Kidney stones are one of the worst diseases anyone can come across. If you’re suffering from kidney stones, then you will need to follow a strict diet plan that can help in kidney stone prevention. The first thing that your healthcare professionals will do is to test your blood and urine to find out your kidney stone risk factors. After that, the healthcare professional will inform you about the necessary dietary changes and medical treatments needed to prevent your kidney stones from forming once again. To make great changes in your diet, you will need to consult with a registered kidney stone dietitian who can help in making vital changes to your diet.
Your kidney’s primary function is to remove waste and fluids from your body which turns into urine. Sometimes when you have too many specific types of wastes and low levels of fluids in your body, these types of wastes can build and form into stones in your kidney. These clumps of minerals are known as kidney stones.
What’s the Most Important Factor to Prevent Kidney Stone Formation?
The best and the first thing you should do to avoid kidney stones is to drink a lot of water every single day. This will make sure that you urinate more often, frequent urination prevents a build-up of calcium or uric acid.
Excess sweating can also lead to kidney stones. Saunas, hot yoga, and heavy exercise sound good for physical health but they can also lead to the formation of kidney stones. Loss of water during sweat can lead to lower urine production, the more you sweat, the less you will urinate. All this allows stone-causing minerals to settle deposits in the kidneys and urinary tract.
Keep yourself hydrated with water. Make sure to keep yourself well hydrated while doing exercise and activities which leads to excessive sweating. Consult with your doctor about the right amount of water for your body.
Diet For Kidney Stone Prevention
There is no particular diet plan for stone prevention. Almost all kinds of diets are recommended based on the type of kidney stones a person is suffering from.
- Calcium Oxalate Stones
Oxalate is found in multiple types of foods including fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, grains, legumes, and even chocolate. Limiting the intake of these foods can be great for all those who are suffering from calcium oxalate kidney stones.
You should eat and drink calcium foods such as milk, yogurt, and some cheese and oxalate-rich foods together during a meal. The oxalate and calcium from the foods are much likely to join together with one another in the stomach before reaching the kidneys. This will make it much easier for kidney stones to form.
Calcium is not bad for your body, but it tends to get a very bad reputation. You shouldn’t reduce calcium in your diet, you need to work to cut back sodium in your diet.
- Uric Acid Stones
Red meat, organ meats, and shellfish have large amounts of a natural chemical compound known as purines. A huge intake of purine can lead to higher production of uric acid and a larger acidic load for kidney stones to excrete.
If you’re suffering from uric acid stones and if you want to prevent the formation of more stones then you need to cut down on high purine food items. These food products contain red meat, organ meats, beer/alcoholic beverages, meat-based gravies, sardines & shellfish. You need to follow a healthy diet plan that contains mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains & dairy products.
You should also limit alcohol because it increases uric acid levels in the blood. If you somehow manage to decrease animal-based protein and eat more fruits and vegetables then it will reduce urine acidity.
Other Methods To Prevent Kidney Stones?
- Passing a kidney stone is known as one of the most painful experiences. Unfortunately, it’s not a one-time thing as kidney stones can form over and over again. You need to follow the right combination of medicines, diet, and fluid intake so kidney stones don’t form again.
- Chronic kidney stones are often treated with less acidic citrate. Certain citrate such as potassium citrate help prevents specific types of stones if the urine citrate is low and urine pH levels are too low. The aim is to increase urine citrate (for preventing calcium stones) and increase urine pH. You should make sure to keep your pH in balance, you should speak to your doctor or other healthcare professionals.
Diet Recommendations for Kidney Stones
- Drink Plenty of Fluids
Fluids include any type of fluids including water, coffee, and lemonade. These are known to show a beneficial effect except grapefruit juice and soda. More fluids will help in producing less concentrated urine.
- Limit Foods With Oxalate Content
If you were suffering from Oxalate kidney stones in the past, then you limit the intake of Spinach, berries, chocolate, wheat bran, nuts, beets, tea, and rhubarb.
- Eat Enough Calcium
Three servings of dairy each day will help in lowering the risk of calcium-based stone formation. Make sure to include as much calcium as possible in your diet.
- Eat a Fair Amount of Protein
High protein intake will cause your kidneys to excrete more calcium, this may cause more stones to form in your kidneys. You need to have a balanced amount of protein in your diet.
- Avoid High Salt Intake
If your diet contains high levels of sodium then it can increase calcium in the urine. Elevated levels of calcium in your diet can increase the chances of developing kidney stones. A low salt diet is also crucial for controlling your blood pressure.
