If you've read anything about diets lately, you've probably read warnings that excessive amounts of proteins or minerals may damage your kidneys. What you probably haven't read is that excessive amounts of acid waste in your body can cause serious kidney damage too.

Kidneys are the bodys last-resort filtering mechanism. If the kidneys don't work properly, toxins build up and poison your blood. The results can be fatal. To keep your kidneys functioning well, you need to reduce the overall acid level in your body. The right type of foods and supplements can help. Because damaged kidney cells cannot be regenerated, there is no time to waste.

THE RISK

When acid enters the bloodstream as a result of improper digestion or excessive consumption of acid-causing substances, some of the acid is removed by the liver and converted into fat cells to be stored away from the bodys vital organs. However, when too much acid accumulates and the liver can't process all of it, the remaining acid is sent to the kidneys to be filtered out of the bloodstream.

Unfortunately, the kidneys were not designed to filter this type of acid waste. They were designed to filter out the normal by-products of metabolism, not the excess acids that accumulate in your body through improper diet and nutrition and through exposure to environmental toxins.

Heavy metals in the water supply and in some food sources, undigested food that turns acidic, excessive amounts of minerals from highly processed foods, and acid-forming soft drinks and over-the-counter drugs each of these substances taxes the liver and, in turn, the kidneys. Kidneys bombarded by acid waste become so stressed that they can't even filter the normal by-products of metabolism, such as lactic acid.

THE DAMAGE

Unlike the liver, which can convert some acid waste into fat cells and other storage cells, the kidneys have no ability to store acids. They must either filter the acid waste from the blood or become clogged with acids. Because the kidneys have such a fine network of capillaries used to filter the blood, they become clogged much more quickly than the major arteries. The accumulation of acids in the kidneys causes the formation of kidney stones and ultimately causes kidney cells to die.

Because kidney cells cannot be regenerated or repaired, the remaining cells have to work that much harder to filter substances from the blood. To help with the filtering process, the heart increases the flow of blood plasma to the kidneys, which in turn elevates blood pressure. As the kidney cells continue to die, the risk of kidney failure
increases dramatically.

THE BENEFITS OF A BALANCED pH

To restore healthy kidney functioning, you need to reduce dramatically the level of acid waste in your body. A proper alkalinizing diet can help balance your bodys pH level. The right combination of vegetable juices can neutralize your bodys acids and can dissolve clumps that have started to form kidney stones.

After you body becomes less acidic, you'll need to focus on reducing or eliminating consumption of acid-causing foods and substances. The less acid waste your body produces, the easier time your kidneys will have. Your kidney cells are irreplaceable without drastic intervention, so its important to start immediately trying to control your bodys pH level. Not only will you save your kidneys, you'll experience an overall improvement in your health and reduce your vulnerability to degenerative diseases.