The kidneys serve as the blood’s natural filter and play a significant role in removing the body’s wastes as well as regulating blood pressure. There are two of them that form an essential part of the urinary system.
Although the human body can function the normal way with just one kidney, it’s still important for people to eat right to preserve these two internal organs. Each day, these organs work hard to support the immune system hence, it is only right that we also take care of them. Otherwise, diseases can strike. Common signs of kidney problems include lower back pain, edema, kidney stones an urinary tract infections.
The National Kidney Foundation in the U.S. revealed that 26 million Americans suffer from kidney disease and one out of 10 are at risk of getting the illness.
Keeping the kidneys in a healthy condition is not that hard to do. To detoxify, here are some simple and easy cleansing steps to follow.
Drink Lots of Water
Among all other liquids available to man, water is still the most vital and the best despite a lack of flavoring. Kidneys need water and every day, the body needs about half the amount of a person’s body weight. And take note, it should not just be any water or tap water but rather the filtered one. The reason is that tap water provided by a public utility can contain chemicals such as chlorine.
Based on a report from the Institute of Medicine, men should drink about 3.7 liters of total water daily while women should have 2.7 liters. This covers all liquid beverages including water and foods.
Avoid Processed Foods, Alcohol and Caffeine
Processed foods contain various chemicals and they also contain a high amount of salt or sodium chloride. It won’t hurt if you eat them once in a while but not on a daily basis.
In addition, make sure that you cut down on your intake of alcohol and caffeine. Or you can counteract them by adding more water to what you’re already drinking. So for every six ounce of alcoholic or caffeinated drink that you consumer, add 10 to 12 ounces of water.
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
Watermelon is one of the best fruits for cleansing the kidneys and dissolving kidney stones. This can be eaten fresh or made into juice. According to the experts, consuming two large watermelons are beneficial in getting rid of the toxins.
Other fruits and veggies great for detoxifying include cranberries, wheatgrass, parsley, celery, cucumber, wild carrot and ginger root.
Have Your Green Tea
Green tea has always been well known in China, Japan, India and Thailand for its medicinal properties. Being rich in the antioxidant polyphenol, this drink has been utilized by people who have weight issues as well as those who want to cleanse their liver and kidneys. Traditionally, it has been used as a diuretic to aid in increasing urinary output and remove toxins from the kidneys.
Take Your Vitamins and Supplements
It’s a fact that people don’t get their required amount of nutrients every day. As such, taking some vitamin supplements is still a good idea to help boost the immune system. Be cautious, though, and choose the top quality brands. Supplements you can consider are ginger capsules, Vitamin B6, magnesium oxide and juniper herb.
If you’re currently taking certain medications, be sure to double check them so you don’t get overdosed.
Image via fitlife
Originally posted on September 21, 2013 @ 1:04 pm