7 Ways We May Be Inadvertenly Harming Our Kidneys

Ignorance is bliss. But not when your kidneys are at stake. Let’s look at 15 mistakes we may be making to endanger the health of our kidneys. But before that, lets take a brief look at why we need our kidneys functioning normally. The primary function of our kidneys is to detoxify our blood and to filter out waste products through our urine. Kidneys also regulate the amount of water that our body needs.

Other than these two key functions, they also regulate the amount of important minerals in the body and produce certain hormones that help regulate blood pressure and help the RBCs carry oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. Having looked at the crucial role kidneys play in our body, let’s now look at how we may be inadvertently harming our kidneys.

# Taking Too Many Painkillers

OTC pain killers like NSAIDs that are used for aches and pains cause a lot of harm to the kidneys, especially if you already have kidney disease. It’s important to reduce regular use of these medicines and never go beyond the recommended dosage.

# Adding Too Much Salt To Your Food

High salt foods are rich in sodium, a chemical that increases blood pressure and harms the kidneys. It is a good idea to flavor your foods with herbs and spices instead of excessive salt. Excessive salt intake also increases the amount of urinary protein, which damages the kidneys. The recommended dose of salt per day is 5 grams, which is about 1 teaspoon. Anything more than this is harmful to the kidneys.

# Processed Foods

Processed foods contain large amounts of sodium and phosphorus which are very harmful to the kidneys and bones. Also, people with kidney disease need to go easy on these.

# Not Drinking Enough Water

The main function of kidneys is to flush out metabolic waste from the body. When the body lacks water, the blood flow to the kidneys is less, which makes the blood concentrated. This hampers the kidneys’ ability to flush out the toxins from the body. This doesn’t just damage the kidneys, but the excessive toxins in the blood which don’t get eliminated cause further health issues.

# Sleep Deficit

Getting enough sleep is extremely vital for good health. Healthy kidney function has also been linked to sleep-wake cycles, with a lack of sleep increasing the pressure on kidney function.

# Consuming Too Much Meat

Consuming high amounts of animal proteins produces large amounts of acid in the blood and this can lead to a condition called acidosis, a condition when kidneys aren’t able to eliminate the acid fast enough. This increases the risk of developing kidney disease.

# Eating Sugary Foods Often

Consuming foods rich in sugar leads to obesity which increases the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, two leading causes of kidney disease.