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Kidney Diet Foods: What to Avoid

Selecting the best kidney diet foods is a very tricky and tedious job. There are a lot of restrictions that you need to be cautious of so that you can avoid other complications that are brought about by chronic kidney disease.
Three of the food minerals that you need to avoid as you select your kidney diet foods are sodium, phosphorus, and potassium. This article will give you an idea on what foods are high in sodium, phosphorus, and potassium, and thus, foods that should be avoided.

On the first stage of kidney disease, there is already slight kidney damage (a GFR of more than 90), which affects the filtration function of the kidney. This means that the function of the kidney involving filtering blood is starting to degrade. On the second stage, there is a minimal decrease of the kidney's function, where the GFR is at 60 - 89. The third stage indicates a moderate decrease of function at 30 - 59 GFR. The fourth stage of kidney disease indicates severe degradation of the kidney's function, where the GFR is alarmingly at 15 - 29.

During these stages prior to kidney failure, toxic substances, fluids, and waste will begin to accumulate since the kidney is not able to filter and excrete these matters. Other effects of kidney disease include high blood pressure, anemia, bone disease, acidosis, and even cholesterol - related disorders.

High in Sodium Foods

Foods that are high in sodium should be avoided because of their negative effect to the kidney and they will not help in controlling high blood pressure. Sodium can also help in retaining fluids in the body, which will only make it more difficult for the kidney to remove these fluids.

Some foods that are high in sodium include frozen meals, canned soup, salt, processed dairy cheese, soy-based cheese, frozen soy products, tofu hot dogs, soy sauce, or any other spices that has sodium (i.e. Monosodium Glutamate or MSG) or salt. Try to lessen, therefore, your intake of salty food and opt for healthier options.

High in Phosphorus Foods

Foods that have concentrated phosphorus do not help in treating kidney disease. The main source of these concentrated phosphorus are dairy products - milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, custard, and soy yogurt. Avoid these dairy products to decrease your phosphorus intake. To control phosphorus intake, you have to limit yourself to one serving or less of dairy product for each day.

High in Potassium Foods

Unfortunately, fruits and vegetables are high in potassium. Take for example bananas. What you can do is limit yourself to about five or less servings of potassium per day. For instance, a half-cup of fresh fruit, a cup of fresh vegetables, and a half-cup of cooked vegetables can make up one serving of potassium.

Try to limit your servings of soy flour, dried cooked soybeans, potatoes, nuts and seeds, tomato products, tropical fruits, dried fruits, and melons.

The secret to selecting and preparing kidney diet foods is really in the servings and the proportions that you give yourself each day.