass and it should be around 40 to 70 grams a day. If you have kidney disease, it is very important to restrict protein to a maximum of 50 g a day.

Restrict fructose

It is also important to restrict fructose if you want to stay away from kidney problems and ensure kidney health and function. You need 25 g of fructose per day which is about 6 teaspoons less. It should go down if you are insulin or leptin resistant.

Drink pure, clean water

Instead of drinking soda and other such sweetened beverages, it is always better to drink pure, clean water. Soda, and others sweetened beverages like fruit juices contain lots of sugar and fructose and it is very important for you to avoid them. If you can follow this simple idea of switching such soda and any others sweetened beverages, it will go a long way towards improving your kidney health and function.

But how do you find out how much water your body needs. The best way to do that is to observe the colour of your urine. It should be light pale yellow. The frequency of your bathroom visits can also help you to understand the water need. Your bathroom visits should ideally be around 7 to 8 times per day.

References

1. All Natural Kidney Health & Kidney Function Restoration Program
2. Kidney Disease
3. Preventing Chronic Kidney Disease