Renal Diets Explained

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May 092012
 

Renal diets are diets drawn up for better kidney functioning. For renal diets, as recommended by top physicians, Click Here

Kidneys are small organs that are primarily involved in the filtration of toxins from the bloodstream. They are also responsible for filtering excess water in our blood. These waste products are collectively discharged from our bodies as urine.

Such diets can be varied in purpose and there are many types such as healthy kidney diets, kidney disease diets, kidneys stones diets, kidney problems diets, kidney failure diets and so on. Depending on the purpose of the diet, they all aim to help our kidneys work better. This applies to whether our kidneys are healthy or not. For specific conditions, there are specific diets as mentioned earlier. However they all have common features such as the following:

Sodium intake is usually restricted in all types of these diets. And the reason is fundamental to our well being. It has already been identified as a harmful substance because it raises high blood pressure that causes more strokes and heart disease.  But when it comes to kidneys, sodium makes us feel thirstier. If the kidneys are diseased, then they cannot cope with filtration of water properly. So they will have to work harder to remove water placing them under more stress. Swelling of limbs and bloating are visual consequences of sodium intake. Common salt, whether used as seasoning or present in canned foods is the culprit. It goes without saying that common salt has to be reduced significantly in a renal diet or preferably eliminated completely.

Potassium intake has to be kept carefully controlled. Potassium belongs to the same element family as sodium. When kidneys are functioning normally, potassium is not really a problem as it is filtered effectively. When they are diseased, potassium is not filtered efficiently and the potassium level might rise in the blood. In either case, it is best to keep potassium intake low. This is because high concentrations of potassium can cause heart attack.

The ingestion of protein also has to be monitored. Proteins are good for normal functioning of our bodies. In the case of diseased kidneys, protein intake has to be controlled because kidneys find it hard to excrete urea which is a byproduct of protein metabolism. When encountering chronic kidney disease (CKD), the converse is true. Protein intake should be increased.

Calorie intake depends on your body weight. If your body weight is below your ideal body weight, you will have to increase your calorie consumption. This will be indicated to you by a qualified dietician. The opposite applies.

Phosphorus is another element to watch out for. Whether following renal disease diet or CKD, phosphorus intake has to be kept low.

Fluid intake recommendations are usually found in many renal diets especially healthy, disease and chronic. Except when following a healthy kidney diet, liquid intake has to severely controlled. To increase the health of kidneys that are operating normally, water intake has to be increased to help in the filtration process.

Renal diets are numerous in scope. But from above they all have some similarities that are common to both. Click Here for Recommended Renal Diets

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Kidney Stone Diet to Pass a Kidney Stone

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Dec 182011
 

A kidney stone diet is a type of kidney diet that will help you minimize the chances of dreaded kidney stones forming. For more information on effective kidney diets please Click Here.

First one has to know what is a kidney stone and how they are formed. Only after, can one understand how to avoid them forming within the kidneys through a kidney stone diet.

Kidney stones (or nephrolithiasis, as they are medically known) are crystals that are hard and have sharp edges. These are formed naturally and can be passed when urinating without us knowing. The most common kidney stones are mainly composed of calcium compounds. Kidney stones made of calcium oxalate form when the urine is acidic. On the other hand, calcium phosphate stones form when urine is alkaline.

Conditions that allow the faster formation of kidney stones are usually dehydration and dietary conditions. Medical conditions such as gout, hereditary factors and certain medications increase the risk of kidney stone formation. Having already had a kidney stone in the past increases the risk substantially. Lifestyle plays an important part – sitting down for most of the day is another negative factor.

The detection of kidney stones that are too large to pass are usually discovered as blood in urine and the accompanying excruciating pain.  Some people have remarked that the passing of large kidney stones is comparable to labor pains. The pain starts when the kidney stone leaves the kidney and tries to make its way through the urinary tract. The ureter has an average inner diameter of 4 mm and kidney stones larger than this (some are known to have reached 8mm in diameter!) will cause extreme discomfort.

It becomes obvious that prevention is better than cure. Kidney stones diet will help prevent kidney stones forming in the first place. This means that medicines, doctor visits, expensive diagnosis and possible surgery could be avoided.

An effective kidney stone diet needs lots of water so as to increase the amount of fluid in the body. As we saw before, dehydration is one of the major causes of kidney stones. So increasing water intake is the first step. Exercise such as walking helps a lot. Watching out for calcium intake as advised by a dietician is also important. People who have a tendency to form calcium oxalate kidney stones may be advised to limit their consumption of foods high in oxalate, such as spinach, rhubarb, beets, wheat germ, and peanuts.

Here is an example of a diet for someone who has kidney stones:

For breakfast: A cup of grapefruit juice, skimmed milk and coffee. One scrambled egg with 2 slices of white toast having a slight margarine spread. A cereal measuring ¾ of a cup can be also added together with half a banana.

For lunch: A plate containing 60g (2oz) of white meat chicken, together with a small amount of iceberg lettuce. A tablespoon of virgin olive oil or vinegar can be used for seasoning. A ½ cup of chopped tomatoes mixed with mushrooms can complement the main course. For dessert, a cup of watermelon or cantaloupe, a sugar cookie and a small cup of lemonade are allowed. A non fat yoghurt small cup is also ok.

For dinner: ½ cup of rice mixed with ½ a cup of peas served with 85g (or 3oz) of baked haddock. Some animal crackers, an apple and a dinner roll are also recommended. For fruit a ½ cup of green grapes is also acceptable together with a ½ cup of jello.

During breakfast, lunch and dinner a cup of water should always be drunk. Water is plentiful and is good for fluid intake as explained before. Throughout the day, the following tonic can be drunk to supplement the above diet: a 1/4 cup of fresh lemon / organic lemon juice mixed with 1/4 cup of Olive Oil (cold-pressed). This tonic should be drunk twice during the day also followed by a large glass of water.

As always, your best friend is your doctor and a dietician who will help you in providing more varied diets. If you suffer from other conditions such as diabetes, then your kidney stone diet will be changed accordingly. The taking of medications for other conditions will also affect your kidney stone diet.

For more kidney stone diets please Click Here.

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Practical Kidney Disease Diet that You Can Easily Follow

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Nov 292011
 

A kidney disease diet is a kidney diet that will help you take care of your diseased kidneys. For a proven natural program to beat kidney disease, Click Here

In the last post, we saw what was needed for a healthy kidney diet. However sometimes disease appears no matter what we do.

If you have been diagnosed with a kidney disease, this can seem the end of the world. But this is not necessarily true. What it means is that your kidneys need special attention from this point forward. A doctor will refer you to a dietician who will draw up a proper kidney diet and advise you for the future. Like this, it is possible to nurse your kidneys back to better health.

Following a specialized kidney disease diet, as recommended by a dietician, is not easy and requires commitment and perseverance from your part. However there are fundamental guidelines that need to be followed:

  • Find out your ideal body weight. Many patients with a kidney disease might experience an increase or decrease in body weight. Cutting or increasing calories, reducing or increasing activity, should help you stay close to your ideal body weight. A kidney disease diet as recommended by your dietician will help you stay close to your ideal body weight.
  • Get the right amount of Calories. Besides being important for your overall health, they are important for energy, building muscles and tissue and a good body weight. Since your new kidney diet will most probably limit protein (see next paragraph), you will have to obtain your calories from other sources such as canola oil, jam, syrups, fruits, breads, grains, and vegetables.
  • Control Protein Intake. Protein is important for building muscles, repairing tissue and fighting infections. However, more often than not, you will have to limit your protein intake. Why? Since your kidneys are not functioning properly, they cannot remove the excess waste products such as urea, when breaking down proteins. Foods high in protein are meat, milk products, poultry and poultry products such as eggs. Foods low in protein are mainly found in plant sources such as grains and vegetables.
  • Reduce Sodium Intake. Sodium is linked to renal disease and high blood pressure. This element is commonly found in table salt and products that have table salt added to them such as canned foods, processed meats (ham, bacon and sausages) and most fast foods (chips and other packaged snacks like crisps). So read the labels and see the sodium content. Look out for descriptions such as Low-sodium, Sodium-free and Unsalted. Otherwise choose low sodium foods such as unsalted snacks and avoid table salt with your food. You can also use natural spices to spice up your food such as garlic, onions and oregano. Table wine and lemon is also good. And obviously remove the salt shaker from your dining table!
  • Limit Potassium Intake.  Potassium is another element commonly found in foods we eat. It is important for the nerves, muscles and heart. Foods low in potassium are recommended milk substitutes, together with:
    Fruits such as apples, peaches, cherries, grapes, pears, watermelon, plums, cranberries and pineapple.
    Vegetables such as Rice, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens, broccoli, Cucumber, Onions Lettuce and Carrots.
  • Limit Phosphorus Intake.  Phosphorus is a mineral that is important for building and maintaining bones and teeth. It is also essential to provide normal nerve and muscle function. High phosphorus foods are milk, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, beer and dark cola drinks.
    Phosphorus food substitutes are broccoli, non-cola soda and non-dairy milk substitute and hard candy.
  • Reduce Fluid Intake.  Kidneys regulate the amount of fluid in your body. Renal disease or renal failure will mean more fluid in your body. Your doctor will probably ask you to limit fluid intake. You can do this by only drinking when really thirsty, cut down on salt and chew on sugar free chewing gum.
  • Vitamins and minerals should only be taken as recommended by your doctor. Do not be tempted to buy them over the counter but only by prescription from a doctor.

All kidney disease diets might have many or all or even additional requirements. Please be reminded that any decisions about a kidney disease diet have to be taken in consultation with your doctor and dietician. Since you are unique and this means your kidney disease diet requirements are different from other people’s requirements. In the majority of cases, following a specific and strict diet may bring your kidneys back to normal working order. Supervised medication may be required for a period of time. Take heart – It’s not impossible!

For more information to beat kidney disease, Click Here

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A Healthy Kidney Diet that is Practical & Natural

 kidney diet information  4 Responses »
Nov 262011
 

A healthy kidney diet is a kidney diet that will dramatically reduce your chances of kidney disease and kidney stones. For more information about healthy kidney diets please Click Here

Kidneys are small organs but incredibly useful to our well-being. Think of them as natural filters. Their task is to keep our blood clean by removing excess water, toxins and waste products. This becomes urine and is then passed to the bladder. Eventually urine is passed out of the body through urination. Therefore it is very important to take care of them and in the process preventing kidney disease or some nasty and expensive medical operations.

Besides leading a normal healthy lifestyle, a healthy kidney diet becomes very important to ensure your kidneys remain healthy. Here are some tips to ensure healthy kidneys:

  • Reduce your cholesterol level by cutting down on fatty foods. Besides avoiding kidney disease, you also get the benefit of reducing possible heart attacks and strokes.
  • Reduce obesity by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. More physical exercise, less over-eating and other healthy activities should help you achieve this. Watch your calories! You also avoid other unpleasant and life-threatening sicknesses.
  • Stop smoking and your chances of kidney disease, lung disease and respiratory failure are also reduced.
  • Avoid too much table salt. This also increases blood pressure and makes the kidneys work harder.
  • Eat more fruits, more vegetables, more fish and more white meat such as rabbit, chicken.
  • Eat less red meat, eggs, canned foods, junk foods and fast foods.
  • Drink more fluids. Water is the best choice.
  • Drink less dark colas, spirits and alcohol in general.

What are the benefits of all this?

First of all, all of the above are easily attainable and therefore a healthy kidney diet is very possible. All food items mentioned above are all found in a supermarket close to where you live. Exercise can be free or paid. Free means walking in the park or going out for a walk with friends or the dog. Paid means joining a gym or buying some exercising equipment. For the rest, it just takes some will power but you can easily get used to the new lifestyle. There is really no excuse not to follow healthy kidney diets.

Secondly, your overall health also improves and you will feel much better. So it’s a case of keeping your kidneys healthy and getting a better lifestyle simultaneously!

For more information about healthy kidney diets please Click Here

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Welcome to Kidney Diet dot Org

 kidney diet information  6 Responses »
Nov 202011
 

Searching for kidney diet on Google ? You’ve come to the right place.

Here you will find how to maintain a healthy kidney diet together with useful advice and tips for kidney disease diets and kidney stone diets, including recipes, plans and more.

Please take your time browsing this kidney diet site and thanks for visiting.

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