Be Kind to your Kidneys

Our kidneys work hard 24/7 to keep us healthy and functioning at our best, so it’s important to give them a little break from time to time and consume foods that are a little gentler on the kidney’s work load. Especially after a holiday season blow out of delicious feasts, desserts, glorious platters and some very merry beverages!

Our kidneys are one of the main filtration devices for our body. They help to remove toxins from our body contained in our blood as well as remove waste through our urine. They are also responsible for maintaining our electrolyte and fluid balance, and produce hormones that regulate body functions like our blood pressure and creating red blood cells. It’s quite a job!

If we aren’t kind to our kidneys, toxins can build up in the body and cause all kinds of health problems like fatigue, kidney stones, infections and even high blood pressure.

Here are some tips if you are thinking of giving your kidneys a little R ‘n’ R!

Hydration is Key!

The most important tip I could give is drink filtered water! It’s kind of a no brainer but – Staying hydrated is so important for the function of your kidneys and your overall day to day bodily functions. Being well hydrated not only helps your kidneys eliminate toxins as well as prevent infections and diseases but it also improves our concentration and our energy.

Consume LESS of these …

• Dairy products – yep … decrease the dairy my loves if you’re trying to cleanse your kidneys. That means limit milk, cheese & yogurt. Kidneys maintain the balance of calcium and phosphorus in our bodies by removing phosphorus from our blood. These two need to balance together on a balance beam like a dynamic gymnastic duo. If phosphorus levels increase in the blood too much because the kidneys can’t process it then your body will start to pull calcium from your bones to maintain that ideal balance.

• Protein – for all the meat eaters out there reduce your meat intake, eggs, nuts or any protein supplements that you might regularly use. Our kidneys filter urea out of our bloodstream which is a by-product of protein breakdown. Excess of urea can exert your kidneys (kinda’ like a really tough work out) so limit your protein while you’re cleansing. You can eat plenty of beautiful fresh fish though!

• Sodium (salt) – This pretty well means anything processed or packaged, no canned foods, frozen T.V dinners, deep fried wonders, bacon, potato chippies or salted nuts! Kidneys remove the excess sodium from our bloodstream which helps prevent things like fluid retention … think kankles. No one likes kankles. Long term, increased sodium levels building up in our blood can lead to high blood pressure which also causes fluid retention and swelling.
• Sugar – Sugar is hard for our body to breakdown – limit refined sugars, white bread, or anything that comes in a box or pretty packet off the shelf!

• Alcohol – this is a big no-no! Your kidneys have to work twice as hard to eliminate the toxins in our blood caused from alcohol. Not only this but because your kidneys are responsible for maintaining electrolytes and fluid balance, alcohol severely dehydrates our body and organs causing our kidneys to work even harder.

Eat MORE of these!

These foods vary in the benefiting properties for your kidneys from having antiseptic properties to anti-inflammatory benefits but all of these foods can help improve your kidney function and give them a little mini vaccay. Increase your intake of antioxidant rich food, fibrous fruit and vegetables and naturally cleansing produce that are rich in vitamins and minerals.