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Small but mighty: keeping your kidneys healthy

They may be small, but our kidneys play an important role in keeping us healthy. They work all day every day, filtering our blood and helping our body remove what it doesn’t need so keeping them in tip top shape is important. We’ve put together a few simple tips to help you do just that.

Kidneys help to keep our blood pressure regular as well as cleaning our blood. The size of an adult fist, and weighing only around 150 grams each, the pair are a powerhouse, processing around 200 litres of blood per day! In addition, they also look after the activation of our body’s Vitamin D, which is essential for strong bones and our overall health.

So, what can you do to help keep your kidneys doing their very important work?

Eat a healthy diet

Pack your diet with fruits, vegetables and legumes. Eat lean meats like chicken and fish at least once a week and try to steer clear of foods with high sugar, salt and saturated fat content.

Exercise regularly

Thirty minutes of physical activity a day, most days of the week will help you maintain, and develop, strength and stamina. You don’t have to play organised sport, a walk around the block or spending some time out in the garden or on the dancefloor are all simple ways to get moving. Find more tips on simple ways to get moving here.

Drink water

Water plays a crucial role in our body. In fact, the human body is up to 70% water! Water is found in our blood, sweat and digestive juices as well as in our muscles and bones. In addition, our kidneys add water to waste to produce urine. But the body can’t store water, so we need to keep topping up our stores.

It’s recommended that children and adolescents consume around 4-6 cups of water per day and adults 8 cups of water per day.

Similarly, limiting alcohol consumption and reducing and quitting smoking are also good ways to maintain healthy kidney function.

Please note the information supplied is general in nature. Please consult your medical practitioner for individual advice. 

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