Your kidneys play a very important role in your body, by removing all the toxins through your urine. When your kidneys stop working properly you will notice that, your body is starting to retain fluid. This is due to your bloodstream becoming full, and the fluid is starting to build up in your lungs and in the cavity of your heart. Your hands, feet, face, and waistband, all will become puffy. Do not ignore these signs because, your lungs and heart are also being affected.

There are times when you will feel puffy after giving your body too many salty foods the day before. This puffiness will go away if you drink lots of water to flush the salt through your system. The time to worry is when the puffiness does not go away. This is when you need to visit your doctor. He or she will be able to tell you whether you have kidney failure or not. If you are diagnosed with kidney failure, you will then be put on a renal failure diet.

This renal failure diet should in no way be taken lightly. It is,in no uncertain terms, a matter of life and death. Your renal failure diet will be tailored to your specific needs by your doctor and dietician.

Diabetics with renal failure

If you have been diagnosed with renal (kidney) failure because of your diabetes, your doctor and dietician will prescribe a renal diabetic diet that will basically be the same as the renal failure diet that is mentioned above. Once again, you will need to keep in close contact with your doctor and dietician because the renal diabetic diet that you will be given will be tailored to your personal body needs.

Whether you are put on a renal failure diet or a renal diabetic diet, your dietician will work with you to reduce the following to relieve the stress from your kidneys.
* Sodium
* Potassium
* Phosphorus
* Fluids - anything that will melt at room temperature is considered a fluid or liquid
* Perhaps needing to eliminate certain foods altogether

Read the labels on packaged food

Read the labels on all packaged food. Having the knowledge of what foods are good for you, and those that are not, will help you make better choices when you eat out. Salt (sodium) is an ingredient in almost all packaged food, so pay close attention, to the amount of sodium per serving that is listed on the label.

Eat at the same time each day

If you eat at the same time each day, your blood glucose levels will remain more even. Spacing your food out throughout the day will help as well. This will prevent you from giving your kidneys an overload of the same ingredient. For instance, do not eat all your carbohydrates at one time. This will cause a stress on your kidneys. Balance your diet at different intervals throughout the day.

As was mentioned earlier, it is very important that you keep in touch with your dietician. Ask for a menu plan to get you started on the right path. If you are having difficulties not getting enough to eat with your diet, tell your dietician so he or she can help you adjust. The point to stress here is, do not make any changes to your diet unless first consulting with your dietician. The diet that you are on now is tailored to your needs for a reason. Remember, sticking to your diet is literally a matter of life and death.