About The Buzz: Eating Fruits and Veggies Can Improve Kidney Health?

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet may help those suffering from chronic kidney disease preserve their kidney function.

WHAT WE KNOW

Your stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys naturally remove toxins and other harmful substances in the body and breakdown all foods to allow your body to utilize the nutrients provided by the food. The nutrients travel throughout your body via your bloodstream to your body tissues. Your kidneys keep your body clean and chemically balanced by acting as a filter for your blood. Toxins are removed from the blood by the kidneys and excreted as waste or urine. The kidneys also keep fluid balance in the body by reabsorbing nutrients such as sodium and water. Fruits and vegetables, along with the kidneys, stimulate the removal of toxins. The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables attach to free radicals or toxins and remove them from the body via the kidneys. A recent report shows that adding fruits and vegetables to the diets of kidney disease patients may help to preserve their kidney function, among other benefits.

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?

At the American Society of Nephrology’s annual meeting a preliminary report was presented. It featured a study that followed 108 people suffering from kidney disease over a three-year period. The participants received one of the following: oral alkaline medication, added fruits and vegetables to the diet or neither option. Alkaline therapy is used to treat patients suffering from severe metabolic acidosis, or too much acid in the body. After three (3) years, the patients receiving either oral alkaline medication or consuming additional fruits and vegetables preserved their kidney function and reduced markers for metabolic acidosis.*

OUR ADVICE

Fruits and vegetables provide our bodies with a stealth group of soldiers known as antioxidants, who are our first line of defense against invading free radicals. Without them, our body tissues and organs would be defenseless against free radicals and severe damage could occur. For example, free radicals and toxins that permeate throughout the body may enhance disease progression such as chronic kidney disease. Luckily, fruits and vegetables provide us with these phytochemicals that fight free radicals. It’s easy to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Ways to Add More Fruits & Veggies to Your Diet

• An easy way to make sure you are getting enough fruits and vegetables is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal or use the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines as a reference.
• Be sure to eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables in all forms (fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice).
• Check out our Quick, 30 Minutes or Less recipe database featuring quick and delicious recipes highlighting fruits and vegetables.
• Visit our Get Kids Involved section for ideas, games and educational materials that focus on inspiring kids to follow a healthy lifestyle.

Consult your physician if you are concerned about your kidney health.