The kidneys work to filter waste materials taken in by eating and drinking. Properly functioning kidneys keep people healthy by removing impurities and balancing the body's intake of chemicals that could be harmful in large doses, such as sodium and potassium. Some people like to cleanse their kidneys by drinking various fruit and vegetable juices in an effort to keep the kidneys free of contaminants and in excellent working order.
Types
Drinking a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable juices can help cleanse the kidneys. The juices extracted from alfalfa sprouts, cabbage sprouts and beet greens have been found to flush the kidneys and remove impurities, according to clinical nutritionist Steven Blauer in his book, "The Juicing Book." Blauer also recommends drinking the juice from asparagus, beets, cabbages and cucumbers to promote kidney health.
Juices from many fruits can also be consumed as part of a kidney cleanse, according to Blauer. He recommends drinking juice from oranges, apples, cranberries, grapes, melons, papayas and strawberries to help expel non-nutritive materials from the kidneys, such as minerals that can form into kidney stones.
Flushing Impurities
Avid juice drinkers often purchase their own home juicers so they can extract juices from fruits and vegetables in their own kitchens. Others prefer the ease of buying prepared juices from a juice bar or supermarket. Dr. Richard Schulze, a doctor of natural healing and herbology, suggests drinking up to 64 ounces of organic apple and orange juice, alternating throughout the day, to cleanse the kidneys and dissolve any kidney stones.
Benefits
According to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern, drinking a glass of orange juice every day can reduce the occurrence of kidney stones. Orange juice increases the amount of citrate in the urine, which helps prevent uric acid and calcium oxalate from crystallizing and forming kidney stones.
Considerations
Dr. Schulze recommends consuming organic juices when cleansing the kidneys to prevent taking in any unnatural chemicals. While some people cleanse their kidneys by performing a juice fast, only drinking juice for a period of one to 10 days, Dr. Schulze suggests that anyone who becomes hungry during a kidney flush consume additional food as needed to prevent themselves from becoming ill.
Expert Insight
The National Institutes of Health suggest that anyone looking to prevent kidney conditions, including kidney stones, should drink 12 8-ounce glasses of fluid, mostly water, daily. To add even more kidney-cleansing power, people looking to promote optimum kidney health can replace one of those 8-ounce glasses of water with a glass of kidney-cleansing fruit or vegetable juice.
References
- "The Juicing Book"; Steven Blauer; 1989
- National Kidney and Urological Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Kidneys and How They Work
- Dr. Schulze's Original Clinic Formulae: Kidney Stone Dissolving Routine
- University of Texas Southwestern: Orange juice is better than lemonade at keeping kidney stones away
- National Library of Medicine: Kidney Stones
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