How Nutrition Can Help Prevent & Treat Kidney Problems

The kidneys may be tiny bean-shaped organs, but they play a major role in your overall health. You can find them situated in your rib cage on either side of your spine. Right above your kidneys, you will find the adrenal glands. Up to 150 quarts of blood is pumped through your kidneys each and every day for the purpose of flushing out toxins. Your kidneys are also responsible for removing waste from your urine. You can consult with a naturopathic family care physician about improving your diet and lifestyle to maintain healthy organs.

Drinking Water is Key

One way is to increase your consumption of water. It’s not enough to drink lots of fluids, such as juice, soda, coffee and tea. There’s absolutely no drink that can replace water as a purifying and hydrating substance. Your kidneys rely on you to drink plenty of water, so they can continue to operate properly. Dehydration is a common problem among those who end up getting health problems, like kidney stones.

Symptoms of Failing Kidneys

When your kidneys are performing optimally, it can result to a number of health concerns, some being very serious. Some of these issues include heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. It’s good to know the warning signs to watch out for, so you can catch kidney problems early on. This includes:

• Urinating frequently
• Issues with urinating
• Consistently thirsty
• Burning sensation or pain while urinating

Don’t underestimate the importance of your kidneys. They are responsible for maintaining homeostasis, which begins with the blood. Your kidneys help keep the proper pH level and electrolyte balance in your blood. This includes removing excess potassium, sodium and phosphates. The kidneys also create hormones that are responsible for making red blood cells, which helps to maintain healthy blood pressure levels.
You can consult with a naturopathic medicine doctor in Phoenix about improving your family’s diet and care.

Your Diet Affects Kidney Health

Depending on what you eat, your diet could work for or against your kidneys. For instance, if your diet consists of too much protein and fructose, it causes an increase in urea, which can lead to kidney stones and kidney disease.
High uric acid amounts is an issue for many Americans who consume between three and five times the amount of protein needed, and between two and four times the fructose that’s presumed safe. Research shows that kidney stones are linked to eating high amounts of processed fructose and other forms of sugar. Sugar causes a disruption in the relationship between minerals, causing malabsorption of magnesium and potassium. Those who drink a lot of soda, for instance, are acidifying their urine, which causes formation of stones.
You should also be wary of taking analgesic drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, maproxen, acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory drugs. These have been tied to kidney damage when taken over long periods of time and/or in excess.

Improving Your Diet to Prevent Kidney Problems

There are three key ways you can improve your diet to prevent problems with your kidneys, which include:

• Reducing protein to what you need. You can figure this out based on your age and weight. As a rule of thumb, you need ½ gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. This is normally between 40 and 70 grams daily. Those with kidney disease should limit their protein consumption to 50 grams daily.
• Limiting fructose to 25 grams daily. This is about six teaspoons. Of course, the less the better, especially if you’re dealing with leptin and insulin resistance.
• Drink lots of pure water. Removing the sweetened drinks like juice and soda for water kills two birds with one stone.

If you’re not sure if you should be drinking more water, just look at the color of your urine. If it’s darker in tint and has a strong odor, then you are dehydrated. You should also be going to the bathroom between seven and eight times daily when you’re properly hydrated.
If you already have kidney disease, then you should also focus on staying away from foods that are rich in phosphorous. Try adding in more foods that are potassium-rich, such as vegetables and seeds. It’s best to work hand-in-hand with a naturopathic family care doctor who is experienced in treating kidney problems. You can be referred to an alternative cancer treatment center in Arizona if you are battling kidney cancer.
By Longevity Medical