Without a doubt, the keto diet is perfect when it comes to losing weight. We have seen real-life examples of people who lost weight using the keto diet and keto drinks.
However, everything comes with potential damages, and measures need to be taken to avoid such harm. Therefore, one must know How Do I Protect My Kidneys on a Keto Diet.
When not followed properly, the ketogenic diet can be hard on your kidneys. You can protect your kidneys on a keto diet by taking some measures. Avoid depending more on vitamin c enriched supplements and foods.
But Can keto diet damage kidneys? According to renal and neurology news, high protein enriched keto diets can disrupt kidney functions, cause kidney diseases, and hasten kidney failure.
However, that doesn’t mean potential harm cannot be avoided. There are ways available to protect kidneys on a keto diet, and this guide is dealing with all the tips.
To cater to your concerns and worries, here is a guide based on the query “How Do I Protect My Kidneys on a Keto Diet.”
Without wasting any more time, let’s dive in:
Keto Diet Side Effects on Kidney
Keto diets are high protein and low carb diet that is potentially harmful to people with kidney issues. But can keto diet damage healthy kidneys?
Well, in the short run, we found no evidence or proof that the keto diet can damage kidneys or disrupt their function.
However, people already suffering from CKD may potentially impact their health due to body ketosis.
Why? Because excessive use of dietary protein can put extra stress on the kidneys. As the keto diet is mainly dependent on eating protein, therefore, it can be harmful to people with CKD.
But can you protect your kidneys when on the keto diet from failure? Yes! Here is how you do it:
How Do I Protect My Kidneys on a Keto Diet?
Here are some easiest ways and lifestyle changes you can make while following the keto diet to protect your kidneys and avoid renal issues.
1. Control Sodium Intake:
When following a proper keto diet, try to decrease your sodium intake. How? Try to use less salt.
When you are using more salt in the food, it makes the kidneys discharge more calcium through urine along with oxalate and phosphorus. All three of them together form stones in the kidney.
Therefore, whenever you are eating something, make sure to check the sodium content in the food when buying from stores or other places.
When you’re preparing your ketogenic food at home, make sure to use less sodium and also decrease calcium intake.
2. Drink More Water:
Water is the biggest remedy against kidney stones. We have seen many pieces of evidence where kidney stones were removed through the urine due to drinking a good amount of water.
Therefore, if you want to know How Do I Protect My Kidneys on a Keto Diet, it is better to drink plenty of pure water. Water fasting is an important element when it comes to the keto diet.
This water not only keeps you filled and helps you lose weight but also prevents kidney stones. During the workout, you lose a lot of nutrients through sweating which can lead to forming kidney stones.
So, you may avoid eating food during the day during your keto diet, but drink plenty of water whenever you feel craved towards eating a high protein diet.
3. Depend Less on Animal Protein:
Animal protein, such as those that you attain from eating eggs, meat, or poultry, should also be avoided to prevent kidney disease.
The animal protein is known to decrease the level of citrate that can lead to forming kidney stones. You can transfer your diet to vegan proteins attained from nuts, vegetables, and lentils.
However, do not forget to keep up with the quantity here as well. For example, make sure you know what nuts can you eat on the keto diet to keep protein levels low.
4. Avoid Foods Forming Kidney Stones:
We have found plenty of food items that are known to form kidney stones. Avoiding them is necessary if you want to learn How Do I Protect My Kidneys on a Keto Diet.
Nuts and drinks that have an excess amount of phosphate and oxalate can form kidney stones and cause kidney diseases.
Therefore, you should decrease your beets, rhubarb, chocolate, and spinach intake. Try not to add them to your diet.
Do not go with colas rather you can drink naturally made fizzy drinks like Kombucha. Do not forget how to drink kombucha for weight loss before adding it to your diet.
5. Do Not Take Vitamin C Supplements and Foods:
An excess amount of vitamin C in your body can help form kidney stones. Therefore, experts suggest that you must not take supplements and food items rich in vitamin C.
Before adding any supplements to your diet, make sure to consult an expert. Along with this, do some research online and read reviews to make sure what you are eating is not harmful to your kidney health.
These were some tips to Protect Kidneys on a Keto Diet for healthy people. What about those suffering from kidney issues. How should they avoid further disturbance of kidneys? Here are some facts you need to know in this regard:
6. Keto Diet and Stage 3 Kidney Disease:
A person with stage 3 kidney disease can take 0.6-0.8 grams of protein/kg of their body weight. This amount is half less than the amount you take during a keto diet.
7. Ketogenic Diet and kidney transplant:
People who had a kidney transplant should avoid ketogenic diet for some days. They should also consult a proper dietician to determine what they should eat and what to avoid.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can You Do Keto Diet With One Kidney?
Instead of following a strict keto diet, people with one kidney should decrease their calories intake through portion control and other easy ways to lose weight.
Besides, if interested in keto, it is better to ask an expert. They will advise you in the light of your reports and medical history.
2. Can Losing Weight Improve Kidney Function?
Yes! Renal function has been seen to be improved by losing weight. After losing weight, you have decreased proteinuria, glomerular hyper-filtration, and inflammation.
You will also have improved blood pressure, and controlled glucose levels. It will improve your overall health as well as your kidney function.
3. How long before ketosis damages the kidneys?
If you are following a regular ketogenic diet, you must learn How Do I Protect My Kidneys on a Keto Diet.
Research and studies have shown that a high protein diet stresses the kidneys and can also be a reason to cause kidney stones. The most considerable side effect of a long-term ketogenic diet is kidney stones.
If you ask how long before ketosis damages the kidneys, well, kidneys of the people with type 1 diabetes can damage within 2 to 5 years after diagnosis.
However, it can further take 10 to 30 years to cause kidney failure, but only if proper measures are taken to treat kidney disease.
Final Words
We have discussed 5 easy ways and tips for your query “How Do I Protect My Kidney on a Keto Diet.” Make sure to keep these tips in mind when you are doing the keto diet.
Keep visiting us at Look Broad for easier tips and tricks to lead a healthier life.
