The Lowdown on Detoxification - The Kidneys

The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs, situated at the bottom of the ribcage, and are both roughly the size of a large fist. Filtering waste from the blood is their primary function, but they also regulate and maintain mineral and fluid levels, as well as regulate blood pressure. Quite a lot then! Each day they’ll process around 200 litres of fluid - that’s 352 pints.

Anything the kidneys don’t return to the body via the bloodstream, such as excess salt, they send to the bladder to be removed from the body. And vice versa, if your salt levels are too low, then the kidneys extract it from the urine before it leaves the body.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now the 9th leading cause of death in the U.S., causing more deaths than breast or prostate cancer. Diabetes is the leading cause of CKD, with obesity and high blood pressure linked to the development of diabetes. Needless to say, it’s vital that we don’t put too much strain on our kidneys.

While they do slowly start to lose their function naturally with age, asking the kidneys to do too much filtering over a long time can cause them to stop functioning. With kidneys that aren’t functioning properly, this can lead to a buildup of waste in the body, increasing your chances of more serious conditions and pushing your blood pressure dangerously high.

To keep your kidneys working efficiently, make sure to eat a healthy diet to control salt and blood sugar levels, exercise regularly, and drink plenty of water. A kidney-friendly diet means plenty of fruit and veg which will help decrease the amount of waste in the blood, and avoid putting unnecessary stress on your kidneys. Our meal plans are the easiest (and tastiest) way to ensure you're eating a healthy diet.