If you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic or difficult condition such as kidney disease, then you have likely been told by your physician about the importance of maintaining a healthy and somewhat specific diet. And, even if you haven’t yet developed such a condition or one similar, it is understandable that you would want to prevent such an occurrence from happening in the first place.

Fortunately, maintaining a healthy diet is well within your control, and can immediately start to reverse some of the damage already done to your body through an unhealthy diet or poor weight management. To target chronic kidney disease specifically, as well as some of its associated conditions, simply follow the tips below.

1. Avoid empty calories. Phosphorous additives have been proven to be very harmful to the kidneys, and are a substance that is often found in sweetened food and beverages like sodas and candy. Furthermore, these same foods also generally contain a lot of empty calories without any nutritional benefit at all, and can contribute to such conditions as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

2. Reduce your intake of sodium. Sodium is an important mineral in the body in that it aids in water retention and prevents dehydration, but when too much sodium is present in the body, the kidneys cannot filter it out and it heavily damages them in addition to pooling in the blood and increasing blood volume. The average American diet today contains far above what is considered the healthy intake level of sodium, and is one of the leading contributors to high blood pressure, which in turn can result in kidney damage and chronic kidney disease if not controlled.

3. Stay away from sugar. Sugar of any kind can be detrimental to the kidneys as its over consumption contributes to both diabetes and obesity, among a long list of other dangerous conditions. While sugar intake of any kind should be avoided or at least reduced significantly, refined and processed sugars are arguably the most dangerous to your health.

4. Avoid a diet high in protein. While a high protein diet is often recommended for a lot of people, this is not the case at all for those with chronic kidney disease or those looking to avoid it. More specifically, those with kidney disease should stay away from or limit their intake of animal proteins, specifically red meat, as these tend to be particularly high in saturated fats.

5. Stay away from processed foods. Processed foods are any foods that have been altered from their natural state, which almost always means that they have been packed with added salt, sugar, and fat. Since all three of these substances have negative impacts on the kidneys, processed foods are generally best avoided altogether.

To discuss ways to manage your kidney disease, or any other chronic conditions you have, through a healthy diet and lifestyle, make an appointment today with the onsite nutritionist at Tampa Cardiovascular Associates by calling (813) 975-2800.