One of this week’s topic is one of your body’s most important organs, namely kidneys.
Along with your liver, the kidneys are massively involved in the detox process, flushing the toxins out of your body. Just like any other vital part of your body, they require special care in order to keep them working at their best.
Through your daily habits, you can lend them a helping hand in doing their job or give them a hard time. Luckily, today I’ll share with you the habits that harm the kidneys, so you can avoid them and what you should do to sustain their proper function.
As we age, some of our body functions naturally decrease their performances, and it is our duty to protect them and prevent certain diseases, for the sake of our health.
1. Not drinking enough water – proper hydration is essential for your kidneys, because they are the ones that balance your body’s fluids. You can imagine your body as a fertile soil that is deprived of water. Slowly, but surely, it will become barren, with little, if at all, life thriving. You should drink 2.2 pounds of water for every 55lbs you weight, therefore adjust your intake according to your particular needs.
2. Being hooked on coffee or soda – your kidneys are also responsible for releasing the hormones that regulate blood pressure and for producing Vitamin D, that strengthens your bone structure. The first impact that caffeine has on your body is that it deprives it of Calcium (which also plays a critical role for your bones) and increases your blood pressure. Secondly, the constant consumption of caffeinated beverages is related to a decreased tendency to drink water. This means twice the damage for an already insufficiently hydrated body. Limit your intake to a coffee or soda once a couple of days.
3. Too much protein – more than 95% of the people don’t reach their daily required amount of protein, but the same percentage provides it from animal sources like meat or dairy products. Even if meat is considered one of the best protein sources, it is stressful for your kidneys to break it down into amino-acids. If you adapted the intake to the modern lifestyle, you’d need only 1/3 of animal protein each day, the rest being provided by vegetal sources such as soy, chickpeas and whole grains.
Don’t be surprised if you’ll need to use the restroom more frequently than before; it’s what your body needs in order to get rid of the toxins that otherwise would remain in your system, gradually altering your health.