Living With High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease

By lowering high blood pressure, you can reduce the amount of damage to your kidneys and help slow any progression of kidney disease. Visit your doctor as scheduled, and follow the tips below.

To control blood pressure and kidney disease:

• Limit salt (sodium) intake. Your sodium limit is 1,500 mg a day. Sodium makes up 40% of table salt, which is also called sodium chloride. So 1,500 mg of sodium equals 3,800 mg of salt. It's very important to read and understand this difference when reading food labels. The following is a general guide that will make it easy to understand how much sodium is in different amounts of salt:
  
  • ¼ teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium
  • ½ teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium
  • ¾ teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium
  • 1 teaspoon salt = 2,400 mg sodium
• Cook with spices and herbs instead of salt.
• Eat fresh foods instead of canned or processed ones.
• Eat less fat. Avoid fats that come from animal sources.
• Choose low-fat dairy foods.

• Eat less protein.
• Drink less fluid.
• Eat foods that are low in phosphorus and potassium.
• Quit smoking. Smoking can damage blood vessels and cause your high blood pressure and kidney disease to get worse.

Changing what you eat can be hard, but a registered dietitian can help you succeed. Ask your doctor for a referral if you are struggling with suggested dietary changes.

Regular activity helps reduce high blood pressure. For the best results:

• Talk with your doctor before starting a fitness program. Your doctor may be able to suggest activities that will help you feel your best.
• Ask your doctor how often you should exercise and for how long.
• Try to exercise at the same time each day.
• Don't get discouraged if you can't be very active at first. Even a little activity is better than doing nothing. The important thing is to stick with it.
• Ask a friend or family member to exercise with you. Many people find companionship the best incentive to keep a regular exercise schedule.