Another health awareness is acknowledged this month, and that’s National Kidney Month. About 1 in 7 adults in the United States has chronic kidney disease. It’s essential that we become more aware of our kidney health. Let’s learn how to better protect our kidney health by implementing four key lifestyle changes.
Why Protecting Your Kidney Health is Vital
Your kidneys are an important part of your body’s overall health. Their job is to filter waste from your blood and help control the amount of fluid in your body. When functioning well, they also help in producing red blood cells and keep your bones healthy. Kidney failure could lead to other serious health problems such as heart disease, strokes, or high blood pressure. Some early warning signs of kidney health problems include fatigue, swelling in legs or ankles, and changes in urination. However, the symptoms aren’t always noticeable. That’s why it’s vital to pay attention and know whether you’re at risk.
4 Lifestyle Changes You Can Take to Protect Your Kidneys
If we want to lower our risk of kidney disease, we must take steps to protect our kidneys. It’s never too late to start doing better in this. Here are 4 lifestyle changes we can start to protect our kidneys and lower our risk of disease.
Stay Hydrated Daily
Keeping yourself hydrated is beneficial for all aspects of your body. However, drinking adequate amounts of water is especially vital for your kidney health. Depending on your kidney function, you may need to adjust how much liquid you’re giving your body each day. The standard amount of water that women should drink each day is about 2.7 liters a day. But consider working with a dietitian or medical professional to determine how much liquid you should have each day. Also, be sure to reduce your intake of alcohol because drinking too much of this is hazardous to your kidneys.
Eat Healthy with a Kidney-Friendly Diet
This can’t be stressed enough: eating a healthy diet is important to your body. But when reducing your risk of kidney disease, be sure to choose foods that are kidney-friendly. This means eliminating the processed foods and items high in sodium. Reduce foods with added sugars and excessive protein intake. Always look into fruits, vegetables, and whole foods such as red bell peppers, cauliflower, onions, apples, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, cabbage, etc. You could also talk to your doctor or a dietitian concerning the amount of nutrients that’s right for you.
Manage Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar
The rate of your blood pressure and blood sugar levels makes a huge impact on your kidney disease risks. As was mentioned earlier, high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of kidney failure. If you have diabetes already, it’s all the more important to monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar levels to avoid kidney disease. Your health care team may recommend that you test your blood sugar one or more times a day. Aim at keeping your blood pressure numbers below 140/90 mm Hg if you’re diagnosed with diabetes.
Maintain a Consistent Exercise Routine
Besides getting plenty of beneficial nutrients from our foods, it’s imperative to get plenty of exercise. The standard amount is at least 30 minutes per day. But if that seems too much for you, try to take things slowly at first and work your way up. Try everyday activities such as walking instead of taking the elevator or activities you enjoy like dancing or swimming. Doing these things will benefit the functioning of your kidneys and improve circulation.
When to Talk to Your Doctor about Kidney Health
You should also know when it’s best to talk to a doctor about the health of your kidneys. Monitor the functioning of your kidneys if you have diabetes or hypertension. You can address this with your doctor when being given annual checkups and routine blood work. If you don’t ask questions, you’re not being an advocate for your health.
Take Daily Steps to Protect Your Kidney Health
Protecting your kidney health takes a combination of eating the right foods, exercising, staying hydrated, and managing blood pressure and blood sugar. You can also try getting tested for kidney disease if you belong to a high-risk group. Some tests that your healthcare professional may recommend you for are a blood pressure test, a urine albumin-to-creatinine test, and a estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), or a blood test.
Taking the necessary steps to lower your risk of kidney disease is vital to your health as you get older. They’re important to the functioning of your body, too. Continue to stay proactive in keeping them healthy.
What do you do to protect your kidney health? What lifestyle changes do you implement to lower your risk of kidney disease? Feel free to share in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next loved one you know coping with kidney disease.
