6 best foods for kidneys as per top gastroenterologist

 Importance of kidneys

As per the National Kidney Foundation, millions of people are suffering from kidney diseases and mostly because of irregular lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. It is said that the kidneys are vital organs that play a crucial role in maintaining overall health. They act as the body’s natural filtration system, removing toxins, excess salts, and waste products from the blood while regulating fluid and electrolyte balance. They also help control blood pressure, support red blood cell production, and activate vitamin D for strong bones. They also maintain the body’s acid-base balance, ensuring that organs and tissues function properly. And to keep the kidneys healthy, it is important to pay attention to what you eat. Dr. Saurabh Sethi, a gastroenterologist trained at AIIMS, Harvard, and Stanford universities, recently shared a video on Instagram, where he explained about best foods for kidneys and how they help keep the kidneys healthy and active. Scroll down to read the details.

Herbs

As per his video, herbs like cilantro, basil, parsley, thyme and oregano are packed with antioxidants and are good for human kidneys. Basil leaves are naturally diuretic and can increase urine production, helping the kidneys flush out excess salts, toxins, and uric acid, which may reduce the risk of kidney stones and improve overall kidney function.

Beetroot

As per Dr Sethi, beetroots have nitrates that can reduce blood pressure, easing the load on your kidneys. As mentioned in the study, beetroot shows promise as a functional food for supporting kidney health through improved vascular function, reduced inflammation, and oxidative stress mitigation. It has also shown that the persistent consumption of beetroot juice effectively postpones the postprandial glycemic response and decreases the blood glucose peak. The significant blood pressure lowering effect has been seen among normotensive subjects, which tend to be more considerable among hypertensive individuals and progressive among overweight adults. And, a reno-protective property of beetroot juice is associated with the reduction of mortality rate and favorable changes in kidney’s functional parameters among patients with renal disorders. Its betalains act as natural detoxifiers that support the body’s filtration process. However, beetroot is high in oxalates, so people with a history of kidney stones (especially calcium oxalate stones) should consume it in moderation.

Blueberries

They are loaded with vitamins and low in potassium and therefore are kidney friendly, he states in the video. It is said that blueberries can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in kidney tissues, which are key factors in preventing or slowing kidney damage. A study by the National Kidney Foundation, a blueberry-enriched diet improved renal function and decreased oxidative stress in animals with metabolic syndrome, largely through inhibiting the TLR4-MAPK signaling pathway, which is involved in inflammation and kidney injury.

Macadamia nuts

These are low in phosphorus and high in healthy fats, making them a great snack for protecting kidney function. As per experts, macadamia nuts support healthy lipid profiles too and are recommended in kidney-friendly diets.

Cranberries

As per experts, cranberry juice is a popular home remedy for urinary tract infection (UTI), credit its antioxidant properties. Cranberries are also considered natural antibiotics that prevent any bacterial growth in the digestive tract or the kidneys. A research study showed that cranberries had the potential to treat calcium oxalate kidney stones. It is also mentioned in the study that supplementation of cranberries may have beneficial effects on human health such as prevention of urinary tract infections.

Cherries

They are a rich source of phytochemicals that help protect the heart and kidneys. As per experts, regular consumption of cherries helps reduce inflammation, especially kidneys. As per the National Kidney Foundation, sweet cherries are high in potassium (>200 mg in 3.5 ounces, which is almost one-half cup), while sour cherries are considered a low potassium food (<200 mg in 3.5 ounces). It is always suggested to consult your dietitian, if you need to limit potassium and can help you fit cherries into your diet.

LIQUOR

 

Heineken Silver makes its Delhi debut with a premium twist: Check prices and details of the brand’s "smoothest" beer yet

Heineken Silver has officially landed in New Delhi, adding a crisp and lighter premium option to the city’s buzzing beer scene. United Breweries Limited (UBL), part of the HEINEKEN Company, announced the launch in its release on 25 November 2025, calling it an important step in expanding the brand’s presence in India.

With more consumers shifting towards international mild beers, driven by the need for easy, refined and high-quality drinking experiences, Heineken Silver seems perfectly timed.

The beer is known for its clean, refreshing flavour and exceptionally smooth finish, crafted for people who want something light without losing out on taste.

Chief Marketing Officer at UBL Vikram Bahl said, “Bringing Heineken Silver to New Delhi marks an important step in growing the premium beer category in India. Consumers today seek smoother and lighter beers, and Heineken Silver delivers exactly that… We’re excited for consumers to try it, enjoy it and make it part of their social experiences

Heineken Silver is now available across retail outlets, bars and restaurants in New Delhi. Prices have been set at Rs 155 for a 330 ml bottle, Rs 180 for a 500 ml can, and Rs 305 for a 650 ml bottle.

Shelf Smart: A Guide to Leading Indian Beer Brands

 

India’s beer landscape is evolving faster than ever. What was once a market dominated by a few familiar lagers is now brimming with variety, from tropical imports and craft brews to strong local favourites. As Indian beer brands continue to diversify, today’s consumer is curious, discerning, and eager to explore new flavours that fit different moods and moments. For retailers, this shift opens up an exciting opportunity to move beyond simple stocking and embrace storytelling through their shelves. Here are some of our best suggestions:

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Carib Lager

Product Name – Beer

Price – 130/- per can

Carib, the Caribbean beer recently introduced to Indian markets, brings an island freshness to local shelves. It’s vibrant, light, and slightly tropical — a perfect match for India’s younger, travel-loving consumers who are open to exploring international flavours beyond traditional Indian beer brands. Retailers can position Carib as a “new global taste” and highlight its exotic Caribbean origins. Placing it alongside travel-themed merchandising or promoting it through sampling events and limited-time “taste of the tropics” activations can help build curiosity and repeat purchases.

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Kingfisher Ultra

Product Name – Beer

Price – 175/- per can

Kingfisher remains a must-have in every retailer’s beer lineup. As one of the most recognisable Indian beer brands, it has earned its place as a comfort choice for millions who associate it with familiarity and good times. Its broad availability, affordable pricing, and consistent quality make it a reliable volume driver. Retailers can maximise sales by keeping Kingfisher variants, especially Premium and Strong, well-chilled and at eye level. Visibility and freshness are key for this brand, and strategic placement in coolers or near impulse-buy zones ensures steady movement.

Simba

Product Name – Extra Strong / Light

Price – 140/- per can

Simba is carving a strong niche among those who prefer bold flavours and homegrown authenticity. Known for its full-bodied taste and edgy branding, Simba resonates particularly with younger urban men who take pride in supporting Indian beer brands with a craft identity. Retailers can feature Simba prominently in local or regional selections and collaborate with the brand’s strong event and nightlife presence to drive co-promotions. Limited-edition packs or city-exclusive offers can help tap into the loyalty and community the brand has built.

Bira 91

Product Name – Summer Lager

Price – On request

Bira 91 continues to dominate the craft beer segment with its playful branding and creative packaging that resonates with urban, experimental drinkers. The brand’s Wheat and Blonde variants appeal to consumers seeking smoother, fruitier profiles that pair well with food. As one of the most influential modern Indian beer brands, Bira works best in discovery-led zones — corners or end-of-aisle setups designed to showcase new, premium experiences. Adding tasting notes or food-pairing cards can further enhance the sense of discovery and encourage trial.

GodFather

Product Name – Legendary Strong Beer

Price – 130/- per can

Godfather continues to be the stronghold of India’s robust beer segment, catering to those who prefer high-ABV, full-strength brews. With its strong positioning in northern and central India, it remains an essential part of any retailer’s beer mix. Among traditional Indian beer brands, Godfather’s bold taste and competitive price point make it a dependable, value-driven option that keeps loyal consumers returning. Stocking it in accessible, high-visibility areas ensures the brand retains its volume advantage and that no consumer segment is overlooked.

Consumers today want more than just a label; they want to understand what they’re buying and drinking. Providing small cues like “citrusy wheat,” “smooth lager,” or “bold strong” helps shoppers quickly connect with flavours they’ll enjoy. Retailers can add shelf tags, tasting charts, or QR codes that link to short brand stories or food pairing ideas to create a more engaging shopping experience and highlight the diversity of Indian beer brands available today.

Govt likely to draw up mega PSB merger plan to trim state-owned banks to 4 in FY27

 

Smaller banks will first be merged into the bigger ones, and then consolidated further to form large entities

The government is working on an ambitious public-sector bank (PSB) consolidation blueprint that could reduce the number of state-owned lenders from 12 to just four in FY27 — with  State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda (BoB) and a merged Canara–Union Bank structure emerging as the likely four — a government source said.

The proposal, currently being shaped within the Finance Ministry,  plans to strengthen balance sheets, improve operational efficiency and create globally competitive banking institutions

The plan is to reduce the number of PSBs from the current 12 to four. Smaller banks will first be merged into the bigger ones, and then consolidated further to form large entities capable of supporting India’s growth needs,” the source told Moneycontrol.

Canara–Union Bank to be merged

Wine and Spirits

 Indian spirits producer Tilaknagar Industries has finalised its purchase of the Imperial Blue business division from Pernod Ricard for €412.6 million (US$485m).

Imperial Blue

The world’s third-largest Indian whisky brand, Imperial Blue, is now part of Tilaknagar’s portfolio

The acquisition of the Indian blended whisky brand was initially announced in late July 2025. The Competition Commission of India approved the transaction on 7 October 2025.

Amit Dahanukar, chairman and managing director of Tilaknagar Industries, said: “The acquisition of Imperial Blue significantly scales up our business, representing a decisive step in our ambition to build a truly pan-India presence across all Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) categories.

“This acquisition also accelerates our premiumisation journey, enabling us to broaden our offerings across prestige-and-above price-points and enhance the value we deliver to consumers.”

In addition to the initial payment of €412.6m, a deferred payment of €28m (US$32.5m) will be made four years after the transaction’s closing date.

Imperial Blue is the third-largest whisky brand in India by volume, with approximately 22.4m nine-litre cases sold for the year ending March 2025.

The business reported revenue of INR 3,067 crore (US$343.1m) for the 12 months ending in March 2025.

Tilaknagar takes on Pernod employees

As part of this transaction, 116 employees are expected to be transferred from Pernod Ricard to Tilaknagar.

Through the acquisition, Tilaknagar gains access to the Imperial Blue brand along with its associated trademarks, including Imperial Black and Imperial Red, on a global scale. Furthermore, as part of the deal, the company has entered into a trademark license agreement that allows the use of ‘Seagram’s’ in connection with the brand for a specified transition period.

The company has also signed a long-term supply agreement with Pernod Ricard’s Scotch whisky arm, Chivas Brothers, for concentrated alcoholic beverages, said to be a key raw material for the production of Imperial Blue.

To support the transition, Tilaknagar has also established a manufacturing agreement with Pernod Ricard India.

The manufacturing operations included in this transaction comprise two owned facilities located in Punjab and Maharashtra, as well as two exclusively sub-leased units in Telangana and Punjab. Additionally, Tilaknagar will have access to specific shared facilities.

The acquisition was financed through a combination of internal cash reserves, new equity, and external debt.

Last month, Tilaknagar Industries launched Seven Islands Pure Malt Whisky, described as an ‘Indo-Scottish style’ pure malt.

Healthy World

The World Health Organization provides the advice and evidence needed for people to lead healthy lives. Good health requires the commitment of many, from lawmakers to lunch makers. And there are steps each of us can take to promote and protect health. These include being more active, eating healthy, and avoiding tobacco and harmful use of alcohol.

Physical activity

Being physically active helps all people, no matter their age, lead healthier lives.

Some physical activity is better than doing none. By being more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways, people can quite easily achieve the recommended activity levels. Below are the levels of physical activity WHO recommends people of different ages undertake.

Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years

·         Should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.

·         Physical activity of amounts more than 60 minutes daily provides additional health benefits.

·         Should include activities that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 times per week.

Adults aged 18–64 years

·         Should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.

·         For additional health benefits, adults should increase their moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or equivalent.

·         Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

Adults aged 65 years and above

·         Should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.

·         For additional health benefits, they should increase moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or equivalent.

·         Those with poor mobility should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls, 3 or more days per week.

·         Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups, 2 or more days a week.

Digital health

      The use and scale up of digital health solutions can revolutionize how people worldwide achieve higher standards of health, and access services to promote and protect their health and well-being. Digital health provides opportunities to accelerate our progress in attaining health and well-being related Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), especially SDG 3, and achieving our triple billion targets for 2023 as articulated in its Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13)

Healthy dietA healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition.

      It protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet. A healthy diet comprises a combination of different foods. These include:

o    Staples like cereals (wheat, barley, rye, maize or rice) or starchy tubers or roots (potato, yam, taro or cassava).

o    Legumes (lentils and beans).

o    Fruit and vegetables.

o    Foods from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs and milk).

         Here is some useful information, based on WHO recommendations, to follow a healthy diet, and the benefits of doing so.

·         Breastfeed babies and young children.

o    A healthy diet starts early in life - breastfeeding fosters healthy growth, and may have longer-term health benefits, like reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing noncommunicable diseases later in life.

o    Feeding babies exclusively with breast milk from birth to 6 months of life is important for a healthy diet. It is also important to introduce a variety of safe and nutritious complementary foods at 6 months of age, while continuing to breastfeed until your child is two years old and beyond.

·         Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit.

o    They are important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein and antioxidants.

o    People with diets rich in vegetables and fruit have a significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

·         Eat less fat.

o    Fats and oils and concentrated sources of energy. Eating too much, particularly the wrong kinds of fat, like saturated and industrially-produced trans-fat, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

o    Using unsaturated vegetable oils (olive, soy, sunflower or corn oil) rather than animal fats or oils high in saturated fats (butter, ghee, lard, coconut and palm oil) will help consume healthier fats.

o    To avoid unhealthy weight gain, consumption of total fat should not exceed 30% of a person's overall energy intake.

·         Limit intake of sugars.

o    For a healthy diet, sugars should represent less than 10% of your total energy intake. Reducing even further to under 5% has additional health benefits.

o    Choosing fresh fruits instead of sweet snacks such as cookies, cakes and chocolate helps reduce consumption of sugars.

o    Limiting intake of soft drinks, soda and other drinks high in sugars (fruit juices, cordials and syrups, flavoured milks and yogurt drinks) also helps reduce intake of sugars.

·         Reduce salt intake.

o    Keeping your salt intake to less than 5h per day helps prevent hypertension and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population.

o    Limiting the amount of salt and high-sodium condiments (soy sauce and fish sauce) when cooking and preparing foods helps reduce salt intake.

No tobacco

      Avoiding tobacco, or taking proven measures to quit, are among the surest ways for people to avoid many illnesses and, instead, take the road to good health.Avoiding tobacco or taking proven measures to quit, are among the surest ways for people to avoid many illnesses and, instead, take the road to good health.

In fact, there are immediate and long-term health benefits of quitting for all tobacco users, including lower blood pressure.

Here are some key points on avoiding the harms of tobacco use.

·         Most tobacco users who are aware of the dangers of tobacco want to quit. Counselling and medication more than doubles the chance that someone who uses tobacco and tries to quit will succeed.

·         If you are a tobacco user wanting to quit, it is essential to understand the importance of doing so for your own health and your family.

·         Then, you must be confident that you can quit - many people have done so.

·         If needed, seek support from health professionals to quit. There are a range of things people can do, from calling a quit line and accessing online material to attending a cessation clinic.

·         Practical tips to help tobacco users deal with tobacco cravings include delay, drinking water, deep breathing and physical activity.