Foods should be avoided in kidney failure

kidney failrue means the gradually reduction of kidney funciton. when patients suffer from kidney failure, they need to have know exactly what can eat and what cant eat in their daily diet, which can help reduce the kidney burden and protect the kidney funciton. so patients need to know what foods should be avoided in their daily diet.

Avoid foods with high sodium content

Too much sodium in the diet can cause fluid retention and raise your blood pressure. Seasonings like soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, canned foods, processed meats, snack foods, pizza, hot dogs, pickles, cheese, and even frozen vegetables with sauce are high in sodium. Avoid them. Keep your daily sodium intake less than 1.5g.

Reduce salt intake

The best way to cut back on sodium is to avoid excess intake of salt. Fresh food contains only 10 percent of sodium and the rest comes from the salt used in cooking! Do not use salt substitutes since most of them contain high amount potassium, which is again a bad choice for kidney failure patients.

Cut back on potassium

Depending on the stage of your kidney failure or the medication you are taking, you may need to change (reduce) the potassium intake in your diet. It is usually not restricted until urine output begins to decrease. Potassium levels of 6.5 or higher can lead to a cardiac arrest. Most foods contain potassium but the following should be avoided

FruitsApricot, banana, prunes, kiwi, melon, raisin, orange and orange juice.
VegetablesPotato, tomato, sweet potato, cooked spinach, baked beans, lima bean, kidney bean, pinto bean, and dried peas

Milk may not be the right choice

Avoid or limit milk or milky drinks up to half a pint per day if you are suffering from kidney failure. Milk is high in potassium content. In some people it may lead to milk-alkali syndrome wherein there is a shift in the body's acid-base balance towards alkaline because of high levels of calcium. This may permanently damage the kidneys since this condition is not reversible if one suffers from kidney dysfunction.

Eliminate high phosphorus foods

Potassium is present in almost all foods. Unfortunately, control of phosphorus is very difficult in patients with kidney failure because phosphorus levels increase in the blood as the kidneys cannot remove it in the urine. Elevated phosphorus levels decrease the level of calcium in the blood leading to bone disease. It is, therefore, important to eliminate high phosphorus foods such as milk, beans, black eyed peas, lima beans, chocolate, and milk products viz. yogurt, cheese and desserts made with milk.


above are the foods that should be avoided for kidney failure patients in their daily life, which will be helpful for their illness condition. if you still have any questions, you can send e-mail to caraliu1989@gmail.com, i will do my best to help you.