Your kidneys are crucial for your wellbeing. They don’t just excrete waste and toxins from your body, but provide nutrients to protect your bones and joints, and produce chemicals which control blood pressure and produce the red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body.
If you neglect or abuse your kidneys, they can eventually fail, and your body will be poisoned – leaving you with a swollen face and limbs, shortness of breath, weakness, drowsiness, nausea, headaches and difficulty thinking clearly.
In South Africa, around 10 000 adults and 380 children die each year of kidney failure or kidney disease, and many others require dialysis or a kidney transplant, reports Fanie du Toit, administrator of the National Kidney Foundation of South Africa. Their kidney failure is caused mainly by inherited hypertension or Type 2 diabetes, or is related to HIV – all preventable, if you take care. By the time you experience symptoms, it may be too late to prevent serious kidney damage or cardiovascular problems, so act now!
- Don’t smoke: it slows the flow of blood to your vital organs, including the kidneys. Smokers are three times more likely to have reduced kidney function, and have a four to five times greater risk of heart attack and stroke, reports Du Toit.
- Cut back on alcohol: it encourages heart disease and high blood pressure, raising your risk of kidney disease. The usual health rule applies: no more than one drink a day for a woman, two for a man.
- Eat sensibly: you need to provide your body with the right nutrients and to control your weight. Carrying extra kilos increases your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and therefore kidney disease. Losing just 5kg reduces blood pressure in most people who are 10% over their deal weight, notes the Kidney Foundation. Have plenty of vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grains, some lean meat once or twice a week, and reduced-fat dairy. “Fruit is important, but some kinds, such as melons, pawpaw, mangoes and grapes, are high in fructose (especially the juices), so limit the quantities,” says Du Toit.
- Cut back on salt: too much puts a strain on your kidneys and hikes your blood pressure. Stick to less than a teaspoon a day – don’t add it to food, use herbs and spices for flavour. And avoid foods high in salt, including most processed or fast foods and condiments, such as crisps, pizza and tomato sauce. ‘Also limit chocolate – it’s full of salt!’ says Du Toit. Read labels. See (refer to salt reduction feature.)
- Make water your go-to drink. Drink enough to quench your thirst: around six to eight glasses a day. If you get peckish, don’t immediately grab a snack – drink a glass of water and wait 30 minutes. It’s often a sign of thirst, rather than hunger. Steer clear of sweetened beverages, including fruit juice (rather eat whole fruit), which encourage weight gain. Also cut back on caffeine and avoid fizzy drinks with sugar; “These can irritate your bladder and work as diuretics,” says Du Toit. “Rather include non-sugar varieties (the ‘zeroes’).” Rooibos tea is a better option and includes healthy antioxidants and minerals.
- Get regular exercise: Just 30 minutes of brisk walking a day can help control your weight and keep diabetes and other kidney-damaging conditions at bay. Gardening, mowing the lawn, trawling malls or romping with kids can all count towards that.
- Make time each day to de-stress: it will help control your blood pressure, key to kidney health. Unburden with friends, sit quietly and meditate, or listen to music or the sounds of nature. Also make sure you get enough sleep.
- Take any medications exactly as prescribed: some can be toxic and strain your kidneys, including over-the-counter pain killers taken over a long period. Speak to your health care provider and pharmacist. And remember that recreational drugs such as cocaine, heroin and amphetamines also cause kidney disease.
- For more information, contact the National Kidney Foundation of SA, go to http://www.nkf.org.za
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