10 Foods That Are Bad for Your Kidneys

By: RMKidney on May 6, 2017

As a major filtration device built in to your body, your kidneys are obviously pretty important. Whether they’re still healthy or have been suffering problems for some time, there are certain kinds of food that simply are not healthy for your kidneys to deal with. You might even be surprised by the culprits.

1. Dairy

The kidneys need to maintain a proper balance of the calcium and phosphorous minerals, removing away the excess under normal circumstances. With kidney disease, the kidneys don't filter away the excess like they should, making dairy less safe to consume. Instead of removing the extra phosphorous, the kidneys will grab calcium from the bones to help keep the balance together. It helps to limit phosphorous-heavy foods with kidney disease, such as yogurt, cheese and milk, to help keep the balance closer to normal levels.

2. Meat

While consuming meat in general isn't particularly harmful, having too much of it in your diet isn't good for your kidneys. Excess protein in your diet can create or exacerbate existing renal issues because of the burden protein places on the kidneys. With the extra weight wearing on the kidneys, it's harder to remove urea waste from the body. In fact, excess meat can also cause calcium oxalate stones to form due to the acidic residue animal meat leaves behind. The body favors an alkaline state, so it tries to remove calcium to return to it. Not only will your bones suffer for it, but the stones don't feel good either.

3. Artificial Sweeteners

It's easy to want to consume an artificial sweetener instead of regular sugar; after all, sugar does little for the body other than add calories, and sweeteners are don't cost any in your day. While this might be true for a more natural sweetener like Stevia, artificial ones like Splenda or aspartame can actually harm the body. When consuming two diet sodas a day, there is a greater risk for developing kidney disease or similar problems with the renal system. Neither artificial sweeteners nor sugar are the better alternative; stick with fruits or a dab or Stevia if a sweet tooth really strikes.

4. Caffeine

Although not precisely a food in the true sense of the word, but enough people drink coffee and treat it as a meal for it to count. It's extremely easy to become dependent on caffeine, even needing it in the middle of the day for a burst after the morning dose wears off. However, as a strong stimulant, it has a potentially profound effect on the kidneys. Those who already have worn kidneys are more likely to develop problems with long-term caffeine use. Drinking caffeine increases the rate at which calcium is extracted from the body and makes the user more likely to develop kidney stones later on.

5. Soda

This one should come as no surprise after reading the previous slides; soda is the culmination of unhealthy drinks, sporting both caffeine and high amounts of addictive sugar for recurring empty calories. Not only that, but soda almost literally melts away your bones thanks to the high level of phosphoric acid in the mixture. Regardless of the sweetener used in your drink, there is a much higher risk of chronic kidney disease if you consume soda on a long-term basis. There is no better drink for the body than water; if you need some extra flavor, try a few lemon drops in your next glass.

6. Salt

Americans are notorious salt-eaters; this is bad news for the kidneys, which need to work overtime to ensure salt levels are normal inside the body. To do this, it makes you crave more water, increasing thirst so you can replenish the balance within. Once it gets the water it needs, it holds onto it in an attempt to restore balance, which creates too much blood in your body. Both the renal and cardiovascular systems work harder like this. Salt is yet another enemy to the calcium of your bones, taking what they need to remain strong. With increased sodium intake comes increased calcium in the urine, accelerating aging.

7. Excess Potassium in Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetables are good for your body; there are no two ways about it. However, there are some fruits and vegetables that are a little higher in potassium than others, such as bananas. A healthy set of kidneys has no problem maintaining your personal potassium levels, but if they're damaged from disease, it's a little harder to do. The queue becomes backed up, leading to a buildup in the blood. If you have too much potassium in your bloodstream, you may experience dangerous heart rhythm shifts or your heart can stop. If you have bad kidneys, avoid excess amounts of bananas, raisins, prunes, collard greens, cantaloupe, potatoes and tomatoes.

8. Genetically Modified Foods

The jury may still be out on whether or not these foods are more helpful than they are harmful, but evidence has been rising suggesting that some may be damaging to the kidneys. Common foods like canola, corn and soy are generally always modified in some way; genetically modified food given to rats was shown to introduce potential toxins either from pesticides or from the modifications made. There is insufficient evidence on either side of the case, but if you're concerned about your kidneys, it may be best to avoid corn, canola and soy for the time being.

9. Excess Painkillers

Another consumable that can negatively affect the kidneys excess painkillers, especially when taking high amounts over a long period of time. One of the worst culprits are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. As many as 3 percent of chronic kidney diseases each year are believed to be due to taking too many NSAIDs like ibuprofen. Over-the-counter and prescription medications are both potentially harmful to the kidneys when taken in excess. Never take more than the packaging or your doctor prescribes; when in doubt, speak with your physician about any specific problems you're having and what kind of alternatives may be available for treatment.

10. Smoking

Tobacco is a harmful substance that offers no health benefits for its users. The ramifications of smoking cigarettes even once or around non-smokers are well-known, but you may not know that it's directly dangerous to the kidneys as well. Smokers are more likely to urinate excess protein. In addition, diseases that cause kidney problems like diabetes and hypertension are only made much worse by smoking cigarettes. In fact, smokers are more likely to have worse kidneys that fail and are more likely to require dialysis as a result. If you wish to seek information about quitting smoking, feel free to browse through 
SmokeFree.gov.