Best Foods to Cleanse Your Kidneys.

The kidneys are major organs in your body and are responsible for clearing waste from your body, balance body fluids, form urine, and help in other important functions of the body. Every day the kidneys process the blood to sift out waste products and extra water. These become urine, which flows to the bladder through the ureters.

If not eliminated correctly, toxins can build up in the body and can cause problems such as kidney stones and high blood pressure. Cleansing your kidneys helps to eliminate toxins, improve urine flow and improve kidney function.

Important note – people with kidney disease or other medical condition may need special diet requirements and should follow their doctor or dietitian guidelines.

Foods to Cleanse Your Kidneys

The kidney can cleanse itself if you consume enough amount of fluids, which can come from foods such as fruits and vegetables as well as water and other liquids.

Water – staying hydrated and keeping your urine diluted is important for keeping your kidneys healthy. Water is the best choice, and drinking plenty of water throughout the day help your kidneys function properly. Staying hydrated is especially important if you exercise frequently or in a hot weather. In these cases you need to drink more water than usual to make up for the fluid lost by sweating.

It is important to note that if you have kidney disease, you may not need as much water, because damaged kidneys cannot get rid of extra fluid as well as they should. Depending on your stage of kidney disease and your treatment, your doctor may tell you to limit fluid consumption.

Healthy Eating

A balanced diet ensures you get all the minerals and vitamins your body needs. Fruits and vegetables improve your kidney function. If you suffer from kidney disease, you may have some nutritional restrictions that your doctor recommended. You may need to avoid certain foods if you have kidney damage, for example following low-potassium or low-phosphorous diet.

Some good foods to eat for healthy kidneys include:

Watermelon – watermelon contains a lot of water and also has a function of diuretic which can make people produce more urine so as to remove more wastes from the body.

Lemon juice – you can add to your water half a cup lemon juice a day, as lemon juice helps to reduce kidney stone formation. You can also use apple cider vinegar instead of a lemon: simply mix 6 teaspoons or so in about a gallon of purified water and drink throughout the day.

Berries- berries are very rich in antioxidants and contain many disease fighting qualities. They help to flush out uric acid from the kidneys thus keeping them healthier. Cranberries and blueberries are the best choice among all the berries, as they contain a substance that washes away the urea and uric acid from the kidneys. Also red grapes are very good for the kidneys. To learn more about the amazing healing properties of cranberries and blueberries, as well as other berries.

Apples – apples are high in antioxidants and fiber and have anti-inflammatory compounds which can improve kidney function.

Pumpkin seeds – pumpkin seeds are very good for the kidneys as they are wonderfully rich in a number of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Pumpkin seeds can promote healthy kidney function by reducing the risk of kidney stones.

4 Foods with more Potassium than a Banana......Really!

By K. Aleisha Fetters

Cross a finish line this summer and chances are you’ll be handed a banana. What gives? In a word: potassium.

One of your body’s most important electrolytes, potassium helps carry electrical impulses throughout your body so your cells communicate and do what they need to do—like keep you living.  

Deficiencies are linked to muscle fatigue, cramping, constipation, and even heart irregularities. Plus, potassium helps your body convert carbs into glycogen—your body’s form of stored quick-acting energy. So when you’re running low on energy after a workout, some potassium give you some oomph and get your muscles the fuel they need for growth and repair.

But 70 percent of your body’s potassium is in your fluids (think: plasma, blood, and sweat). So the more you sweat, the more potassium you lose, and the more you need to take in after a workout. And chances are you need more than that banana’s paltry 422 mg.

Here are four bigger, better sources:

Avocado

Lending even more credence to the belief that everything’s better with avocado: 1 cup of sliced avocado contains 708 mg of potassium. Just don’t eat this after every workout, or you could end up taking in more calories than you should.

Sweet Potato
We doubt you’re actually weighing your sweet potatoes, but a 130g spud (about 5 inches long) packs 438 mg of potassium. Plus, it comes with a hefty load of carbs, which can make it even easier for potassium to do its glycogen-revving thing.

Plain Non-Fat Yogurt
A single 8-ounce serving will score you 579 grams of the good stuff—not to mention a hefty dose of protein, which is essential after any workout for muscle synthesis.

Coconut Water
The ultimate in post-workout hydration, one glass of coconut water packs about 480 mg of potassium—way more than just about any “electrolyte-replacing” sports drink out there.

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/health/4-foods-with-more-potassium-than-a-banana-93784220845.html

What your Nails Reveal About Your Health.....

By Eleanor Roberts, PhD | Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD

Your nails can be affected by a variety of medical problems, so paying attention to nail health is a smart idea. 

Healthy nails should be semi-transparent, light pink, and intact, possibly with a white lunula (“little moon”) just above the cuticle. 

While individual nails may on occasion get small white lines or dots, called leukonychia (nothing to worry about), or maybe an infection by bacteria, virus, or fungus (all of which should get treated), an underlying illness somewhere else in your body can also cause changes in nail health and their appearance. Nail care includes watching out for these key changes. 

Decoding Nail Color Changes
The following nail changes are connected to a variety of health conditions:

• White nail syndrome. The whole nail will appear cloudy or white. This change in nail health could indicate heart disease, renal failure, liver cirrhosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Terry’s nails. The nail will look mostly white and grainy with a pink or perhaps red strip at the top because of an increase in connective tissue and a decrease in blood supply in the nail bed. This change in nail health can be found in 80 percent of patients with liver cirrhosis, as well as in patients with congestive heart failure, hyperthyroidism, malnutrition, diabetes, or HIV.
• Muehrcke’s nails. Abnormal blood flood in the nail bed will make the nails appear as if they have horizontal (often paired) white lines, most often in the second, third, and fourth fingers. The lines disappear if the nail is pressed and blood is squeezed out of the nail bed blood vessels. Because this problem occurs in the nail bed, it will not progress up as the nail grows. Problems associated with this are hypoalbuminemia, liver disease, malnutrition, and nephrotic syndrome; it is also a side effect of chemotherapy.
• Half-and-half nails, also known as Lindsay’s nails. The bottom half of the nail appears white while the top half is a darker pink-brown. This is because there is swelling in the nail bed at the bottom and increased melanin (a type of skin pigment) production at the top. Chronic renal disease or HIV could be the cause of this condition.
• Mee’s line. Horizontal white lines appear in the nail, caused by microscopic fragmentation of the nail after growth has been disrupted. Mee’s lines could indicate heart failure, Hodgkin disease, renal failure, system-wide infection, or poisoning by arsenic, thallium, or other heavy metals.
• Splinter hemorrhages. These thin, dark red or brown vertical lines in the nail bed look like splinters beneath the nail, hence the name. Possible causes include cirrhosis, mitral stenosis, oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, peptic ulcer disease, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, and trauma. A classic association is with subacute bacterial endocarditis (infection of the heart valves).
• Yellow nail syndrome. In this rare condition, nails appear yellowish-orange and thicken and curve into the cuticle. It is associated with lymphedema (impaired lymphatic drainage), pleural effusions, and bronchiectasis.
• Blue nail. Blue nails — either the lunula or the whole nail — could indicate Wilson’s disease, argyria (silver poisoning), or quinacrine therapy (used to treat lupus and other health conditions).
• Red lunula. Lunulas that appear red could indicate alopecia areata (hair loss), carbon monoxide poisoning, cardiac failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic urticaria (hives), cirrhosis, collagen vascular disease, oral prednisone treatment, or psoriasis.
• Vertical brown streaks. These are common among people with dark skin; however, they can indicate melanoma and should be checked by a doctor. A benign nevus (overgrowth of cells) or chemical staining (including from some nail polishes) could also be the cause.

Nail Texture Changes

Apart from the odd bump or small lines, nails are normally fairly smooth. But texture can change if there is a problem elsewhere in the body:

• Beau’s line. When there is a disruption in nail growth, a deep horizontal groove can appear. This could indicate peripheral artery disease, pemphigus (a skin disease), psoriasis, Raynaud’s disease, systemic infection, or trauma.
• Pitting. Small, pinpoint depressions can appear in the nails when there are problems in nail plate layering. This is seen in 10 to 50 percent of people with psoriasis. It can also be caused by alopecia areata, pemphigus, a type of arthritis called Reiter’s syndrome, and sarcoidosis.

Nail Shape Changes
A wide range of health issues can cause the shape of the nails to change, sometimes radically:

• Spoon shaped nails (koilonychias). The nails curl up at the edges and become whiter, fragile, and concave. This can have a variety of causes, including iron deficiency anemia, hemochromatosis, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, nail trauma, constant exposure to petroleum-based solvents, Raynaud’s disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Clubbed nails or clubbing. The soft tissue around the nail and fingertip becomes enlarged, and the nails become thicker, harder, shinier, and shaped like a bulb, while the flesh below the cuticle gets spongy. Clubbing is usually caused by low oxygen levels in the blood and is associated with lung and heart conditions such chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease. It is also seen with liver disease and inflammatory bowel diseases, and can signify cancer, most commonly of the lung and lung lining.

Nail Separation
Certain medical conditions can cause nails to lift off the nail bed:

• Onycholysis. If the nail separates from the nail bed starting at the top portion of the nail, it can signal medical problems including anemia, certain types of cancer, connective tissue disorders, fungal infection, psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, syphilis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and most commonly, trauma. It can also occur with hyperthyroidism, with the fourth and fifth nails possibly becoming brown.
• Onychomadesis. The nail separates from the nail bed starting from the base, and usually results in complete loss of the nail. Causes include fungal infection, Raynaud’s disease, chemical damage, frostbite, hand-foot-mouth disease, poor nutrition, febrile illness, and vascular disease, though the most common cause is also trauma.

If your nails start to look different to you in any of the ways described above, consider it a sign to call your doctor.

Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/beauty/what-your-nails-say-about-you.aspx?pos=1&xid=nl_EverydayHealthBeauty_20140814

Amazing Water Melon

Amazing Health Benefits of Water Melon

Everyone loves a big piece of thirst-quenching watermelon on a hot day; it is so refreshing.  I love watermelon and can easily eat a quarter of one in one sitting!

“When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what angels eat.” –Mark Twain

Did you know that is it also nutrition packed too? Yes, watermelon is 92 percent water, but that other 8 percent is filled with good nutrition and amazing health benefits; so many benefits that we consider it a powerfood and give weekend web Watermelon BootCamps with it.

Health Benefits of Watermelon:
 
1. Watermelon is extremely alkaline-forming in the body. There are a host of benefits to this.

2. Watermelon is the lycopene leader among fresh fruits and vegetables. Deep red varieties of watermelon have replaced the tomato as the lycopene king. The red pigment — also found in apricots, pink grapefruit, and papaya — is an important antioxidant. It has been found to be helpful in reducing the risk of prostate, breast, and endometrial cancers, as well as lung and colon cancer. Lycopene’s ability to neutralize singlet oxygen radicals was better then the antioxidant abilities of beta-carotene and vitamin E.  (Source: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics in 1989)

3. Watermelon may have Viagra-like effect. It contains citrulline, which can trigger production of a compound in the body that helps relax the body’s blood vessels, in a way similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, according to a Texas A&M study.

4. Watermelon is a diuretic and was a homeopathic treatment for kidney patients before dialysis became widespread.


5. Watermelon is a very good source of potassium; it helps muscle and nerve function. It can ease inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.


6. Watermelon is a certified heart healthy food by the American Heart Association.
I am so happy to know all the benefits to this favorite summer fruit of mine. Watermelon is often all I have for breakfast and it always amazes me that I feel full for hours afterwards.
It is also true that watermelon is high in sugar, with 10 grams per cup. But think about it, what is a better choice: a candy bar or a nutritious piece of watermelon?

• Excellent source of vitamin C.
• Very good source of vitamin A.
• Good source of potassium and magnesium.
• Small amounts of most of the B vitamins.
• Trace amounts of vitamin K and pantothenic acid.
• Lots of trace amount minerals (copper, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc)
• Over 6888 mcg of lycopene.
• Supplies 2 percent of daily fiber needs.
• Only 45 calories per cup, so it is an ideal diet food.
• Fat free. Well, almost: 1 cup of diced watermelon has .23 grams of fat.
• Only .02 grams of saturated fat in 1 cup of diced watermelon.
• No cholesterol, caffeine or alcohol (I find it funny that this info is included in the breakdown).
• Low sodium: 1.52 mg in 1 cup of diced watermelon.
• There is even 1 gram of protein in 1 cup of diced watermelon.

Is it a fruit or a vegetable?
Watermelon is considered a vegetable by some. It is related to the squash and pumpkin family and is grown as a vegetable crop, using vegetable production systems.
“Watermelon is the fruit of a plant originally from a vine of southern Africa. Like the pepper, tomato and pumpkin, it is the ripened ovary of a seed plant and its contents, which, botanically speaking, make it fruit.” Calgary Herald
In China, watermelon is stir-fried, stewed and often pickled and used as a vegetable.
Well whatever! It is a fruit as far as I am concerned.
So let’s have a little watermelon fun.

Watermelon Facts and Trivia:

• 2012 US National Watermelon Queen Katelyn Kelly says: “Canadians love watermelon. This is where we export most of our watermelon.”
• It was 5,000 years ago that the first recorded watermelon harvest occurred in Egypt and they shared them with the rest of civilization in the 10th century.
• Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide. About 200-300 varieties are grown in the U.S. and Mexico.
• This fruit was held in such regard that it was placed in the tombs of many Egyptian kings.
• The word watermelon first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615.
• In China and Japan, watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.
• Watermelons come in many shapes and sizes; the newest shape is a square watermelon. The Japanese created them to save space; the watermelon are of exact dimensions of Japanese refrigerators, allowing a full grown watermelon to fit precisely.
• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.
• After a watermelon was thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes, he placed the watermelon on his head and thanked the thrower for giving him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia.
• U.S. ranks fourth in the world growing watermelons. It is grown in 44 states, mostly Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and Arizona.  In 1999 over 4 billion pounds of watermelon were produced in the US.
• Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide.
• A giant watermelon weighing a watery 268.8 pounds was grown in Arkansas by Lloyd Bright, earning the Guinness World Record for heaviest watermelon in September of 2005.

How to Pick a Good Watermelon:

• They are not one of the “dirty dozen” (the most heavily sprayed produce). They are one of the 15 most clean non-organic fruits and vegetables.
• Decide what size of watermelon you want as there are many different sizes. Watermelons can weigh anywhere from a few pounds to more than 90.
• Do you want a seedless watermelon? Most seedless watermelons are often not organic so that may be something for you to consider.
• Choose a melon that is medium to light green but not yellowing, with several spots of light green on it.
• Make sure it feels heavy for its size.
• It is should not be bruised, shriveled, cracked or moldy. The purpose of the thick rind is to protect the contents inside. Minor scratches are okay.
• Check out the bottom of the watermelon; this should have a creamy yellow spot which is where the watermelon sat on the ground while ripening. If this spot is white or green, it may not be ripe as it was picked too soon.
• The melon should have a faint aroma and the end should be soft.
• Tap the watermelon with the palm of your hand lightly several times. What you hear should be a somewhat hollow echo. This indicates the fruit is likely fresh and its flesh is very hard, which is when they taste best. If the sound is a thunk as though it’s solid, that’s no good and too hollow a sound is also not good. You just have to do the trial and error thing until you learn which watermelons are the best.
• The best watermelons will, of course, be the ones you grow yourself. Learn How to Grow Watermelons.

Tips for Preparing and Storing Watermelon:

• Always wash the exterior of the melon before slicing to remove any bacteria on the surface.
• After they have been cut, store in the fridge.
• Before eating a piece that has been in the fridge, pull it out long enough for it to go to room temperature. This maximizes its phytonutrient capacity.
• Store uncut whole watermelons at 70 degrees Fahrenheit: A study by the USDA’s South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Oklahoma found that watermelon stored at 70 F gained up to 40 percent more lycopene and 50 percent to 139 percent more beta-carotene when compared to freshly picked watermelon. Watermelons continue to produce nutrients after they are picked; the chilling slows this process. Refrigerated watermelon starts to decay after a week.
• Watermelons last from 14 to 21 days at 13 degrees Celsius (55 F) after harvest.

Eating Watermelons:

• Eat watermelon on its own. Melons only take 15 – 30 minutes to digest; they do not combine with any other food. Always eat separately and wait 30 minutes before eating something else.
• Eat room-temperature watermelon, as it is much easier on the stomach.
• Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds.
• Yes you can eat watermelon rinds: We usually throw out the hard green rind of the juicy watermelon, but did you know that the watermelon rind has nutritional and healing benefits? This wasted food can do good things for your body. Also, using it will cut down on your garbage, thus helping the environment.
• My favorite way to eat it is to cut it into cubes and put it in a big bowl.
• Watermelon juice is so easy and a wonderful cooling, alkalizing beverage and, of course, filled with nutrients. Find just how easy it is to make here: watermelon juice.
• Watermelon popsicles are great for children and adults too. Learn how to make them here: watermelon popsicles.

Cautions:

• Some people may experience watermelon allergy symptoms from mild to severe hives, facial swelling, diarrhea or anaphylaxis.
• Diabetics: The American Diabetes Association says you may eat watermelon as a fruit selection, provided you are following the guidance of your health care provider.
• Eating large amounts of lycopene-rich foods (tomatoes and watermelon) may cause gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion and bloating.
• Large quantities of foods containing potassium, like watermelon, may adversely affect people diagnosed with hyperkalemia, or too much potassium in their blood.
• Eating lots of watermelon will most likely cause a frequent need to urinate.

Source: http://www.healthdigezt.com/amazing-health-benefits-of-water-melon/