Many types of vegetables and fruits provide various protections against everything from heart disease to cancer. Another major advantage that you get from these food groups is that many of them also protect you from kidney damage and actually help heal kidney disease. Some of the best foods for your kidneys are apples, blueberries, kale, strawberries, spinach, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, cauliflower, and cabbage. Most of these foods contribute to lower cholesterol levels, which indirectly help lower the risk of kidney disease. Additionally, they provide direct protection against kidney disease.
A 2017 meta-analysis by the International Journal of Epidemiology found that just five daily servings of fruits and vegetables help lower the risk of heart disease. A daily portion of ten servings helps lower the risk even further.
Stay Away From Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are some of the most unhealthy types of beverages that you can drink. What makes them even worse than alcohol in certain ways is that they can be purchased by anyone, including an eight-year-old. These drinks, ranging from RedBull to Monster have extremely high amounts of sugar and caffeine in them, which is directly linked to high blood pressure, stress, and eventually kidney damage.
This was recently confirmed by a study in Frontiers in Public Health. There is currently little to no regulation by the Foods and Drugs Administration (FDA) despite recurring calls from various researchers to curb the damage they do to young children.
Eat Healthy Types of Fat
We've previously discussed saturated fats and trans fats, which both contribute to a raised LDL cholesterol and clog up your arteries. The higher your LDL cholesterol level, the faster your arteries get clogged, especially if left unchecked over time. The American Heart Association recommends watching out for hydrogenated oils and avoiding foods with high trans fat and saturated fats levels entirely. There are healthy kinds of fat, however, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats help decrease the risks of heart disease and boost your immunity to disease.
Some of the most healthy foods that contain high amounts of good fats are olive oil, chia seeds, dark chocolate, flaxseeds, nuts, and seed butter. Just to reiterate, trans fats are bad for you. If you're looking for an easy way to avoid trans fats completely, simply eat anything that would be considered vegan. There are no natural trans fats in vegan foods, although some baked and processed vegan foods do have artificial additives that contain trans fats.
Be Careful of Artificial Sweeteners
In a consumer culture where more than three-quarters of the American population is obese and more than two-thirds are overweight, it’s no wonder that “diet” and “zero sugar” versions of favorite drinks such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi began to outsell even the regular versions in certain places. There’s also a growing number of people who replace regular white and brown sugar with artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, saccharin, and tagatose. Although all these sugar-free alternatives contain nearly zero calories, they have been linked to some adverse health conditions.
It’s been generally estimated that as long as you avoid drinking more than one or two artificially-sweetened drinks per day you should be OK, but there’s still a huge problem with that assumption. Artificial sweeteners have only been around for a few years, so data on them has not been reliable, due to the health effects of various substances taking a lifetime before they can be fully analyzed. There are no official sentiments regarding the safety of using artificial sweeteners, so it would be best to stay away from them if possible, just to be on the safe side.
Avoid Excessive Sugar Consumption
High amounts of sugar often lead to energy imbalances, mood irregularities, lower cognitive performance, weight gain, poor sleep, and more negative effects. In addition, high amounts of sugar raise your blood sugar levels, which according to the American Diabetes Association, force the kidneys to filter too much blood and cause your kidneys to develop diseases over time.
Researchers from the University of Montreal found a direct link between sugar, diabetes, and kidney disease. The three create a feedback loop that only causes more damage to the body. Excess sugar often causes diabetes, and diabetes causes kidney disease. Where this gets really bad is that kidney disease can also cause diabetes, thus perpetuating the health issue and making it even worse. It’s important to get your blood glucose checked regularly to prevent diabetes and avoid eating an excessive amount of sugar. Up next: What about artificial sweeteners and alcohol? Learn how they affect your kidneys in the next entry.