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Diet and Nutrition

To achieve good kidney health, it's important to follow a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight. This means eating a good variety of nutritious foods and watching your serving size.

Woman cooking in kitchen

Healthy eating with kidney disease

We recommend consuming a diet rich in whole fresh seasonal foods, tailored to culture and spirituality, limiting processed foods and sugar.

Salt

Salt, or sodium, is important for controlling blood pressure, but you need to strike the right balance. Too much sodium can increase your blood pressure, which is bad for both your heart and kidneys. Kidneys affected by disease cannot remove excess salt and fluid, so often they build up in your body, causing:

  • high blood pressure
  • swollen ankles, feet and hands
  • puffy eyes
  • shortness of breath.

See our salt and your kidneys fact sheet for more information.

Himalayan salt

Sugar

Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which in turn increases your risk of kidney and heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. Steer clear of soft drinks and stick to water to satisfy your thirst.

See our sugar and your kidneys fact sheet for more information.

Managing your diet

If you have chronic kidney disease, diet and nutrition play an even greater role in managing your disease progression. This is because your kidneys become less effective at removing unwanted fluid and managing the correct levels of nutrients, such as calcium, phosphate and potassium. Planning a balanced and healthy diet becomes crucial.

Recipes and meals

Looking for more kidney friendly recipes and meals? Check out our range of recipe books and guides here.

We're here to help you

Our Kidney Helpline provides free support and information for anyone who has questions or concerns about managing their kidney health.

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