Looking for a Kidney Cleanse? Here Are the Best Drinks for Your Kidneys

The kidneys have an important job: They filter the blood and maintain a healthy balance of water in your body. You may be wondering what the best drinks are to keep them running smoothly. In addition to water, certain drinks may help keep your kidneys healthy.

While more research is needed for almost all of them, below we explore what studies say about the drinks that may support kidney health and help prevent kidney stones.

What are the best drinks for a kidney cleanse?

The best drinks for a kidney cleanse are those that help your kidneys stay healthy. They don’t actually “clean out” your kidney. But they may help them function at their best. 

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Cranberry juice

Cranberry juice contains antioxidants. These are ingredients that help decrease inflammation in your body. The antioxidants in cranberry juice may also help decrease your risk of developing a urinary tract infection (UTI). Researchers believe this is because it prevents bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract. 

Most UTIs won’t affect your kidneys. But sometimes the infection can travel up the urinary tract and into your kidneys. This is a condition called pyelonephritis. Scientists think cranberry juice may be good for your kidneys because it can help prevent pyelonephritis. It seems to do this by interfering with bacteria that stick to the kidney walls.

Unsweetened or low-sugar cranberry juices are the best options. Too much sugar can increase blood sugar and blood pressure, both of which can harm your kidneys. 

It’s also important to note that cranberry juice might affect your risk for kidney stones. One small study showed it increased the risk of calcium oxalate and uric acid stones but decreased the risk of brushite stones. We cover drinks for kidney stones in more detail below.

Carrot juice

Research shows that drinking 2 glasses (or 16 oz) of carrot juice a day has antioxidant effects. While research hasn’t looked at the effects of carrot juice on kidneys in people, some animal studies show interesting results. 

In a study of rats, carrot root helped protect their kidneys when given at the same time as a medicine that can damage kidneys. Another study in rats showed that carrot root prevented kidney damage. 

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Beet juice

Beet juice also has antioxidant properties that are good for your overall health. Like carrot juice, studies on the effects of beet juice on kidneys have been done in rats. 

In one study, researchers looked at the effect of beetroot juice on rats with diabetes. They found that rats given beetroot juice had healthier kidneys. The beetroot juice helped prevent and even reverse some of the kidney damage linked to diabetes.

There’s also some evidence that beet juice may help lower blood pressure. Since high blood pressure can be hard on your kidneys, this may be another way that beet juice is good for your kidneys. 

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But it’s important to note that beet juice is high in oxalate, a natural compound that can increase the risk for certain types of kidney stones. So, if you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, you may want to avoid beet juice. Otherwise, sticking to 8 oz a day isn’t likely to cause harm. 

Beet juice can also turn your pee and poop red for up to 2 days after drinking it, so don’t be alarmed if you notice this change

Teas

Tea is a popular beverage that many people turn to for its possible health benefits. A range of studies have looked at whether drinking tea plays a role in kidney health. The findings are mixed. Some studies show that drinking 2 to 4 cups of any type of tea (green, black, or oolong) — especially with milk — protects the kidneys. But other studies don’t show any benefits.

Green tea contains catechins, antioxidants that help decrease inflammation in your body, which may be good for your kidneys. Research shows that light to moderate consumption (2 to 4 cups daily) of black tea with milk but no sweetener may also keep kidneys healthy. 

Water

When it comes to drinks, water is one of the best ways to protect your kidneys. A large study of over 50,000 adults found that people who drank more water were less likely to have kidney problems. People with chronic kidney disease are less likely to progress to kidney failure if they drink a moderate amount of plain water each day — about 4 to 8 cups per day. 

The amount of water you need from day to day is different for everyone. It depends on things like your weight, activity level, and health conditions. A good way to know if you’re well-hydrated is to track how frequently you’re peeing and the color of your urine. When you’re hydrated, you’ll likely feel the urge to pee at least every 2 to 4 hours. And your urine should be a clear, light yellow color.

What are the best drinks for kidney stones?

To help prevent kidney stones, hydration is key. But not all hydration works the same way. Some drinks — like sugar-sweetened soda and punch — might even make you more likely to develop kidney stones. The research is limited, but here’s a list of drinks that may help prevent kidney stones. 

Orange juice

Citrus drinks like orange juice may decrease the formation of calcium oxalate stones (the most common kind of kidney stones). This is because they contain citrate, which can decrease the acid content of urine and prevent stone formation. 

The research on this is limited. But drinking 3 cups (or 24 oz) of orange juice daily has been shown to decrease the chances of developing calcium oxalate kidney stones. The effect was seen in healthy people and in those with a history of kidney stones. 

But another study found that this only applied to a rarer kind of kidney stone called a brushite stone. This study showed that orange juice made no difference in preventing calcium oxalate stones. So, the research on orange juice isn’t strong enough to recommend it for everyone.

Coconut water

Coconut water has less sugar than other juices, making it a promising option for lowering the odds of kidney stones. Animal studies have found that coconut water can help prevent the buildup of crystals in the urine that lead to kidney stones. Studies on humans are limited. But one small study in adults showed that drinking coconut water was linked to increased citrate in the urine. This makes coconut water a promising option when it comes to preventing kidney stones, but larger studies are needed. 

Lemon juice

Lemon juice is also high in citrate. So, experts often recommend daily lemon juice for people who have had a kidney stone. If lemon juice feels too strong or tart, you can add it to water to make lemon water, which is easier to drink. 

One study showed that drinking 2 oz of lemon juice twice a day prevented kidney stones from coming back in people who previously had them. But people in the study tended to drop out after a while because it was difficult for them to drink lemon juice daily. So, it may not work for everyone. 

Water

Once again, simple water makes the list of top drinks to help your kidneys. Drinking plenty of water is common advice for people looking to prevent kidney stones. Some studies suggest that drinking water daily can help prevent kidney stones from ever developing. But well-designed studies are lacking. There’s stronger evidence that if you’ve had a kidney stone in the past, drinking plenty of water — about 8 cups a day — can help prevent new stones from forming. 

Does coffee or tea cause kidney stones?

Drinking coffee and certain types of tea doesn’t increase your risk of kidney stones. In some cases, it might decrease your risk.

Green and black tea

Low to moderate amounts of green tea daily may decrease your risk of developing kidney stones, especially if you have a history of kidney stones. A study from China found that people who drink green tea regularly were less likely to be hospitalized for kidney stones. Drinking black tea wasn’t protective.

While black tea may not help prevent kidney stones, it doesn’t seem to cause them either. A small study done in healthy men showed that drinking 6 cups of black tea daily for 5 days didn’t increase the risk of kidney stones.

Coffee

Coffee, especially caffeinated coffee, actually decreases your risk of kidney stones. Researchers have found that people who drink 1 cup of caffeinated coffee daily or up to 1 ½  cups of decaffeinated coffee are less likely to develop kidney stones. 

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Written by:

Cherilyn Davis, MD

Cherilyn Davis, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician in New York City. She has held local and national roles at the American Medical Women’s Association including board member of the physician division and physician chair of social media.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

Reviewed by:

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician in a variety of clinical settings. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.

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