Kidney disease refers to a disease in which the kidneys are not able to filter waste or nutrients from the blood efficiently. This causes the body to accumulate too many nutrients, which has a negative effect on health. If you ask what people with kidney disease should not eat, the answer is that doctors usually do not prohibit eating any specific foods. However, they often recommend limiting the consumption of certain nutrients, such as sodium, potassium, and phosphorus, because patients with kidney disease are unable to excrete these nutrients from the body normally.
What is kidney disease?
Kidney disease, sometimes called chronic kidney disease, is a type of kidney disease in which the kidneys are unable to filter waste from the blood effectively, causing the body to retain too much fluid or nutrients, which can be harmful to health and increase the risk of death.
In general, diabetes or high blood pressure are the most common causes of kidney disease. In addition, kidney disease can also occur due to the following other causes:
- Certain kidney diseases, such as renal artery stenosis, lupus nephritis, and glomerulonephritis
- Infection
- Consumption of certain medications that affect kidney health
- Poisoning by heavy metals such as lead
What foods should people with kidney disease avoid?
When you have kidney disease, your doctor or nutritionist usually does not have any dietary restrictions, but they will often recommend consuming certain nutrients in small amounts to prevent complications from the kidneys not being able to excrete those nutrients from your body in the right amounts, including:
sodium
Sodium is a nutrient that helps control fluid levels in the body. In general, healthy people should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. สมัคร ufabet However, if you have kidney disease, your doctor will recommend a lower sodium intake, depending on your kidney health or the stage of your kidney disease.
However, consuming too much sodium will increase the body’s fluid levels and may lead to various abnormalities such as shin swelling, high blood pressure, or shortness of breath.
High sodium foods to avoid include:
- Salty seasonings such as salt, fish sauce, soy sauce
- Fast food such as hamburgers and French fries
- Prepared foods, processed meats, canned foods, and snacks such as crackers and potato chips.
Low sodium foods that should be consumed if you have kidney disease include:
- Meat, fish
- egg
- Rice, bread, pasta
- Low sodium popcorn crackers
- Dried fruit
- Clear soup or broth without salt or soy sauce
A study on sodium intake and chronic kidney disease, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2020, stated that consuming a low-sodium diet is the right way to control edema and high blood pressure in patients with all stages of kidney disease. The amount of low-sodium foods that should be consumed will vary depending on each person’s physical condition.
potassium
When you have kidney disease, your kidneys can’t excrete excess potassium from your blood in your urine as normal. Instead, it’s sent to your kidneys and then back into your bloodstream, often causing symptoms like nausea, fatigue, cramps, shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart disease.
To prevent hyperkalemia, you should consume no more than 2,000 milligrams of potassium per day or avoid eating foods high in potassium and choose to eat foods low in potassium, as follows:
High Potassium Foods
- Fruits such as bananas, oranges
- Vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes
- brown rice
- Dairy products
- Whole grain breads and pastas
- Various types of beans
Low potassium foods
- Fruits such as apples, peaches, grapes
- Vegetables such as carrots, green beans
- White rice
- Bread and pasta made from refined flour
phosphorus
Kidneys in patients with kidney disease are unable to handle excess phosphorus, putting them at risk of high blood phosphorus levels, which can lead to brittle bones, heart disease, joint pain, or death.
Doctors generally recommend consuming no more than 800-1,000 milligrams of phosphorus per day.
For high-phosphorus foods that kidney patients should consume in small quantities and low-phosphorus foods that may be suitable for kidney patients, they are as follows:
High phosphorus foods
- Meat, fish
- Oatmeal
- Dairy products such as various types of cheese
- Various types of beans
- Dark carbonated drinks, such as cola
- Cold pressed juices such as tea and coffee
Low phosphorus foods
- Vegetables such as cucumbers, bell peppers, asparagus, eggplant, carrots, cauliflower
- Fruits such as apples, plums, grapes , watermelon, pineapple
- Various rice milks
- Light-colored soft drinks, such as lemonade or ginger ale.
protein
Although protein is essential for building muscle, repairing tissue, and fighting off infections, people with kidney disease should limit their intake to about 600-800 milligrams per pound of body weight per day. This is because the kidneys cannot remove all of the waste products from protein metabolism. If waste products remain in the bloodstream, it can cause dizziness, vomiting, and unconsciousness.
A study in 2017 in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care found that high protein intake can increase glomerular filtration rate and damage glomerular filtration, which can worsen symptoms of chronic kidney disease.
Recommendations for selecting food for patients with kidney disease
If you ask what foods people with kidney disease should not eat, you should consider buying food according to the following recommendations.
- Choose freshly cooked foods, as processed or canned foods tend to be high in sodium.
- Choose spices or seasonings that are sodium-free. Reduce your consumption of salt, soy sauce, or fish sauce.
- Always read labels before buying food to check for sodium, phosphorus , and potassium levels, and choose products that are low in these nutrients.