10 ways to be kind to your kidneys

Our kidneys - talk about a major organ that we often take for granted. These two bean-shaped organs located right below the rib cage on either side of the body near the lower back, are one of the hardest working organs within our body. When they are working fine, we may forget how important their job is. But when they malfunction, your health can be seriously affected.

These fist-sized organs do an amazing job of filtering your blood each and every day. There are about a million tiny filters called nephrons in each kidney processing around 40 gallons of fluid daily which is equivalent to filling a house’s hot water heater. Throughout each day, your kidneys filter all the blood in your body every 30 minutes removing waste and excess fluid.

The purpose of filtering the blood is to retain things your body needs such as nutrients and water while removing harmful wastes that are routed to the bladder and excreted within the urine. Besides filtering the blood, our kidney regulate the body’s fluid levels, release hormones to regulate blood pressure, activate vitamin D for bone health, and keeps the minerals of sodium, potassium, and phosphorus in balance.

It is estimated that 26 million Americans – about one in nine adults – have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and most don’t know it. Kidney functioning can begin to diminish as we age and CKD mostly affects people over the age of 60. Keeping your kidneys healthy throughout your life will be an important step in maintaining overall health. There are many steps we can take now to maintain the operation of our kidneys throughout our lifetime. Starting today here are 10 ways to be kind to your kidneys:

1. Each year get an annual physical

2. Exercise on a consistent and regular basis

3. Eat a healthy diet choosing fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, lean protein and low-fat dairy

4. Don’t smoke or abuse alcohol

5. Maintain a healthy body weight

6. Don’t overuse over-the-counter painkillers or NSAIDS

7. Monitor and know your blood pressure number – Blood pressure target is less than 130/80 mm Hg. This can delay or prevent kidney disease

8. If you have diabetes, keep your blood glucose controlled

9. Reduce salt intake. Aim for less than 2300 milligrams of sodium each day

10. Drink water to keep your kidneys functioning properly

For more information on maintaining excellent kidney health visit the National Kidney Foundation.