Why is having diabetes hard on your kidneys?

The CDC states that 34 million people living in the United States have diabetes and approximately 20% of them don’t even know they have it. 
The fact that the CDC believes that 20% of the people in the United States with diabetes don’t know they have diabetes is sad to me. That means there are a lot of people who are feeling bad, feeling tired or even feeling stuck in their bodies. Even worse they don't know why they feel that way or that they have the ability to change how they feel. 

Having diabetes means your body has a hard time absorbing sugar from your bloodstream into your body which increases the viscosity (thickness) of your blood. It also means that your muscles, brain and organs have a more difficult time getting the energy they need to work. This extra sugar in your blood affects every organ in your body. 
Let’s look at how diabetes affects your kidneys. 
Your kidneys filter your blood transferring the waste products into your urine. 
Think of them like the air filter in your home. Your air filter gets clogged with hair, dust, and dirt just from everyday living. If you don’t change your filter every 3- 6 months then all the hair, dust and dirt on the filter strains your ac unit making it less efficient.  
This is the same idea for sugar in your blood on your kidneys. The sugar clogs up your filter (your kidneys). The main function of the kidneys is to filter out the remains of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals from your blood to keep your body‘s pH at a constant level. However, your kidneys are not changed every 3-6 months, which means that when we eat excessive quantities of processed foods, food densely packed with carbohydrates or proteins then your kidneys have more to filter. Eventually, they are not able to keep up with the demand and start to show signs of damage. 
Once your kidneys are damaged you start to retain water and other waste products in your body. This is why people are placed on dialysis, to filter the waste out of their blood. 
No matter where you are on your health journey making small changes in what you eat or how often you exercise can make huge positive changes to your body’s overall function.  
You don't have to make giant sweeping changes like “I’m never eating chocolate again.” Or “I will never eat fast food again.”  But you could say “I will add eating one salad a day”, or “I exchange one bottle of soda for one bottle of water”. Then when that goal is not difficult, make a new small goal. 
Remember health and wellness is a journey not a destination. As long, as you are moving forward that’s all that matters. 

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