Your salt-to-potassium balance

Sodium is regulated by your kidneys, and it helps control your body’s fluid balance, but too much may also be a risk factor for kidney disease in some people. It’s a complicated relationship, Dr. Clegg explains. Diets that are high in sodium tend to be low in potassium and it may be the ratio that is taxing your kidneys. Healthy kidneys flush excess sodium out in the urine, but this also removes potassium. “If potassium levels are low, the body tries to hold onto it, which also means holding onto sodium,” she says. Sodium encourages the body to pump more fluid into your circulation, and blood pressure climbs. “In some people, especially those with high blood pressure, heart failure, or impaired kidney function, the kidneys hang onto sodium no matter what, further complicating the picture,” she says. One way to flush sodium out of the body is by getting more potassium in your diet. Here are 10 foods higher in potassium than a banana.

Those with kidney disease should also be cautious of too much potassium in their diet, as it could result in a condition known as hyperkalemia, or elevated potassium levels. If not treated, people with severe hyperkalemia can be at risk for abnormal heart rhythms and even sudden death