It’s no secret that we
Filipinos love to eat, and we love our food rich, flavorful, and as plentiful as possible. Just take a look at how we arrive in droves at restaurants at just about any time of the day and how we descend upon buffet tables at parties, coming back for second or third helpings. Eating makes life a lot more enjoyable, and we make it a point to regularly bond over a hefty meal or a selection of desserts.
Of course, getting too much of a good thing can lead to terrible repercussions. Research in recent years has shown that the
fat-, sugar-, and sodium-rich Filipino diet isn’t good for our health, as evidenced by rising incidences of heart problems and diabetes. Joining this sinister list is
kidney failure, which was
identified by the Department of Health as one of the top ten causes of death in the country today, with 7,000 new cases being recorded every year.
What makes kidney failure worse than many of its companions on the top ten list is that it’s a so-called
silent killer—you
don’t exhibit any symptoms until serious, even irreparable, damage has already been done.
People suffering from diabetes and hypertension are advised to have their kidneys checked because complications from these diseases can give rise to kidney failure. But, remember, even if you have a family history of all these diseases, there’s no reason for you to give up and think that you’ll develop them in the future. You can still take action to prevent the onset of kidney disease. Have a look at the slide show below for some tips on just how you can do that.
