Kidney Disease

Kidney function is absolutely essential to health. The primary function of the kidneys is to keep the blood clean and healthy, which is extremely important because the blood flows through the body to keep all the other body tissues clean and healthy. The blood gathers waste products from other body tissues, such as nitrogen from protein breakdown. The kidneys are charged with the continuous job of filtering waste products from the blood and excreting the waste through urine to maintain proper acid-base balance (blood pH).

Animal-based foods (meat, eggs, and dairy) increase the acidity and waste content of the blood, causing excessive stress on the kidneys. To maintain normal blood pH, the kidneys implement many coping mechanisms which, although they preserve life in the short term, result in progressive damage to the kidneys. A diet high in protein (animal-based foods) accelerates the progression of kidney disease. Kidney damage is prevented by restricting dietary protein to less than 50 grams per day, which equates to <10% of daily calories – in other words, a diet of whole plant foods (Metzger et al; Hirsch). The lower the protein – the less animal-based foods individuals with kidney disease eat, and the more they adhere to a diet of whole plant foods – the better off they will be, and the slower their disease progression (Metzger et al).