Kidney health is very important to maintain considering its vital function.
The kidneys have the function of removing metabolic waste, toxins, and salt from the body. If the kidneys are damaged and complications occur, the sufferer can experience various health problems, such as anemia, electrolyte disorders, and malnutrition.
In fact, poor kidney conditions can make a person have to undergo dialysis or hemodialysis up to 3 times a week, including the consumption of special drugs.
Worse, this chronic kidney disease can affect not only adults, but also children.
In children, chronic kidney disease can affect not only their physical, but also social, emotional, including learning achievement at school.
Summarizing the Medical News Today and the Health Line , there are a number of ways to maintain good kidney health that are practiced from an early age to prevent chronic kidney disease.
Here are some of them:
1. Apply a healthy and balanced diet
Everyone, especially children, is encouraged to be able to adopt a healthy and balanced diet to prevent over nutrition or obesity. As is known, obesity can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension) and the risk of diabetes, which are the two main causes of chronic kidney disease in adulthood.
A healthy and balanced diet can be applied with the following composition:
- Complex carbohydrates with a proportion of 50-60 percent
- Fat with a proportion of 25-35 percent
- Protein with a proportion of 5-20 percent
- Fiber with a proportion of 15-25 percent
- Fulfillment of micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals
2. Limit consumption of sugar
Experts suggest that anyone should be aware of sugar intake because this sweet food ingredient can be a major cause of diabetes and obesity.
Both are not good for supporting kidney health.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that children under 2 years of age should not be given added sugar in their food or drink.
Meanwhile, for children aged 2-18 years, sugar consumption should be no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day.
Meanwhile, in adults, the maximum limit for sugar consumption is 50 grams or the equivalent of 5-9 teaspoons per person per day.
3. Limit consumption of salt
High salt intake can lead to hypertension in the future.
Hypertension is one of the main causes of chronic kidney disease in adulthood.
The recommended limit for salt consumption is 5 grams (2,000 mg of sodium) per day or terara with 1 teaspoon for adults.
For children, especially babies aged 6-12 months, less salt should be given.
4. Drink plenty of water
Consuming the correct amount of water will help the blood flow freely to the kidneys and throughout the body.
In general, children over the age of 8 are recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of water or 2 liters per day for health.
5. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise 3-5 times per week with a duration of 30-60 minutes per day is important to support the overall health of the body, including the kidneys.
Sports among them can increase the body's metabolism, help lower blood pressure, control diabetes, and lose weight which is good for kidney health.
6. Do not take any drugs and supplements
Too much medication and supplements without a doctor's supervision can be dangerous for kidney function.
So, when you want to take supplements or drugs, you should take the time to consult your doctor or pharmacist first.
In children and adults who have received a balanced nutritional intake from food, they do not need to take supplements or multivitamins anymore.
7. Routine health checks to the doctor
Routine health checks are useful for anyone to know for sure the health condition of the body and to anticipate early on if there is a risk of kidney disease.
To be more vigilant, someone who has a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, is at greater risk for developing kidney disease.