3 familiar foods can weaken your kidneys without you even realizing it

Kidney failure is “getting younger” and many young people do not know that they are silently harming their kidneys every day just because of their eating habits. There are 3 types of food that seem harmless but cause the kidneys to overload and weaken over time.

Kidney health does not wait until disease occurs

The kidneys are organs that work tirelessly to filter blood, eliminate toxins, and maintain homeostasis. But unlike the heart or liver, the kidneys often do not show signs of damage until they are quite severely damaged. And the important thing is that the damage can start from very small things – a salty meal, too much meat, or a seemingly harmless vegetable.

Nowadays, the number of people with kidney disease is increasing, not only in the elderly but also in young people who live healthy lives.do exercise Regularly. The causes come from many sides, but we cannot help but mention an unbalanced diet, high in animal protein, high in salt and lacking in variety.

Here are three foods that are warned to be limited if you want to keep your kidneys healthy in the long term.

Red meat – Nutritious but in moderation

Red meat such as beef, pork, lamb is a familiar dish in Vietnamese meals. Although rich in iron and protein, if eaten too much, it becomes a “burden” for the kidneys. Because in the process of digestion and metabolism, these types of meat create a lot of waste that the kidneys must filter out. When the amount of waste exceeds the processing capacity, the kidneys will have to work overload, causing damage over time.

Not only that, red meat also increases the acidity in urine and creates favorable conditions for kidney stones to form. For people with a history of kidney disease or at high risk, eating a lot of red meat every day is like “accelerating” the process of kidney failure without knowing it.

Reducing red meat does not mean abstaining completely. The important thing is to know how to moderate it properly, not having every meal full of meat while vegetables are just “for show”.

Processed Meat – Delicious but Potentially Dangerous

There is no denying the convenience of dishes likesausage, cold cuts, bacon… Especially for busy people, this is almost a “rescue” choice when there is no time to cook. However, processed meats contain a lot of salt, preservatives and additives, all of which make the kidneys work harder than normal.

A high sodium diet can increase blood pressure, and high blood pressure is the number one enemy of the kidneys. At the same time, additives in packaged meat, if accumulated over time, also have a negative impact on the filtration and excretion process.

Eating it once is fine. But if you eat it every day, over time your body will “speak out”. And most likely, you will only discover it when your kidneys are significantly affected.

Purslane – Not good for everyone

Purslane is a wild vegetable, easy to find and considered a cool dish, good for the digestive system. Many people also believe that purslane helps to cool down and detoxify. However, what few people know is that this vegetable contains a large amount of oxalic acid – a substance that can form crystals and cause stones in the urinary tract if eaten in large quantities or used incorrectly.

In healthy people, these crystals can be excreted in the urine. But in people with underlying kidney or metabolic diseases, high levels of oxalic acid can cause blockage and damage to the kidney tubules, leading to more serious problems such as acute kidney failure.

Purslane is not bad, but it needs to be prepared properly – it should be blanched in boiling water to reduce the amount of oxalic acid, it should not be eaten raw or eaten too often. And most importantly, do not idolize any vegetable. Each body is different, what is suitable for one person may not be good for another.

Listen to your body, eat selectively

We don’t have to completely eliminate our favorite foods just because we are worried about illness. But it is necessary to learn to listen to our bodies and eat selectively. Sometimes just reducing a little, adding some green vegetables, limiting salty or greasy spices… is already a positive change.

The kidneys do not require much, you just need to not make them work too hard every day. And starting today, you can completely take the initiative to change – so that one day, when your health has problems, you will not have to regret knowing but still being late.