After studying almost 70,000 women that suffered from heart disease or diabetes, researchers compiled the data and looked at the ones that managed to cut their risk of heart attack by more than 90%. One of the major six habits that caused this lowered risk was watching less than seven hours of TV per week.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that people who regularly exercise but also watch TV often have about the same rate of heart disease as those who don’t work out but also don’t watch TV. If you found yourself binge-watching Netflix shows or just scrolling through the TV channels and trying to pass the time, a much better alternative would be to listen to a podcast while taking a walk or doing something more productive.
Avoid Processed Foods
It's pretty intuitive that eating natural foods is better for our health, but without the proper understanding, there’s really no reason to avoid the temptations of these tasty and easy meals. One of the main reasons is the high amount of sodium in processed foods that help them stay fresh for longer. It is often in amounts that even exceed the daily recommended limit.
Two other nutrients that are likely to cause kidney damage over time are potassium and phosphorus. These nutrients usually get filtered by our kidneys without too much hassle but when there’s too much of them it leads to a huge strain on our vital organs. Just like with painkillers, if you moderate the number of processed foods eaten daily this shouldn’t be a problem, however, when you consume these foods on a daily basis, it might lead to a kidney complication further along the way.
Drink Alcohol In Moderation
Excessive use of alcohol is one of the most common reasons for death in the modern world, and all-told causes more death and trouble than almost all other substances combined. If we put aside deaths related to alcohol-fueled crimes and only focus on the negative effects of alcohol on your kidneys, a grim picture still emerges. Overdrinking alcohol causes massive strain on your kidneys, with over-drinking being defined by The National Kidney Foundation as “more than four drinks daily.”
A 2005 study found that moderate amounts of drinking are correlated with a lower risk of kidney dysfunction. Based on the research, people who drink at least seven drinks per week (but not considerably more than that), have on average a 30% lower risk of kidney dysfunction. This means you can enjoy drinking alcohol, but make sure to do it occasionally and not in great amounts.
Avoid Certain Types of Heartburn Medication
When stomach acids flow up into the esophagus (also called the food pipe), it causes you to feel a burning sensation in your chest and a bad taste in your mouth. This condition is called heartburn and is most common among medically weaker populations, such as old people, smokers, pregnant women, and obese people.
One natural way to combat heartburn is to eat slowly, go for smaller meals, and avoid tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine completely. Unfortunately, most people opt instead to take heartburn medication, which has a good chance of hurting your kidneys. In fact, regularly taking heartburn medications is tied with a 26% increase in chronic kidney disease. There are only a handful of heartburn medications that do not cause this type of effect, one of which is the H2 Blocker group. If you must take heartburn medication, ask your doctor for an H2 Blocker to keep your kidneys from danger.
Don’t Eat Those Shellfish!
Seafood has been associated with a higher risk of kidney disease, especially shellfish. These mild-looking and great-tasting delicacies are actually really bad for your kidneys, due to a toxic chemical called domoic acid. According to a 2014 research by the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, this domoic acid, causes a health situation called "Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning", which basically means your kidneys are under attack by various toxins.
Even low quantities of this toxin have been reported as harmful, so it would be best to make sure you eat seafood in moderation, especially if you're a fan of shellfish. This is obviously disregarding other risk factors such as mercury and other contaminants, which are not that dangerous in moderate amounts but could easily add up to dangerous levels when eaten without caution.