Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Kidney Disease

Anti-Inflammatory diet and kidney disease is a trending topic in the kidney disease community. As kidney disease advances through stages, diet becomes increasingly important. Inflammatory foods lead to a higher risk of people developing end stage renal disease kidney failure with kidney disease.

This is according to researches at the American Society of Nephrology. It is extremely important to manage chronic disease because chronic kidney disease can also increase the risk of developing other inflammatory diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and stroke. Chronic kidney disease is characterized by low-grade inflammation which tends to get worse over time. This eventually can lead to kidney failure. If the kidneys stop working completely, they must either undergo dialysis treatments or receive a kidney transplant.

An anti-inflammatory diet can reduce the effect of already inflamed kidneys. Some foods that cause inflammation include refined carbohydrates (unlike high-fiber, whole-grain carbs), sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, red meat, soda and other carbonated beverages, and fried foods. These foods should be avoided. Even some vegetables can cause inflammation such as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Let’s talk about which foods you should consume. The steps to following an anti-inflammatory diet include getting more color in your diet through fruits and vegetables, healthier fats like omega-3 fatty acids found in wild salmon and trout as well as walnuts, and more beans with whole grains.

Eat antioxidant-rich foods every day like beans, lentils, and peas, spices, whole, unprocessed grains such as oatmeal, quinoa, and brown rice, nuts and seeds. Along with this, consider limiting sugar in the diet to no more than 25 g added sugar or less. Also avoid fried foods, processed foods, and refined flours, and sodium. Some ways to do this are preparing as much food as you can fresh to avoid added sodium.