On 23rd Dec, 2023, Seniors Today hosted their weekly Health Live Webinar with Ms Jill Parekh who spoke on and answered questions about Healthy Ageing and Diet Care for Kidneys.
About Ms Jill Parekh
Ms Jill Parekh is a well-known and senior dietitian, nutritionist, and Certified Diabetes Educator with expertise in clinical nutrition, renal nutrition, weight management, and diabetic diet. She is skilled in designing and implementing personalised nutrition plans to meet the diverse needs of clients, including celebrities, college and school students, working professionals, teens, models, pregnant moms, and patients with kidney diseases. Dr Parekh is well-known for educating and motivating clients to make positive lifelong eating and exercise behaviour changes. She is proficient in various nutrition tracking software and electronic medical record systems.
Kidneys are one the most important and vital organs of our , and we only have two of them, so we need to take good care of them.
Kidneys in filtering the wastes and toxins from our body. Healthy kidneys mean a healthier and longer life. Yes, our kidneys do change as we age, but that does not mean that we have unhealthy kidneys. And with a good and healthy diet, regular exercise and a good lifestyle can help us in maintaining
our kidneys in a healthy and functioning state. Hypertension is one of the most leading causes for kidney diseases.
High blood pressure can cause strain on your kidneys by making them work over their load.
However that does not mean if you have hypertension you will have unhealthy/ damaged kidney. But managing your blood pressure better with necessary medications and dietary modifications becomes more important to avoid acceleration of deterioration.
Dietary modifications you can make to control your blood pressure:
– Restrict your salt intake. You should limit your daily salt intake limit to 4-5 gms in 24 hours
– You should also eat healthier such as fruits and vegetables
– Take less stress. Move more and relax.
Diabetes mellitus follows soon after hypertension in being a cause for concern for early kidney related diseases/ failure.
This is why controlling your blood sugar levels is very important.
Dietary modification you can make to keep your blood sugar levels under control:
– Eat a healthy and nutritious diet.
– Include healthy fats in your diet such as nuts, avocado, omega 3, fish, etc.
– Prefer whole grains, millets over refined flour
– Avoid refined items such as sugars, , etc
– Avoid caffeinated and carbonated and sugary drinks
– Exercise enough and adequately.
– Eat a balanced meal
Vegetables and fruits are absolutely necessary for your body. They have all the necessary
antioxidants, fibres and roughage that is necessary in our diet.
Fibre helps control our blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Vegetables and fruits have colours and these colour signify and tell us about a particular nutrient they are rich in, for example:-
1. Red- carrot, tomato, beet root are all vegetables which are rich in antioxidants that they also help with our immunity, bison, and overall strength
2. Yellow- Lemons, oranges, other citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C and helps in a faster
metabolism.
The vitamin C helps in digestion and acts as a catalyst
Space out your water consumption habit through out the day.
Avoid taking water with your meals. This affects the adsorption and absorption of nutrients and toxins, in and out of our body.
10-12 glasses of water are advised. Drink a minimum of 2-2.5l of water per day.
Water helps flush the toxins out, maintains gut health, helps with proper bowel movements and helps in maintaining overall kidney health.
Your plate should a colourful appeal with fruits and vegetables of all colours- it is not only visual appealing, it also constitutes all the nutrients.
Your plate should have whole grains Limit your sugar and processed food intake
Limit your salt intake Even if you have a kidney disease, still continue taking and including proteins in your diet however
the quantity needs to be calculated and measured.
Every meal of yours should contain carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, fibre.
In order to maintain healthy kidneys certain other things should also be , these include:
– Enemas: frequent enemas can lead to electrolyte imbalance, causing kidney stress. Find easier and gentler solution to constipation.
– Avoid regular overuse of antacids.
– Dyeing your hair: chemical hair dyes are proven to have harsh chemicals when reach the body can cause kidney damage at a very later stage.
– Painkiller should not be consumed frequently. Always consume analgesics as advised by their practitioners in the advised dosages
– Avoid mindless popping of alternative medicine.
Regular check ups are advised to prevent kidney disease by being proactive and aid in early intervention. This can be done by simply getting your annual blood check up and urine analysis.
