7 Ways to Care for Kidneys to Stay Healthy

The kidney organ is one part of the body that must be kept healthy. Kidneys have an important role for filter poisons and other substances that are not needed or can be harmful to health. If the kidneys cannot function properly, you can get diseases such as kidney stones, kidney failure, tumors, diabetes conditions.

Therefore, consider 8 ways for the kidney treats in the following article.

1. Drink enough water

Drinking lots of water will help your kidney function properly. Water can help your kidney work to filter unwanted substances into the bladder in urine. If you don't have enough water, your kidney can stop and experience infection and kidney stones.

One sign that the normal functioning kidney is that urine must be light yellow in color. If your urine is darker color it means you are dehydrated.

Therefore, you need to drink at least 8 cups of water or 2 liters of water a day. In some conditions, such as hot weather or heavy sports, you may need to drink more water than usual to replace the lost liquid from sweating.

2. Keep your diet

Many kidney problems are caused by other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. That's why you have to get used to eating healthy food so you can control body weight and blood pressure.

You need to eat healthy foods such as vegetables, as well as fruits, and seeds as a way of caring for your kidney. Beyond it, reducing processed food and fast food that has high sugar content.

One of the food ingredients that must be considered is salt. The recommended daily intake of sodium for adults is 5-6 grams of salt per day. To reduce your salt intake, it's best to serve your own food with fresh ingredients.

3. Sports

Just as maintaining a healthy diet, sports help prevent conditions such as diabetes and heart disease that can cause kidney damage. If you don't exercise regularly and overweight, blood pressure will increase and cause kidney problems.

You can refer to the body mass index (BMI) to see if you are on a healthy weight. You can use a healthy weight calculator to calculate your BMI.

But don't do too much practice suddenly in one day because it will damage the kidneys. At least do light sports for 30 to 60 minutes at least three weeks. Start slowly if you haven't already done it for a long time, and check with your doctor first if you have other health problems.

4. Be careful of taking medicine

Some over-the-counter (OTC) drugs containing paracetamol, ibuprofen, and naproxen, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) can cause kidney damage if they are taken for a long time continuously.

Taking NSAIDs occasionally will not pose a risk of kidney problems. Meanwhile, consumption regularly can make the kidney work too hard and constant that will cause interference.

However, if you need this medicine for some diseases such as chronic pain or arthritis, you should consult with your doctor. Your doctor may be able to provide alternative medicines or better drug use tips and how to treat your kidneys.

5. Drink alcohol in the medium number

All the liquids you drink will be processed by the kidneys. Consumption of alcohol and sweet drink at a high level will certainly make your kidney work harder and the cause of kidney failure.

Occasionally drink or two will not hurt the kidneys. However, a party of liquor or drinking four drinks in less than 2 hours can cause serious kidney damage. This is the same as drinking sweet drinks every day.

In addition, these two drinks can also cause weight gain, liver disease, high blood pressure, and other conditions that make kidney conditions much worse.

6. Stop smoking

Smoking can slow blood flow to the kidneys. When blood levels reach the kidneys are insufficient, kidney abilities to filter bad substances will decrease. Smoking also increases the risk of kidney cancer by around 50 percent.

Smoking can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and the risk of kidney cancer. Vaping or e-cigarettes may not expose the body to a lot of poisons, but nicotine content is still very bad for the body.

You can start by reducing the number of cigarettes that are usually smoked every day or with cold turkeys or stop it at all.

7. Check blood pressure regularly

Some people who have high blood pressure do not realize that they have high blood pressure. Therefore, you need to check your blood pressure regularly, especially if you approach middle-aged or elderly age.

High blood pressure can damage your kidneys because it also increases other factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disorders. Normal adult blood pressure level is 120/80.

If your blood pressure continues to increase above the normal range, immediately consult a doctor for care and advice. Maybe you need to modify your lifestyle to reduce the risk of diseases that can arise.