Do You love your kidneys?? If Yes, The 4 basic things you do for your kidneys are :- More water intake, less salt intake, Dash diet and Regular Exercise… Says the owner of POSHAK DIET CLINIC. Dietitian and a Lifestyle CoachSuhana Rohit Kriplani.
- Did you Know ??
You have 2 kidneys about the size of your fist. - What do Kidneys do ??
They clean your blood and the keep chemicals (like calcium, potassium and sodium) balanced in the blood. - How ??
About 1 litre of blood enters the kidneys every minute and the Healthy Kidneys filter about half a cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra fluid to make urine. - What will happen ?? If Kidneys don’t work properly ??
1) The toxic will enter in your blood.
2) Acids will enter in your body, which are removed by the kidneys, produced by the cells of your body and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts and minerals in your blood.
3) Uncontrolled Blood Pressure.
4) Weak and Unhealthy bones.
5) Less production of RBC and Oxygen is delivered to your organs and tissues
WATER
“ A blessing for kidneys”
“ A blessing for kidneys”
Water plays a very important role in removing waste from the blood in the form of urine.
It is a misconception that everybody needs to drink 8 glasses of water, says dietitian suhana.
– When your urine is dark yellow this indicates that you are dehydrated, that means you need to drink more water to make your urine light yellow or colourless.
– You need to drink less water if you have kidney disease or failure you need more water to treat or prevent kidney stones and UTI. You need more water or fluids in hot summers.
DIET To Keep Your Kidneys Strong And Healthy
SALT / SODIUM
When you consume too much salt, you alter the SodiumPotassium balance, whichdecrease your kidney function. With reduced Kidney function, your kidneys can eventually develop kidney diseases.
* People with higher levels of hypertension (high B.P)
Tips to reduce Salt / Sodium in your diet.
A. Make- reading food labels a habit, to check the sodium content.
B. Stick to fresh meats, fruits and Vegetables rather then their packaged counterparts, which tend to be higher in Sodium.
C. Avoid outside food which may contain high salt/sodium.
D. “Learn to adjust to eating less salt”
It typically takes about 6-8 weeks on a lowSodium diet to get used to it. After that, you will actually find that Some of your favourite Salty foods, like potato chips tastes too salty to you.
THE DASH DIET FOR KIDNEY HEALTH
The DASH diet ( Dietary approaches to stop Hypertension) is recognized treatment for hypertension, Kidney disease and heart disease and can slow the progression of Kidney disease.
What is DASH DIET ??
The DASH Diet is rich in fruits, Vegetables, low fat-diary products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts.
It is Low in salt and Sodium, added sugars and sweets, fat, packaged-processed Foods, refined food and red meats.
Every single person with kidney disease, should be proactive about heart health. High Blood Pressure and diabetes, the top cause of kidney disease, can be equally damaging to both kidneys and heart.
And The DASH DIET plan can help lower your blood pressure and protect your heart. Many of these foods are high in nutrients like potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, which help regulate your Blood pressure. The DASH Diet should not be used by people who already have chronic kidney disease and people on dialysis, who needs scheduled diet plans according to the test reports.
DIET AND EARLY KIDNEY DISEASE
People with Acute Kidney disease may need to control the amount of-
A. Protein :- Your body needs protein to help build muscle, repair tissue and fight infection: Having too much protein can cause waste to build up in your blood and kidney may not be able to remove all the extra waste. But too low intake of protein can cause other problems. So, it is essential to eat the right amount each day.
B. Sodium :- We have already discussed that if you want healthy kidneys should limit Sodium/Salt content in your diet.
C. Potassium / Phosphorus :- The amount will be based on how well your kidney are working and your medications.
D. Water and Fluids :- In the early Stages of kidney disease you don’t need to limit how much Fluids you drink. But if your kidney disease worsens, know your stage and take advice from a specialist to limit the water/Fluid intake.
GOUT OR HIGH URIC ACID LEVELS.
High concentrations of uric acid in blood serum can lead to a type of arthritis known as gout.
Home remedies for Gout
1) Drink lots of water. Saunf water is very beneficial in your body. Soak 1-2 spoon of saunf / fennel seeds overnight in water for the whole day.
2) Avoid high protein diet.
3) Cherries, strawberries, blueberries, Apple juice, coconut water, Aloe vera juice, Amla juice are some of the foods to reduce uric acid naturally.
4) Move your body for 3 minutes in every half an hour.
DIET AND CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES.
People suffering from chronic kidney diseases or on dialysis need a personalised diet plan. It is necessary to get a personalised diet so as to keep the levels of electrolyses, mineral and fluids in your body balance when you have chronic kidney disease or on dialysis. The changes may include limiting fluids, limiting salt, Potassium, Phosphorous and other getting enough calories if you are losing weight.
Tips for healthy kidney –
1) Stay hydrated: Drink sufficient water.
2) Stay Active.
3) Exercise daily, at least for half an hour.
4) Limit the Salt intake, Manage the health condition like Blood Pressure, diabetes and heart disease
5) Follow the DASH DIET.
Suhana R. Kriplani
Dietitian and a lifestyle coach
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