Did you know that nearly 40,000 people in the UK are receiving dialysis? Kidney disease is on the rise, and not everyone on a transplant waiting list will receive a new kidney. The thing about kidney disease thought is that at times this disease can be prevented.
With a healthy diet, a healthy lifestyle, a little focus on foods that support your kidneys, you give your kidneys a fighting chance! Keep them healthy with fruits, and veggies, stay hydrated, avoid smoking, and excessive alcohol, and get moving!
There are some things you can do to keep your kidneys in tip-top shape.
Our kidneys play a vital role in our overall health; they help to extract waste from our blood, balance body fluids, as well as blood pressure. It’s important to keep our kidneys healthy.
Here are 3 tips to help keep your kidneys strong and healthy.
Tip #1: Stay Fit
Exercise is not only important for overall health, but it’s also important for the health of your kidneys. Staying fit helps to keep blood pressure levels where they need to be, and a healthy blood pressure is a huge component of balancing kidney health.
Tip #2: Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated helps to clear sodium, urea, as well as toxins from the body which gives the kidneys a break. Clearing these toxins reduces your risk of kidney disease.
Tip #3: Stay Away From Over the Counter Pills if Possible
Certain medications such as NSAID’s (such as ibuprofen) are known to cause kidney damage if taken regularly. Strive to eat a healthy anti-inflammatory diet, and exercise regularly to reduce the inflammation in your body naturally.
For this week’s challenge, I challenge you to enjoy kidney boosting foods! Maintaining optimal kidney health can be done with the proper diet, and lifestyle, so why not do what you can to be sure your kidneys are functioning at their best?
- Fruits & Veggies: Fruits and veggies help improve kidney function. Try asparagus, celery, onions, cucumbers, cranberries, and grapes. If you suffer from kidney disease, be sure to watch your potassium intake.
- Kidney Beans: Yes, as it turns out the shape of this bean says it all! Kidney beans are actually great for kidney health. These beans are thought to help with kidney stones.
- Cherries: Cherries help to reduce uric acid in the blood stream, and help keep the kidneys healthy!