Summarize:

Processed foods generally contain a large amount of sodium and phosphorous. Too much sodium can increase your blood pressure, which can harm your kidneys. Too much phosphate can cause kidney stones which, as the name suggests, can hurt your kidneys. Processed foods include: Potato chips, cheese spreads, processed meats like hot dogs, chicken nuggets and fish sticks, store bought cookies, cakes, muffins, and crackers, pre-made condiments and salad dressings. Fiber helps the body to get rid of toxins and other bad chemicals that can be found in the colon. When bad substances are eliminated in the colon, the kidney doesn’t have to deal with processing toxins, because the fiber in the colon has already done that. High fiber foods include:  Fruits like raspberries, pears, bananas, oranges, strawberries, and figs. Grain products like whole wheat spaghetti, bran cereal, barley pearls, popcorn, brown rice, and rye bread. Legumes, nuts and seeds like lentils, black beans, lima beans, sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios, and pecans. Vegetables like artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet corn, baked potatoes, and carrots. Sodium refers to common table salt. High amounts of salt in your diet can lead to high blood pressure (which is explained more in Method Three). High blood pressure can harm your kidneys, so it is best to decrease the amount of salt you eat to avoid developing high blood pressure. High salt foods include:  Cheese and cheese spreads. Pretzels, chips, and other snack foods. Pickled foods. Soups and gravies. Cured meats like bacon, salami and prosciutto. You should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses (or 2 to 2.5 liters) of water every day. When you stay hydrated, your kidney is able to process the things that you put in your body (including toxins) more efficiently. When you are not hydrated enough, the toxins will linger in your body fluids, making them harder for your kidneys to process. If you get bored with water, you can also drink the following to stay hydrated: Fruit juices diluted with water, coconut water, smoothies, fresh squeezed juice, and herbal teas. Soda is one of the worst things (besides toxins like alcohol and tobacco) that you can put in your body. This is because most sodas contain no nutritional value, which means that they are empty calories that you will have to work off. If you do not work these empty calories off, you may become overweight, which will put a lot more pressure on your kidneys. If you have a very high amount of lipids (fat cells) like cholesterol or triglycerides in your blood vessel walls, you might want to consider taking medication that can help you to reduce the number of these fat cells. Such drugs include statins or fenofibrates.  Statins are drugs that lower your cholesterol. The most common types of this drug include Lipitor, Zocor, and Mevacor.  Fenofibrates should be used in combination with a low-fat diet and exercise. It is used to reduce the amount of fatty substances (like cholesterol) in your bloodstream.
Limit the amount of processed food you eat. Eat a lot of fiber. Decrease the amount of sodium you consume. Stay hydrated. Stay away from soda. Consider taking fat-reducing drugs.