Foods to Repair the Kidneys
TRANSCRIPT
If you want to improve your renal health, but you’re sick and tired of all those kidney diets that only tells you what not to eat, you’re in the right place.
Today’s video is all about the foods that repair your kidneys!
Because eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult and doesn’t mean giving up all the foods you love.
With the 6 easy tips of today’s video, you will give your kidneys the nutrient-dense fuel they need to detox and to improve your renal health!
Hello, this is Katherine, welcome to 00Kidney.
Today’s video is all about the best foods to heal your kidneys naturally and to detox them!
Because everyone knows that eating the right way is the very first thing to do if you want to fight kidney disease, but not everyone knows that it can be easy too!
Yes, with the help of all the foods good for kidney health of today’s video and the 5 easy tips I’ll show you briefly, you will be able to catalyze massive improvements in your kidney health in a short amount of time.
Because the renal diet doesn’t have to be hard, it has to be smart.
So if you know anyone who may benefit from an healthier, kidney-friendly diet… share this video with them! Click the share button below or send them an email!
Let’s start now!
Just a quick disclaimer: talk to your doctor before taking any action based on what you see in my videos! Thank you!
Tip number 1 focus on what you can eat
Ok, this is a very easy tip to start.
If you want to repair your kidneys, following a kidney friendly diet is a must.
Even if it seems difficult at first, the kidney friendly diet can be easy indeed.
Now, I bet a lot of you have talked to their doctors about the renal diet and got some recommendations like these:
A diet for a kidney patient should be:
– Low or Very Low Protein, because dietary protein intake results in a faster rate of declining kidney function. So basically you can’t eat meat, fish and eggs.
– Low Phosphorus, because high levels of phosphorus put a lot of stress on your kidneys and on your bones. So you can’t eat milk and dairy.
– Low in potassium, because that would literally kill you. So you have to remove a lot of fruits and vegetables too.
– Low in sodium, and this means that packed foods, junk foods and pre made dinners are out of the equation too.
Now, while this is very well known by most of you following me and by most of the kidney patients, for a lot of people new to all this, this is usually a shock.
I’m thinking of all those patients that maybe have been just diagnosed with chronic kidney disease or that have just gone from a more easily manageable stage to an advanced one.
Now, the first question that comes to mind in these cases is:
AND NOW, WHAT DO I EAT?
My best answer to this very important question is:
A healthy plant-based diet.
This would consist of proper portions of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils and few but good
protein.
So, as I was saying, let’s focus on the foods you can actually eat.
Let’s see some examples of foods that can help you improving your kidney health.
whole grains. For healthy people following a healthy diet, whole grains are a must.
They are the edible seeds of plants.
Whole grains are packed with nutrients, fiber, vitamins and antioxidants.
They are the healthier kind of grain, as opposed to refined grain based foods like pasta, white rice or white bread.
In effect, all grains start as whole grains, but they don’t all end up on the shelf as such. Key parts of the seeds are stripped away during milling, a manufacturing process that increases the shelf life of products such as flour. Unfortunately, most of the essential nutrients are lost in this process.
So, eating whole grains instead of processed grains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. Because they are healthier and more nutrient dense.
Unfortunately, most whole grains, like barley, brown rice, quinoa… are too rich in phosphorus and should be avoided.
But today we are going to focus on what you can actually eat, right?
So, there are some whole grains you can still eat. Let’s see what they are:
– Buckwheat, also known as Kasha.
A popular healthy food, rich in minerals and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Buckwheat is a nutrient-dense food, it provides a good amount of B vitamins, magnesium, iron, and fiber.
It’s also low in potassium and phosphorus. A half cup (84 grams) of cooked buckwheat contains just 3.5 mg of sodium, 74 mg of potassium and 59 mg of phosphorus.
Now, the best thing about buckwheat is that it’s really easy to make and versatile.
It can be cooked like rice, boiled, and be served with vegetables. Some people even eat it as an alternative to porridge, in the morning with fruit.
– Another very healthy whole grain that’s also good to support your kidney health is bulgur.
You can use it in your diet instead of pasta or white rice.
An interesting characteristic of bulgur is that it only takes a few minutes to cook.
It also contains the most fiber out of any grain and it’s low in potassium and phosphorus.
A half-cup (91-gram) serving of bulgur contains just 4.5 mg of sodium, 62 mg of potassium and 36 mg of phosphorus.
So, eating less meat and processed grains and replacing them with whole grains is a great way of improving your kidney health
And it also can improve blood sugar control, very very important for people with kidney disease.
More healthy and tasty renal-friendly foods in the next part of the video, now on with our
Tip number 2: Eat more fruits to repair your kidneys
Yes, fruits are some of the best foods to improve your kidney health
And, according to recent studies, fruits are great to detoxify your kidneys and your body, if eaten in the right way.
How?
Fresh fruits should be eaten first thing in the morning, with a glass of water.
This way you won’t just start your day with a great deal of energy, but your body will also use the fiber present in fruits to help detoxifying your kidneys and flush out the toxins.
And don’t forget that eating fresh fruits every day is the key to a better health. They are a source of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
Fruit can also help keeping overeating at bay.
So, if you may need to lose weight, eating more fruit can be a way!
Eating a few pieces of fruits at least half an hour before your meal may help control overeating during lunch.
Now the best part: if you choose fruits rich in healthy, good antioxidants and phytochemicals, your body will use them to detox and to fight kidney disease.
How? Fruits are low in calories, so they will help us controlling the body’s glucose levels.
High glucose levels can lead to further damages to the kidneys, so we really want to keep them under control.
A diet rich in fiber will provide high anti-inflammatory levels, to fight the symptoms of kidney disease.
It’s no wonder that healthy greens and fruits are the cornerstone of any respectable diet plan!
And what are the best fruits to improve your renal health and cleanse your kidneys?
1) Apples, because they are known to reduce cholesterol, prevent constipation, protect against heart disease and reduce the risk of cancer.
High in fiber and anti-inflammatory compounds, an apple a day may really keep the doctor away.
Good news for people with kidney disease who already have their share of doctor visits.
One medium apple contains just 195 mg of potassium and 20 mg phosphorus, making them ideal for a kidney diet. But remember that half of the fiber in apples is in their peel!
2 ) Cranberries
Cranberries are another renal healthy fruit that benefit both the urinary tract and kidneys.
These tiny, tart fruits contain phytonutrients which prevent bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract and bladder, thus preventing infection.
This is helpful for those with kidney disease, as they have an increased risk of urinary tract infections .
Cranberries can be eaten dried, cooked, fresh, or as a juice. They are very low in potassium, phosphorus, and sodium.
One cup (100 grams) of fresh cranberries contains just 2 mg of sodium, 80 mg of potassium and 11 mg of phosphorus.
3 ) Strawberries: an healthy fruit that’s as small in size as big in benefits! Delicious and full of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants to help you with your heart health and to control blood sugar levels.
One cup or 166g of strawberries contain just 40 mg of phosphorus and 254mg of potassium.
4) Pineapple: finally, a tropical fruit that can be part of a renal diet!
Many tropical fruits like bananas, kiwis an mangoes are too high in potassium and cannot be eaten by kidney patients. Pineapple is the tasty exception! It is also rich in fiber, manganese, vitamin C, and bromelain.
Bromelain alone may be worth eating pineapple: it’s a protein-digesting enzyme that helps reduce inflammation in the body and has powerful pain reliever properties.
Bromelain is also very effective against high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, a must if you want to detox your kidneys.
How to incorporate this tip in your renal diet?
SLIDE
Eat 4 or 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
In the ideal renal diet, you have 3 meals in a day.
So, if you want to put in 4 or 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, you may eat for example one apple at breakfast, one serving of vegetables and one fruit during lunch and start your dinner with two servings of vegetables.
Remember that a standard serving is about half cup or 75 grams of your preferred cooked vegetables or fruit or one cup of raw salad or leafy greens.
Tip number 3
use spices to add savor to dishes instead of salt
Excess of sodium in the diet means hypertension, one of the main causes of kidney disease.
So, you cannot eat salt and all your meals are going to be… insipid, right?
Well no, not at all, if you use spices!
Using the right spices and herbs will not only make your meals delicious, it will also improve your kidney health!
How?
spices and herbs are rich in antioxidants and excellent sources of other vitamins and minerals.
Researches show that the health benefits of adding herb to your dishes are really remarkable.
They include improving metabolism, fight inflammation, kill bacteria and even increase longevity.
Yes, there’s a large study from the Harvard University that shows that eating spicy food six or seven days a week — even just once a day — lowered mortality rates by 14 percent.
Not to mention that many spices and herbs even contain nutrient levels comparable to fruits and vegetables.
It’s easier to cut back on sugar, salt and fat when you have flavorful replacements that are also kidney-friendly.
So what are the best spices to improve your renal health?
1 ) Ginger
known to aid in digestion, ginger can even help with nausea.
It has powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and pain relief properties. Just peel it and add it to your dishes to improve the flavor and get the health benefits!
2) Garlic
Garlic has both antibacterial and antioxidant benefits that will help you keeping diseases at bay. Best if eaten minced and uncooked!
3 ) Rosemary
A great herb to detox your kidneys! Rosemary is also a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6.
This herb supports brain health, memory and cognition. It’s not only healthy, it will make vegetables, meat, poultry and fish dishes taste really good!
4) Parsley
One of the best herbs to detoxify your whole body, it protects your blood vessels and improves your immune function
Tip number 4
Improve your cooking method to improve your kidney health
Here’s another tip that not everyone knows about. You can eat all the kidney-friendly healthy foods you want, but if you cook them the wrong way you are not going to get any health benefit from them.
Also, your diet may even backfire on you! Consider, for instance, that many of the fats used for frying — such as butter and lard — are high in saturated fats.
Excess of saturated fats in diet is directly linked to an increased risk for heart problems and indirectly to kidney damage.
On the other hand, replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat has been recommended for prevention of cardiovascular disease and several other health problems.
So, try to avoid frying, broiling and roasting foods if you can.
So, what are some healthy cooking methods you can use to start improving your renal health?
Healthier methods of cooking include
1) boiling, very useful for veggies, since it doesn’t involve any fat or grease.
2) poaching, healthy and tasty. Simmer ingredients in a flavorful liquid, such as low sodium broth, until they’re cooked through and tender.
3) sautéing If you get a nonstick pan, you can sauté food without using oil at all. Or you can use low-sodium broth or water in place of oil.
Now, the best part about cooking in a healthy way is that it doesn’t have to taste bland.
As I was saying today’s video is all about foods for the kidneys, so to get the best out of these cooking methods, other than adding the spices I’ve shown you earlier, use
extra virgin olive oil.
– extra virgin olive oil if added after cooking or if used to replace less healthy oils in your cooking, is one the best foods for your kidney health.
It’s rich in monounsaturated fats and provides numerous health benefits.
Studies link extra virgin olive oil to a reduced risk for cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes and indirectly to a better kidney health too.
Just remember that extra virgin olive oil may lose its properties and become unhealthy if it’s cooked at a too high temperature.
Use it instead to make salad dressings, for marinating vegetables and as dressing for the recipes you’re cooking in a healthy way.
Keep in mind that extra virgin olive oil is the less refined type of olive oil.
It offers greater renal health benefits than more refined olive oils.
Tip number 5
try a kidney cleanse!
Have you ever tried a kidney cleanse?
It can be a great way to flush out toxins from your body and kickstart your renal health!
And I’ve made a great recipe that’s full of healthy vitamins and nutrients and is also really easy to make!
Watch this video now if you want to try it!
This is all for today, thank you for watching.
About the Author
Michaelw Hi, my name is Michael and in this blog I'm gonna share the story of how I got off kidney dialysis for good. Getting off dialysis isn't easy at all, and that's why I'm trying to help people as much as I can.
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