Kidney diseases are getting common now days. More people seem to have kidney dialysis these days. Diabetes is the major reason behind development of kidney diseases. A large proportion of world’s population is suffering from diabetes. Diabetes leads to kidney diseases, heart diseases, eye diseases and many other chronic diseases. Diabetes usually develops due to regular consumption of unhealthy diet such as junk food. Ultimately the root cause of kidney diseases is “Unhealthy Diet”.
It’s best to eat healthy diet to avoid all these vulnerable diseases. However, when you are into kidney disease you must focus on a particular diet. The diet is known as “Kidney Diet“. It is also known as “Low-Phosphorus Diet“.
When the kidneys work inappropriately, high levels of phosphorus develops in kidneys. It is necessary to reduce the intake of phosphorus. This is why a low phosphorus diet is recommended to the individuals who are suffering from kidney diseases.
Kidney Diet is all about substituting a particular food for another. For example: You may substitute dairy products with non dairy products. Skipping milk and drinking unfortified rice milk. You can consume refined grains rather than whole grains. Hard cheese can be substituted for cream cheese or cottage cheese. You will keep on consuming all the basic foods but the substitute will take place and quantity will be different than normal.
Top Foods to Include in Kidney Diet
- Potatoes
- Rutabagas
- Winter Squash
- Red Peppers
- Cabbage
- Garlic
- Onions
- Cauliflower
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Red Grapes
- Cranberries
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Egg Whites
- Olive Oil
- Fish
Things You Should Know
It is better to eat homemade food. If you eat in a restaurant, you won’t be able to know what ingredients have been used to prepare the meal. Manufacturers of foods use phosphorus as additives to preserve the food items. Manufacturers are quite clever to hide the inclusion of phosphorus by mentioning calcium phosphate, phosphoric acid and disodium phosphate rather than simple “phosphorus” on the packaging. You must identify such food items and ignore using them to prepare food at home.
Tips on Kidney Diet
- You should cut down or increase your weight to have an ideal weight by consuming Kidney Diet.
- Drink water only when you are really thirsty.
- Reduce intake of Fatty Foods.
- Keep a check on how many calories you are consuming.
- Stop overeating.
- Do physical exercises as healthy lifestyle is necessary in such condition.
- Stay away from table salt. It increases blood pressure and puts more pressure on kidneys.
- Don’t drink dark cola beverages and alcohol.
- Have 3 meals a day in small quantity.
It is always recommended to consult a professional dietician before going for a particular Kidney Diet. The dietician will be able to design a more appropriate Kidney Diet for you while keeping your interests under consideration.
There is no room for leniency when you are suffering from kidney diseases. All you need to do is to maintain a diet that is low in phosphorus and take care of your condition to make your kidneys work properly.