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How A Good Diet Can Help Prevent Kidney Failure

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One of the contributing factors of kidney failure is kidney disease. If you can prevent the onset of kidney disease than that’s half the battle.

Having a bad diet or having bad habits are definitely linked to increasing the risk of kidney disease. A study conducted by John Hopkins University showed that people who had regular kidneys but had a bad diet such as sodium, sodas, red meats, processed foods were more than likely to develop kidney disease. People who had healthier diets high in whole grains, nuts, fruit and low-fat dairy didn’t develop the same problems.

They found that 13% of participants that had at least three unhealthy factors in their lives showed an excess of protein in their diet. Excess protein found in urine is an early sign of kidney disease. People with obesity issues were found to be at a high risk of damage to their kidneys.

It’s hard to beat a disease that is in your family history. But things like diet, smoking or being obese are all things that can be controlled. By changing your lifestyle choices you become in control of protecting your kidneys and preventing further damage to them.

The study showed that the people who were more likely to develop kidney disease were more likely to be:

  • Someone with high blood pressure
  • African-American
  • Someone with Diabetes
  • Making poor diet choices such as fast food, red meats, and soft drinks
  • Someone who has a history of kidney disease

Currently there are 26 million people who are living with kidney disease. It’s so important to prevent the onset of the disease instead of having to deal with managing it later. Lifestyle changes are very important in the prevention of the disease.

The following guidelines will help in preventing the onset of kidney disease:

  1. Reducing sodium intake. Too many people are using too much salt in their diets.
  2. Eat less red meat. Eating a lot of red meat can be damaging to your kidneys. It is high in protein as well as saturated fats.
  3. Avoid soda and sweetened beverages. These drinks are high in calories and have zero nutritional value. Cola products also have phosphorus additives which have been known to cause damage to the kidneys.
  4. Eliminate processed foods. Any food that is processed is bad for you. That includes cheese spreads, chips, instant potato mixes, crackers, and deli meats. All these foods are high in sodium and phosphorus additives. Processed foods can be very damaging to your kidneys.
  5. Reduce sugar intake. Too much sugar in your diet can not only cause obesity but also diabetes. Both of which are contributing factors to developing kidney disease.

Kidney disease is a top killer, it has killed more Americans than prostrate cancer and breast cancer alone. Annually more than 90,000 people die of kidney failure.

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