Kidney Supporting Foods
Supportive foods for the Kidneys
Celery, asparagus and dandelion (tea) are natural diuretics which help to flush out toxins from the kidneys. Juniper is a strong kidney cleanser;
• Beetroot is a good kidney cleanser. Drink the juice or eat raw beetroot grated onto salads or buy the cooked variety which has not been soaked in vinegar;
• Cranberries have a cleansing action on the kidneys and bladder. They help urinary infections by preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. Look for a no-added sugar drink or use a concentrated herbal fluid extract;
• Kidney/Aduki beans
• Animal Kidneys
• Seaweed is a supportive food for the water element because of its connections with the sea. Seaweed, also known as sea vegetable, is high in natural sodium which does not tax kidney function. Dried seaweed makes a nutritious condiment for sprinkling onto food. Try dried nori or wakame crumbled into soups, casseroles or salads or over rice dishes;
• Wholegrains, such as brown rice or buckwheat, assist the kidneys by helping detoxification and water balance. They do this by holding large amounts of fluid and providing bulk to absorb toxins. They are also rich in B vitamins which are used up during the stress response;
• Warm foods support the kidney and bladder. Casseroles and soups are particularly recommended;
• Jasmine and green tea are thought to reduce damp in the body which weakens the kidneys. Drinking plain hot water can also be effective for this;
• Magnesium rich foods are particularly important for the kidneys and adrenal glands. For example, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, chick peas, soya beans, millet, oats and bananas;
• Red peppers and green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamin C which the adrenal glands thrive on;
• Cold pressed oils, such as flax, olive, walnut and sesame, provide anti-stress essential fatty acids. Use these oils liberally but do not heat them or add to hot foods.
Regular meals containing a little protein protect the adrenal glands from being over-stimulated by blood sugar drops. Regular breaks during the working day are important for conserving kidney energy and avoiding depletion and weakness.
Flowers…
Do not linger to gather flowers to keep them but walk on..for flowers will keep themselves blooming all your way.
Rabindranath Tagore
Meditation
Still your body with Yoga & Meditation.
Use your breath to calm your body.
Listen to your intuition.
Try to hear the voice within you as well as the cacophony around you.
Negative Energy
Your energies should be accepted as essentially positive even if you may need to change how your express them. You know where you are with negative energy, whether you indulge it, clamp down on it, or react to it.”
The Yogi’s Joy, Songs of Milarepa – Sangharakshita
Post Natal Diet and Recovery
Postnatal Diet & Recovery
There is a long documented history in traditional Chinese medicine of women taking dietary remedies to encourage lactation and to promote their recovery from childbirth or a miscarriage. Specific foods are seen to be especially valuable, for example:
Foods that tonify Qi (energy) include;
Oats, rice, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, mushroom (button and shitake), yam, date, grape, Kidney beans, tofu, beef, chicken, tuna, egg, jasmine tea and spices such as; basil, cinnamon, clove, dill, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme.
Examples of every day western foods that can be used to build Qi
- Oat porridge with dates
- Roast sweet potatoes, pumpkin and yams with rosemary
- Chicken stir fry with shiitake mushrooms and rice
- Shepherds pie with beef mince, mushrooms, carrots and mashed potato as a topping Read more