Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, fiber, and assorted vitamins and minerals, all of which are essential elements for the correct functioning of your body. Consider swapping out one of your normal snack foods (e. g. , a bag of chips) for a piece of fresh fruit or cutting a banana over your cereal every morning to easily increase the amount of fruit you eat in a normal day. [2] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source Only rely on fruit and vegetable juices for 1 of your 5 daily portions. The other 4 portions need to come from solid fruits and vegetables to get the needed health benefits.

Swap out salty or processed snacks with fruits and vegetables or other healthy alternatives like unsalted nuts. Avoid fried and processed foods wherever possible. If you opt for low-fat foods, check to make sure they don’t have a lot of added sugar. A good trick when you are preparing food is to replace half the salt that you would usually use with other spices.

Oily fish, olive oil, dried fruits, and avocados are excellent sources of healthy fats, which are necessary to line and protect our vital organs.

Note that these foods are also significantly high in potassium. People on dialysis or with a dietary potassium restriction should limit their intake of spinach and kale. Some ways to eat more kale and spinach include using them in a salad, throwing them on a sandwich or burger, or mixing them in a “green smoothie. ”

Being overweight is associated with illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, which are risk factors for various renal and cardiovascular diseases. The kidneys function better if you maintain an appropriate weight for your physique and age.

If your time is limited, you can also do 10 minutes of exercise 3 times each day.

Some good examples of full-body exercises include swimming, cycling, mountain biking, dance, and rowing.

Try walking to work instead of driving or commuting. If you have to take the bus, consider getting off a couple of stops early and walking the rest of the way. If possible, opt for taking the stairs instead of using the elevators.

Consider joining a football team in your neighborhood, taking tennis lessons, learning to skate, trying an aqua aerobics class, taking dance classes with a loved one, or playing outside with your children and friends. All these activities improve your general health and produce endorphins, the hormones associated with well-being and happiness.

Get in the habit of taking a bottle of water wherever you go and take small sips throughout the day. Take advantage of times you can refill the water bottle like at work or the gym. It is recommended to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. Avoid drinks with added sugars, like fruit juices and soda, and limit your consumption of caffeinated drinks like coffee. You should also avoid soda, as some evidence suggests that it may cause kidney stones and other renal problems.

If you can’t entirely abstain from drinking alcohol, you should limit yourself to no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. 14 units of alcohol equate to 6 beers or 7 glasses of wine. You should entirely refrain from smoking, if at all possible.

If your blood pressure is higher than it should be, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower it or offer various lifestyle changes you can adopt to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. Make sure you get your blood pressure checked often. High blood pressure doesn’t have any external symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it is to get it checked.

Work with your doctor to determine what your ideal blood glucose numbers and cholesterol levels ought to be and how you should go about reaching them. This may include lifestyle changes or medication. Be sure to take all your medicines as prescribed by your doctor, especially those meant to regulate blood pressure and decrease hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Aim to keep your A1c levels below 7% if you’re diabetic to prevent the progression of kidney failure or dysfunction.

NSAID stands for “non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. ” If you only use NSAIDs occasionally to treat pain, you’re probably not at risk. If you take NSAIDs for chronic pain, be sure not to take them for more than 10 days, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. If you’re also taking ACEIs or ARBs for high blood pressure, use caution taking NSAIDs for prolonged periods of time since they can cause acute kidney changes.