How Can You Lower Your Risk of Kidney Disease?

To lower your risk of kidney disease:
• Lose (or don’t gain) excess weight.
• Minimize sodium and sugar (sucrose and fructose).
• Fill half your plate with vegetables or fruit.
• Exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day.
• If necessary, take medicine to lower your blood pressure and blood sugar.
• Eat a diet based on the OmniHeart and DASH studies. Some features of a 2,000-calorie diet:

• 2 servings of low-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, or cheese)
•  2 servings of beans, tofu, or nuts
• 1 small serving of fish, poultry, or lean meat

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If you’ve had a kidney stone, also:
• Drink at least 8 cups of water or other (not sugar-sweetened) beverages a day.
• If you take a calcium supplement, take it with food.
• Limit high-oxalate foods, such as spinach, rhubarb, and almonds.

Other relevant links:

• The relationship between hypertension and kidney function.  See: Are Kidney Disease and Hypertension Linked?
• An infographic about sodium consumption.  See: Salt by the Numbers
• Avoid these high-oxalate foods if you are prone to kidney stones.  See: Prone to Kidney Stones?