These Kidney-Bad Foods (Avoid)

The kidneys have essential functions for the body. They eliminate nitrogenous waste products from the blood (urea, creatinine, uric acid, drug residues) and evacuate them via the urine; they regulate blood pressure… Some foods interfere with their proper functioning, such as those rich in potassium for example. List and advice from Dr Anne-Laurence Pouzoulet, nutritionist.

What foods to avoid when you have kidney problems?

It’s necessary reduce the consumption of salty products:

• Bread and baked goods.
• Cheese, salted butter and half-salt.
• Charcuteries, smoked meats and smoked fish.
• Shellfish.
• Cooked meals, preserves
• Dehydrated soups, brick or canned
• Bouillon cubes, Viandox, stock sauces, store-bought vinaigrette and mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup.
• Aperitif biscuits, crisps, salted dried fruits.
• Carbonated waters > 50 mg of sodium per litre.

Foods high in potassium should be avoided (in case of renal insufficiency, the elimination of potassium decreases. An excess increases the risk of serious heart problems):

• Pulses: lentils, dried beans, chickpeas, split peas, coconut beans, etc.).
• Dried fruits: dates, figs, raisins, prunes, dried bananas…
• candied fruit,
• nougat,
• Chestnut cream, candied chestnuts, chestnuts.
• Almond paste.
• Oleaginous fruits: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, olives, pistachios, coconut, cashew nuts, pine nuts…
• Whole grains: bran bread, wholemeal bread, cereal bread, rye bread… rice and wholemeal pasta
• Fruit cereals (muesli) and cereal bar.
• Crisps and fries.
• Soy (flour and soy steaks).
• Chocolate, cocoa.
• Soluble coffee, chicory and coffee in excess.
• Spinach, chard, black radish, beans, mushrooms.
• Ketchup, tomato puree, tomato sauce.
• Bananas,
• The lawyers,
• Fruit juices.
• Vegetable soups and broths, vegetable juices, cooking water for fruits and vegetables.
• Replacement salts (or products using potassium as a preservative) such as: Bouillet salt, Diasal salt, Medimet salt, salt-free diet products).

What foods to avoid in case of kidney failure?

“Chronic renal failure (CKD) results from the progressive and irreversible destruction of the kidneys“, defines Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research). It concerns more than 82,000 people in France. An adapted diet is essential in this pathology. “First of all, it is necessary avoid red meat from ruminants (beef, veal, lamb, mutton, etc.) as well as hard cheeses“, answers Dr. Anne-Laurence Pouzoulet, nutritionist. “These require too much work from the kidney to assimilate them.“. Overall, in case of renal insufficiency, it is advisable to limit protein intake, which may accumulate in the blood if the body has difficulty eliminating them. “Another food to moderate is salt“, she continues. It is essential to have a diet low in sodium. In addition, it is advisable to adopt an alkalizing diet (little acidifying). In effect, “the kidneys help maintain the acid-base balance of the body, and if they work less well, the balance can be broken and chronic acidosis can appear“, notes the Kidney Foundation. We will then prefer vegetable proteins to animal proteins, we will favor fruits and vegetables… It is recommended to normalize your weight and eat a varied diet:

• THE white meatsfish or eggs: twice a day;
• THE dairy products (milk, dairy products, cheeses): 3 per day;
• THE starches : cereals, potatoes and bread: 3 times a day;
• THE fruits : 2 per day and the vegetables : 2 to 3 times a day;
• THE vegetable fats: at each meal ;
• The drinks : only water is essentialto be spread throughout the day.

What foods to avoid in case of kidney cancer?

“With preserved renal function and during the period of progression of the disease and its treatment, it is advisable to adopt a high protein diet, without consuming red meats or hard cheese“, she says. The foods to favor are not specific: “all the foods to promote which are good for the health are good in all cases: fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, fish, dairy products, olive oil, legumes, oilseeds…”. If you live with only one kidney, notes the Canadian Cancer Society, “when the remaining kidney is healthy, you usually don’t have to change your diet. If the remaining kidney is not completely healthy, or only part of the kidney remains“:

• Try to eat less proteinbecause consuming too much protein causes stress on the kidney;
• Reduce the amount of salt that you consume;
• Limit the amount of phosphorus that you consume;
• Limit the amount of liquid that you swallow (while staying hydrated);
• Limit the amount of alcohol that you drink.

Which vegetables are bad for the kidneys?

“These are the ones that could promote kidney stones“, answers Dr. Pouzoulet. And those that contain too much potassium. This concerns for example:

• Spinach ;
• The celery ;
• Beet.
• chard,
• black radish,
• Beans,
• The mushrooms.

Is coffee bad for the kidneys?

“No, coffee is not not particularly bad for the kidneys“, notes the nutritionist. However, it is recommended to limit consumption, especially if it is soluble coffee or chicory.

Thanks to Dr Anne-Laurence Pouzoulet, nutritionist.

Sources:
“Kidney failure – Deciphering the mechanisms of kidney destruction”Inserm (National Institute for Health and Medical Research).
“Diet and Kidney Failure,” Kidney Foundation.
“Supportive care for kidney cancer”, Canadian Cancer Society.

Dietary advice in the event of chronic kidney disease CHU de Montpellier. Professor Moglie Le Quintrec-Donnette. 2020