If you have kidney disease you may not urinate as often, especially if you’re already on dialysis. So your body holds on to excess fluid and wastes, posing serious risks to other organs – such as your heart and lungs – as well as to your overall health. Changing your diet helps to minimize the collection of waste products and fluids in your body, and to normalize electrolyte levels.

One of the earliest recommendations your doctor will make is to reduce your sodium and protein intake. While these are the most commonly known dietary changes to treat kidney disease, they aren’t the only ones.

Because nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms of kidney disease, a well-planned diet also ensures that you are getting enough calories and nutrients. Keep in mind that weight loss is not unusual.

Here are some of the other recommended dietary changes for people with kidney problems:

Be vigilant about food safety

Many of us pay superficial attention to the safety of our food. But when you have kidney disease it’s vital that you do. Some of the safety methods recommended for kidney transplant patients also apply to people with kidney damage who haven’t had a transplant.

Food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli can be deadly. If you have a kidney disease, you’re even more vulnerable to the damage they can cause. Practice proper food preparation hygiene and refrigerate foods that need to be kept cold.

You should also avoid foods such as cold cuts, unpasteurized dairy products, unpasteurized juices, raw or rare meats and fish, raw or undercooked eggs, and sprouts.

Monitor carbohydrate intake

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney disease. The disease affects how your body uses insulin, or may cause a problem with the production of insulin. Insulin helps to metabolize glucose, but when you have diabetes, this process is impaired. This leads to high levels of glucose that damage tiny vessels in your kidneys called nephrons.

Whenever you eat carbohydrates, your blood glucose or blood sugar levels rise. Eating the right carbohydrates (whole grains) and the right amount (based on your weight and activity level) helps to keep your blood glucose levels as stable as possible and reduces damage to your kidneys.

Reduce cholesterol levels

If you’re living with kidney disease you’re more prone to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Cholesterol is one of the main contributing factors to these diseases. It’s a type of fat, and it can accumulate in your blood causing blockages of the vessels.

Dietary changes that help to reduce cholesterol include avoiding foods with trans and saturated fats. Trans-fats are found in many pre-packaged foods, and saturated fats include butter/ margarine, meat and dairy products. Foods that help to lower or control cholesterol include fiber from sources such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and fish oil.

When cooking, stick to healthy fats such as olive oil. Avoid canola oil as much of the rapeseed – from which canola comes – is genetically modified. Choosing organic brands is a healthier option.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

These healthy foods are packed with potent antioxidants that help to reduce the ravages of diseases such as kidney disease and diabetes. Non-starchy vegetables are particularly good because they don’t raise your blood sugar levels as much as fruits or starchy vegetables. They help to keep your blood glucose in check.

Fruits and vegetables also boost your immune system and protect you from diseases and infections. Bacterial or viral infections can do additional damage to your kidneys, so finding ways to keep them at bay is essential.

Get enough calories…

…but not too many. A healthy amount of calories has several purposes when you have kidney problems. First, they help to prevent weight loss, which is a common side effect of this health problem. They provide fuel for your body to use as energy and fight fatigue – another consequence of kidney damage.

However, if you consume too many calories you create more waste products in your body, more work for your kidneys, and higher blood sugar. This isn’t what you want to do.

Meal plans can help you to get the right amount of calories for your weight and activity level. When you have kidney disease, you should consult with your doctor and a dietitian to create a meal plan that works for you.

Get advice on vitamin supplements

Some vitamins and minerals may harm your kidneys or exacerbate kidney disease, while as earlier mentioned, others can be extremely effective in fighting kidney problems. Speak to your natural therapist or dietitian first about the best vitamin and herbal supplements to take.

Inflammation causes most disease. In fact, as we become more aware of what inflammation is and what it does, we realize all the trouble this bad boy causes. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s-you get the drift.

Not everybody got the memo, though. Few magazines talk about inflammation. It doesn’t tend to come up in the doctor’s office. And I can’t imagine a television special is on the drawing board. We need to talk about this so you can protect yourself.

At its simplest, inflammation is a good thing. You get a splinter in your finger, the spot puffs up, a little squeeze shoots the splinter and goop out and things get back to normal.

Complications jump into the picture when the inflammation doesn’t go away. And since we can’t see internal inflammation, we won’t know until our health starts going south.

On a finger, we could spot the problem, but inflammation does its most dastardly work in our interior. And our endocrine system suffers-and creates-at least its share of the mayhem.

I read that it takes about fifteen years from the time inflammation becomes a permanent fixture to when you move on to disease. And you can go from one disease to another to another as long as inflammation’s doing its thing.

What makes inflammation permanent? Constant attack.

What causes inflammation?

Diet is a HUGE part of the picture. Get rid of vegetable oils, transfats, excess sugar, ALL high fructose corn syrup, MSG, aspartame, soy, malted barley flour (in breads and beer), carrageenan, etc. to slow the inflammation train down. Don’t argue or dilly-dally. The payoff is huge.

Too much iron in your system also pumps up inflammation. Big time. Don’t eat anything that’s fortified with iron. It’s the wrong kind anyway.

Heavy metals such as mercury, part of the flu shots doctors recommend so highly, are a problem. Cadmium from cigarette smoke does the inflammatory tango, too. And aluminum, which is in toothpaste, anti-deodorants and vaccines-including those for babies.

Fluoride’s also a problem. It’s best to have a non-fluoridated water supply. At the least, don’t add to the problem with fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwashes.

Avoid pesticides, too.

Factory-farm meat, eggs and dairy ramp up inflammation, also.

Fact is, though, just aging increases inflammation. Obviously, something needs to be done.

First off, ask your doctor to test your homocysteine level. Homocysteine measures inflammation, and you need to know where you are. Where you want to be is at the bottom of the normal range or even lower.

What reduces inflammation?

Start fighting back by getting your vitamin/mineral house in order. Give your body the tools it needs to fight the good fight. Build your nutrition foundation. In today’s world, you can’t have health and energy without a solid, balanced vitamin/mineral program.

Coffee does wonders for inflammation. Black, caffeinated seems to have the most punch.

Saturated fat in your diet-from grass-fed meat, coconut oil and the like-does fabulous things.

Garlic-raw or cooked-works really well but requires very understanding friends, family and co-workers. Aged garlic capsules get the job done without the aromatic advertising.

And get some exercise. Not the no-pain/no-gain type; that’s so last century. Besides, intense physical exertion increases inflammation. Interval exercise, where you go hard for brief periods followed by periods of going easy, seems to work well. Weights do better than cardio. Walking’s good, too.

In order to maintain our good health and prevent diseases and infections, we need to have vitamins and minerals in our body. There are two types of vitamins existing today. One type is the water soluble and the other one is the fat soluble. The difference among the two is that the water soluble vitamins must be taken from foods every day because it cannot be stored inside our body. Basically, we can found vitamins and minerals in the variety of foods we eat every day. This article will tackle some kinds of water and fat soluble vitamins that are essential in our health.

We will discuss about vitamin A or the retinol. This is a recommended nutrient to maintain a healthy skin and hair. It has also a role of maintaining the immune system of our body. Vitamin A can be found in different kinds of sea foods like mackerel, herring and tuna. Some dairy products like milk, butter and cheese are also sources of this kind of nutrient. Other sources of vitamin A are the fresh, yellow and leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B complex has several types of substances. They are working as a team but each type has its function in our body. Vitamin B6 and B12 are important in breaking down fats and carbohydrates. They are also essentials in the production of energy needed by our body. Every kind of vitamin B is functional and deficiency of this nutrient may result to some complications like anemia.

You can get vitamin B complex from different kinds of meat and poultry products. It is also recommended to take some fruits like bananas and avocados. Other foods rich in vitamin B are yogurt, milk, cheese, fishes, eggs, nuts and some kinds of cereals.

Vitamin supplements are available in the local market on this generation. You can also purchase a certain supplement through the Internet. On this day, there are lot of companies and medical stores which opt to have their website in promoting their vitamins. The prices of their products are also lower and customers can choose from the variety of vitamins available.

But, before taking some vitamins, it is important to know what vitamin you really need. It is important to have a full understanding about the dosage and proper amount to take to avoid the danger or overdosing. Have some time to consult a doctor about the right vitamin supplement for your health.