Potassium is the most essential mineral present inside your body. These minerals help your body in regulating fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve cells. Approx 98% of the potassium in your body is present inside your cells, and 20% of them are found in your bones, liver, and blood cells. Potassium levels in your body always matter and can affect the functioning of some organs of your body, especially your kidneys.
Your kidneys are a pair of the organ that filters out waste materials from your blood. They are also responsible for the regulation of potassium in your body. If your kidneys fail, then they are not able to perform their functions as they usually do for your body, and waste buildup can create many health-related problems for your body. A high level of potassium in your blood can be dangerous to your body and kidneys as well. There are some medicines as well that are used to treat other illnesses, which can also raise the level of potassium level in your body. Low potassium foods for kidney patients can be beneficial to decrease the potassium level in your blood naturally.
Why a high potassium level can be hazardous?
High potassium level in your blood develops slowly over some weeks or a few months but can lead to extreme laziness or nausea. If potassium level increases suddenly, then you may experience difficulty in breathing, pressure on your chest, or heart disease. If you are facing these symptoms, then contact your health care provider. This condition must require immediate treatment, but allopathic medicines must be avoided as they can harm other functions of your kidneys. In place of Ayurvedic medicines, you can use low potassium foods for kidney patients to rectify this health condition.
How to minimize the potassium level in your body?
One of the best and effective to reduce the buildup of potassium in your body is to make some healthy dietary changes and opt for low potassium foods for kidney patients. For that purpose, you have to learn about which foods are rich in potassium and which are low. You also have to keep one thing in your mind that the quantity of food also matters. Quantity checks can play an essential role in the success of any therapy based on low potassium foods for kidney patients.
Low potassium foods for kidney patients that must be added to your diet
Some of the low-potassium foods that are very beneficial in controlling your potassium level include:
• Berries like strawberries and blueberries
• Cranberries and cranberry juice
• Apples or apple juice
• White rice
• White pasta
• White bread
• Grapefruit
• Pineapple
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Salmon
The above-mentioned food items are considered low potassium foods for kidney patients because they are strong enough to control the level of potassium level in your blood.
Foods that must be avoided
• Bananas
• Avocados
• Raisins
• Tomatoes, tomato juice, and tomato sauce
• Lentils
• Spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• Prunes and prune juice
• Oranges and Orange Juice
• Whole wheat products, including pasta and bread
• Split peas
• Potatoes (both regular and sweet)
• Pumpkin
• Dried apricots
• Brown or wild rice
• Milk
• Bran products
• Low-sodium cheese
• Nuts
• Beef
• Chicken
These food items must be avoided as they can raise the potassium level in your body and can harm the functioning of your kidneys. If you want to eliminate this health problem, then Low potassium foods for kidney patients can help you in this situation.
How much potassium consumption is safe for your kidneys?
Individuals having healthy kidneys, need around 4,700 mg of potassium in their daily diet to perform their functions. Although, people with chronic kidney disease should consume around 1,500 to 2,700 mg each day of potassium. Above this limit of potassium can impair the functioning of your kidneys.
Individuals with high potassium level do not have visible symptoms but some health conditions can indicate this health condition, they may include:
• Fatigue or laziness
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Pressure or pain in your chest
• Abnormal pulse
• Low heartbeat
After the identification of these traits in your body, you need to visit your doctor. They will suggest a simple blood test that will help you in determining the monthly level of potassium in your blood. Potassium level is determined in three levels that are as follows:
• Safe zone - 3.5 to 5.0 mmol/L
• Alarming zone - 5.1 to 6.0 mmol/L
• Danger zone - 6.0 mmol/L or higher
If you are experiencing renal disease, then low potassium foods for kidney patients can act as an influential aspect of your day-to-day life. It is very essential for you to consult a dietician, they will teach you to read the label of packed products, and with the help of these things you can easily find out which food item is rich in potassium and which is bad. You also have to consult your health care provider about how much fluid you should drink in a day. Intake of too much fluid can also affect our kidney's functionality.
Dr. Puneet Dhawan and his specialized team are providing the proper diet chart for kidney patients at Karma Ayurveda. Karma Ayurveda is a kidney care hospital that is well known for giving Ayurvedic kidney treatment to kidney patients without using any harmful procedures like dialysis and kidney transplant.
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