If you have some kidney problems you should read about the Secret Kidney Diet.

If you already suffer from renal kidney failure go to Chronic Kidney Disease Treatment for a method of reversing impaired kidneys function.

If you have a kidney problem, or you want to make sure you avoid having one in the future, you have to be careful about what you eat.

The goal of this article is to offer information on a sensible diet for people with kidney problems - whether you currently have a kidney problem, or are worried you might have one in the future. Anyone who has to cook or plan meals for an individual with kidney problems will also find some helpful guidelines below. Of course, it’s important to work with the patients doctor for specific nutritional and dietary guideline.

Several factors play a role in your dietary decisions when you have kidney health challenges. Your food choices depend on several issues.

* Your current kidney health and level of kidney function.

* Your overall health and physical well-being, especially in regard to any other conditions or or disorders you may have.

* Your BMI, or body mass index or BMI (the kidneys of obese people have to work harder).

There are five types of food that deserve special consideration when planning a diet for people with kidney problems.

Sodium Levels

Your body needs sodium, or salt, to function. Sodium plays a role in controlling muscle contractions, balancing fluids, and keeping your blood pressure in a normal range.

But many people consume way too much of it, and it can be especially harmful you want to stay on a healthy kidney diet.

Normal kidneys remove excess sodium from your body by filtering it out of your bloodstream. Kidneys that are not healthy, however, fail to do this. They allow sodium to begin accumulating in the body.

This, in turn, causes fluids to accumulate. Swelling and bloating follow, especially in the face and joints.

If you have kidney problems, or want to make sure you never have them, reduce your consumption of the following foods:

• processed dinner mixes
• snack foods that are heavily salted, like potato chips
• salted nuts
• meat that has been processed, like cold cuts
• cheese
• Soups that come from a can, a dehydrated package, or broth made with bouillon cubes
• canned vegetables
• bacon

It also helps to use the salt shaker lightly – if at all – during all meals.

Protein

Protein is another one of those substances we need, but it’s important to keep consumption within certain limits.

Too much protein strains the kidneys by creating more metabolic waste than they can handle. You need to get enough while being careful not to get too much. Your doctor can help give you some guidelines that are appropriate to your situation.

Most people get the majority from poultry products (including eggs) and from the meat they consume. Very little protein can be found in grains and vegetables.

Potassium

Potassium plays an important role in maintaining the health of muscles and nerves. When you get too much potassium though, you can start having problems with your heartbeat. Almost all foods contain some level of potassium.

So if you have a kidney problem, you have to educate yourself about the amount of potassium in foods you consume.

Meanwhile some foods have high levels of potassium, so you should make sure to limit your consumption. These high potassium foods include mushrooms, mustard, oranges, potatoes, prunes, raisins, apricots, bananas, beets, chocolate and coffee.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is similar to potassium in that it promotes healthy muscles and nerves. When combined with calcium, it also gives us  strong bones and teeth.

When you have kidney problems, your phosphorus balances can be affected. This reduces the amount of calcium you have. When you don’t have enough calcium, your body begins to “steal” it from your bones to compensate. As you can imagine, this is not a happy situation.

But excessive levels of phosphorus is bad too. It causes itchy skin, joint pain, and brittle bones.

Foods that contain relatively high levels of phosphorus are beef and chicken livers, cheese, caramel, peanut butter and many kinds of nuts.Some drinks are also high in phosphorus, including cola and beer.

Fluids

Filtering fluids is one of the key duties of the kidneys. Good fluid filtration can be a problem for someone with unhealthy kidneys. So watching your fluid intake is important.

Excess fluid consumption will trigger swelling, high blood pressure and shortness of breath.

This is an area for discussion with your doctor.

And remember, some fluids are consumed as solids, but they melt into a liquid once you’ve eaten them. Ice cream leads the list here.

Concluding Thoughts on a Diet for People with Kidney Problems

If you have a kidney problem, or want to avoid one, eating the right kind of diet is important.

Kidney failure leaves you faced with two grim possibilities: years of renal dialysis, or a kidney transplant. Eating a diet for people with kidney problems today will will make it less likely that you’ve ever have to make such choices in the future.

To get additional information about topics related to this article, click on kidney failure.

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