Foods High In Phosphorus To Avoid Illness And Early Death

We need to avoid foods high in phosphorus, but this is a blanket statement that needs to be expanded upon. Phosphorus is a nutrient our bodies need, but in excess it is damaging to our kidneys. It is incredible to me to personally know many people who have kidney issues and are even on dialysis.

Their quality of life is seriously impacted and high levels of phosphorus is a major reason for kidney damage. I think there are two issues at play here for the consumption of foods containing high levels of phosphorus. Many people don’t know that the foods they eat are a major contributor to kidney damage. The other issue is many people do not want to know which foods contribute to kidney damage and other ailments because that would mean removing their comfort foods from their diets.

We can all say adults are going to do what they want to do, but what about the kids that are being fed these destructive foods and unfortunately develop bad habits of eating these foods? We must do better to give our kids a chance to be better than us. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates one in ten Americans have some sort of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

We need to stop looking at genetics as the major cause of our illness and to look at our food supply as the major cause of our illnesses, and take personal responsibility for our health. Too much phosphorus in our diets supports kidney disease and failure.

It is the natural and additive phosphorus in processed foods and meat that support illness. Though many plant foods contain high levels of phosphorus they don’t contribute to the buildup of phosphorus in the body. Most of the phosphorus in plant foods is phytic acid and form of phosphorus is not highly bioavailable and is excreted form the body.

This is why I said “foods high in phosphorus” is a blanket statement and needs to be explained before healthy plant food is avoided. Most of us do not eat diets high in plant life so very little of our phosphorus consumption comes from phytic acid. Our high levels of phosphorus consumption comes from meat and processed foods and the bioavailability of phosphorus in these foods is very high.

The bioavailability of phosphates in plant foods is usually less than 50%. The bioavailability of phosphates in most animal products is around 75%, while the bioavailability of phosphorus in phosphate additives in processed foods like cola beverages and meat is around 100%. Bioavailability is the body’s ability to efficiently use a nutrients and in this case the body’s ability to efficiently use the natural phosphorus and additive phosphorus in meat and processed foods is harmful to us.

Phosphates are used in cola beverages to give them their brown color. Without the phosphates cola beverages would be black and would be less appealing to drink. Phosphates are injected into meat to preserve and enhance its color. Phosphates also control meat purge. Meat purge is the liquid the seeps from its flesh as it ages. Many people find meat purge to be undesirable and phosphates are used to stop the liquids from seeping from the flesh.

The meat we ate fifty years ago is not the same meat we eat today and we really need to think about how its consumption robs us and our kids of our strength and happiness. Cola beverages, beef, and chicken routinely contain high levels us additive phosphorus. High levels of phosphorus are also found in organ meats, milk, yogurt, hard cheeses like ricotta, ice cream, and processed grains.

Now that you know, what you do plan to do about it?

Tags: dialysis, kidney disease, kidney failure, phosphorus foods