What to eat when you have kidney disease

Eating right is especially important when battling a debilitating illness such as kidney disease.

Good nutrition helps you get all the calories you need as well as important nutrients to help you fight the disease.

In addressing kidney disease, there are certain nutrients that require close attention.

Protein is important for building body tissue. However, when the kidney is not functioning properly, protein waste can build up in the body. Seek guidance on how much protein you can eat in a day so that you do not overload your body with protein waste.

Healthy kidneys regulate the amount of sodium found in the body so when they are ailing, sodium builds up and can cause an increase in body fluid. This results in high blood pressure and problems such as swollen feet.

Potassium is another nutrient to keep an eye on when suffering from kidney disease since too much or too little of it is dangerous. With that in mind, high potassium foods such as bananas, greens, squash, beans and nuts are best eaten with caution.

It is also important to maintain a good balance between phosphorous and calcium in the body. Too much phosphorous causes low calcium levels, leading to weak and fragile bones.

This can be challenging to do since some dairy products and legumes are high phosphorous foods but they are also sources of calcium.

This means that people with kidney disease sometimes have to be given phosphate binders to prevent rising levels of phosphorous.

With these considerations in mind, people with kidney disease need to seek professional guidance in making diet choices.