If you have kidney stones, you might need to follow an unique diet. First, your doctor will run tests to learn what type of stones you form. From these, the doctor can identify which diet changes may be right for you. A registered dietitian can help you make the essential changes in your diet.
What kind of diet will I need to follow?
You might be asked to make changes to the amount of salt, calcium, oxalate, protein, citrate, potassium and fluid in your diet. A registered dietitian can help you with making these changes.
Calcium oxalate stones are the most typical type of kidney stone. Kidney stones are solid masses that form in the kidney when there are high levels of calcium, oxalate, cystine, or phosphate and too little liquid. There are various types of kidney stones. Your doctor can test your stones to find what type you have. Calcium oxalate stones are caused by excessive oxalate in the urine.
Oxalate is a natural compound discovered in numerous foods. Your body uses food for energy. After your body uses what it requires, waste products take a trip through the blood stream to the kidneys and are removed through urine. Urine has numerous wastes in it. If there is too much waste in insufficient liquid, crystals can start to form.
These crystals might stick together and form a solid mass (a kidney stone). Oxalate is one type of substance that can form crystals in the urine. This can take place if there is excessive oxalate, insufficient liquid, and the oxalate “sticks” to calcium while urine is being made by the kidneys.
How can I lower my chances of forming calcium oxalate stones?
Drink enough fluids
The top thing you can do is to drink adequate fluids, like water. Consuming enough fluids will thin out your urine and make it harder for chemicals to build up and form crystals. Your doctor will take a look at your general health, diet, and lifestyle and suggest the correct amount of fluid you should have each day.
Prevent eating excessive protein
Eating too many foods high in protein can cause stones to form.
Eat less salt
A diet high in salt (sodium) causes calcium to build in your urine. Too much calcium in your urine can cause new stones. It can likewise cause your bones to weaken.
Include the right amount of calcium in your diet
Some people may think they can keep stones from forming by preventing calcium, however the reverse is true. Calcium is a nutrient that is found in dairy products, such as yogurt, milk and cheese. You need to eat calcium so that it can bind with oxalate in the stomach and intestines before it transfers to the kidneys. Eating foods with calcium is a good way for oxalates to leave the body and not form stones.
The best method to get calcium into your body is through the foods you eat. It might seem easier to increase your calcium by taking a supplement. However, calcium in the form of a supplement might raise your chances of forming brand-new calcium oxalate stones. Consulting with your healthcare provider will help you discover the best way to include calcium in your diet. This will help avoid having too little or too much calcium in your body.
Avoid vitamin C supplements
Speak to your doctor before taking vitamin C supplements. Excessive vitamin C can cause high amounts of oxalate in the urine.
Eat less oxalate-rich foods
Limiting the number of oxalate-rich foods you eat every day may help lower your opportunity of forming brand-new stones. There are some foods you need to avoid because of their high oxalate levels. Some foods really high in oxalate a: nuts, swiss chard, beets, chocolate soy milk, buckwheat flour, miso, sesame seeds and other foods.
I had an oxalate stone. What type of diet should I follow? Do I have to prevent foods high in oxalate?
Calcium oxalate kidney stones are the leading type of kidney stones. Oxalate is naturally found in lots of foods, consisting of vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, grains, legumes, and even chocolate and tea. Some examples of foods which contain high levels of oxalate include: peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets, chocolate and sweet potatoes.
The oxalate content of food can vary due to differences in such things as soil quality and state of ripeness. There might be variation in published information, too, as various approaches might be used to identify the oxalate content of food.
Some research recommends that limiting high oxalate foods might help reduce your opportunity of forming another oxalate stone. Nevertheless, numerous high oxalate foods are healthy so it is a good idea to not excessively limit your diet if not needed. Most kidney stones are formed when oxalate binds to calcium while urine is produced by the kidneys.
I had a calcium stone. What type of diet should I follow? Will I need to prevent high calcium foods?
Calcium is not the opponent. If you have high calcium in the urine then sodium decrease is handy for stone avoidance. Rather of reducing your calcium consumption, focus on limiting the salt in your diet and pair calcium-rich foods with oxalate-rich foods. Additional sodium causes you to lose more calcium in your urine, putting you at risk for establishing another stone. Your doctor will most likely advise you to restrict salt to 2,000 milligrams each day.
There are numerous sources of “covert” sodium such as canned or commercially processed foods in addition to restaurant-prepared and junk foods. A dietitian help you understand food labels and make changes in the quantity of sodium that you eat. If you do not have high calcium in the urine then for stone decrease you may be much better off concentrating on other dietary changes. Your doctor or signed up dietitian can help figure out if you require more or less calcium and help you prepare a diet that is healthy.
New research suggests that consuming calcium and oxalate-rich foods together during a meal is a much better technique than limiting oxalate completely since oxalate and calcium are more likely to bind to one another in the stomach and intestinal tracts before the kidneys start processing, making it less likely that kidney stones will form. Talk with your doctor about how strictly you have to avoid oxalate-containing foods.
A typical misconception is that cutting the oxalate-rich foods in your diet alone will reduce the possibility of forming calcium oxalate kidney stones. While in theory this may be true, this approach isn’t really wise from a general health viewpoint. Many kidney stones are formed when oxalate binds to calcium while urine is produced by the kidneys.
Instead: Eat and drink calcium and oxalate-rich foods together during a meal. In doing so, oxalate and calcium are most likely to bind to one another in the stomach and intestinal tracts prior to the kidneys begin processing, making it less likely that kidney stones will form.
Diet Tips
Calcium is not the enemy! Most likely due to its name and structure, lots of are under the impression that calcium is the primary perpetrator in calcium-oxalate stones. A diet low in calcium really increases one’s risk of developing kidney stones.
Don’t reduce the calcium. Work to cut back on the salt in your diet and to combine calcium-rich foods with oxalate-rich foods.
Have a good day!
