We have been paying a lot of attention to looking after ourselves and doing everything possible to keep our heart, skin, hair, stomach, eyes etc. in good health. But what about our kidneys? Lets be honest to ourselves and tell how many times in the recent days have we thought little of finding out what should we do keep our kidneys safe and fit.

Forget about doing something.. And forget about recent days, I am sure you would not be able to recall any such days in recent years that you would have done that, except for those who are suffering from kidney related ailments. So its high time that we set ourselves in motion since something which is so terribly essential is getting neglected since quite a long time now! But not anymore. You just need to

Follow these tips to keep your kidneys well functioning and long-living:

1. Get regular check-ups – Pay a visit to the doctor every year. Since prevention here is the key, taking regular check-ups would be a good thing to do. Your medical examination may include physical examination, a urine test for albumin and a blood test for creatinine.
2. Maintain a healthy body weight – Its high time that pay attention to our weight and get into action to control it. A healthy body weight is fundamental to keeping away from all the health problems. So is so true for healthy functioning kidneys as well. In fact, studies show that the risk of developing kidney related problems faced by obese people is twice that of those who maintain a normal weight.
3. Keep intake of salt under control – Salt contains sodium which is a major culprit of increasing blood pressure and kidney problems including kidney stones. One teaspoon of salt per day is the appropriate quantity that should be consumed. A good way of doing this is to stop sprinkling extra salts on fruits, salads and other foods.
4. Keep blood pressure and diabetes under control – The most common and principal causes of kidney diseases are diabetes, blood pressure and heart related illnesses. So its important to follow a favorable regime and keep a check on these. Also people above the age of 40, suffering from these three problems should be extra careful and undergo regular kidney check-ups.
5. Keep yourself hydrated – Drinking lots and lots of water everyday is extremely essential to keep kidney problems at bay. This helps to detoxify your body.
6. Stay away from smoking and alcohol drinking – Drinking alcohol directly impairs kidney functions by disturbing the hormones that keep them functioning well. Smoking on the other has no direct effects on kidney but it worsens diabetes, blood pressure and heart diseases, hence exposing you to a higher risk of kidney related ailments.
7. Be cautious while taking pain-killers – Make it a habit that you would never ever take a medicine without a doctor’s advice, especially the pain reducing pills. Since all the medicines you take are filtered by your kidneys, taking wrong or the unnecessary ones harms your kidneys directly. In fact, several herbal medications that might be boasting of having no side effects may be harming your kidneys, therefore, you must watch out their dosage too.
8. Don’t ignore the urge to visit restroom – If you resist the urge of urinating, you may develop kidney problems including kidney stones. The primary function of our kidneys is to filter blood and flush out all the extra contents through urine. Our bladder can store not more that 150ml of it while if we ignore our body’s call to visit the restroom, our bladder stretches to more than its actual size and hence effects the process of blood filteration.
9. Follow a healthy diet – Whatever you eat, make sure it fresh and absolutely clean. Relying too much on processed and junk food can hamper your kidneys too, besides the rest of your body. So taking a balanced diet is imperative. The foods that are specifically good for kidney health are cereals, garlic, fresh and watery fruits and vegetables such as orange, watermelon, lemons, cucumber etc.
10. Exercise regularly, but only when you are fit– However, exercising everyday is probably the best habit one could follow, but putting unbearable strain on the body is not a good idea. So work out, but only when you are well.

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