Top Foods to Avoid If You Have Kidney Stones

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Kidney stones are a common health issue that causes immense pain in your back, side, lower abdomen, or groin area. The pain is so severe that it is often described as worse than childbirth by women sufferers.

Drinking enough water and including Ayurvedic medicine like Krishna’s Patharchatadi Swaras in your diet is the most beneficial thing you can do to remove all types of kidney stones. But, eating the wrong foods can make the situation worse. Unfortunately, having a kidney stone is not usually a one-time event. If you experience a kidney stone, you have a 35% to 50% chance of developing another one within 5-10 years and a 75% chance within 20 years. Thus, it is necessary to maintain a proper diet even if your kidney stone is passed out of your body.

By avoiding or limiting the intake of certain foods you can prevent or reduce your risk of this painful situation. Discover top foods to avoid if you have kidney stones.

What to avoid eating and drinking if you have kidney stones?

Firstly, you need to be aware of what type of kidney stone you have as there is no one size fits all diet plan for stone prevention. The foods to avoid or limit are mostly recommended based on stone types developed in your body.

Learn about: The 5 Most Common Types of Kidney Stones & How to Avoid Them

Now, according to the type of kidney stone you have, here’s how your diet should be:

Foods to avoid for calcium oxalate stones

This type of kidney stone is the most common one. It forms when calcium in your urine combines with oxalate, a chemical found naturally in many foods. Foods with high amount of oxalate are:

Almonds and cashews
Peanuts
Spinach
Wheat bran
Stevia sweeteners
French fries
Raspberries
Dark green vegetables (Spinach)
Beer
Beets / Rhubarb
Sweet Potatoes
Tea and Coffee

Reduce or eliminate these foods completely from your diet to lower the risk of the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Just in case you want to eat oxalate foods, pair them with calcium-rich foods like milk, yoghurt, and cheese.

Even though calcium tends to get a bad rap as the cause of calcium stones, it’s not! Rather, calcium binds with oxalate in your intestines and stomach to prevent it from moving to your kidneys. Without enough calcium, oxalate is reabsorbed into the body and passed into the urine, which actually increases your chances of developing kidney stones.

To prevent oxalate stones, take around 1000-1200 mg of calcium. You can generally meet this recommendation by consuming 3 servings of dairy products each day.

Reduce Sodium

A high sodium intake raises your risk of kidney stones. Sodium is found in salt and is common in processed foods, such as:

Canned, packaged, and fast foods
Condiments, seasonings, and processed meats

Limit Animal Protein

Eating a lot of animal protein might increase your likelihood of developing kidney stones. Consider reducing your intake of:

Beef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meats
Eggs
Fish and shellfish

Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet, so consider replacing animal proteins with plant-based options like tofu, beans, peas, lentils and soy milk, which are low in oxalate but high in protein.

Foods to avoid to prevent calcium phosphate stones

Calcium phosphate stones form when calcium combines with phosphorus in the urine. If you’ve had this type of stone, oxalate isn’t a concern, but you should pay attention to other dietary factors.

Watch Animal Protein Intake

Eating too much animal protein can increase the risk of calcium phosphate stones. Try to limit:

Organ meats, like liver from chicken or beef
Dairy products including milk, curd, and cheese
Eggs
Seafood

Avoid Foods That Make Urine More Alkaline

Certain foods can raise the alkalinity of your urine, which may promote stone formation.

Limit:

Fresh fruit juices (except orange, cranberry, and nectarine juices)
Vegetable juices
Molasses
Be Cautious with Processed Foods

Phosphorus is commonly used as an additive in many processed foods. To lower your intake, limit:

Fast foods
Bottled sodas, especially colas
Frozen meals
Deli and luncheon meats
When shopping, check labels for ingredients that start with “phos,” as they indicate the presence of phosphorus.

Limit Sodium

Most people consume more sodium than they need. Aim to limit your sodium intake to no more than one teaspoon of table salt per day to reduce your risk of kidney stones.

Foods to avoid to prevent uric acid stones

These stones form when your urine is too acidic and contain uric acid, which your body produces as it breaks down high-purine foods such as seafood, red meat, organ meats, alcoholic beverages, and meat-based curries. So, unlike calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones, sodium is not a particular concern with uric acid stones.

Instead, reducing your intake of animal protein can help lower the risk of developing such stones.

Limit Animal Protein

Too much animal protein can raise the chances of getting uric acid stones. It’s recommended to cut back on foods like:

Beef, chicken, and pork (especially organ meats)
Eggs
Fish and shellfish
Dairy products like milk and cheese

Since protein is important for overall health try replacing animal protein with plant-based alternatives, which are high in protein but won’t increase your stone risk.

Good options include:

Beans, lentils, dried peas, and peanuts
Soy products such as soy milk, tofu, and soy nut butter
Nuts and nut butter, like almonds, cashews, walnuts, and pistachios
Sunflower seeds

Alcohol And Sugary Drinks

Such drinks can increase uric acid levels in your blood.

An important tip is to lose weight if you are overweight as a healthy weight and body play an important role in reducing the risk of uric acid stones.

Food to avoid to prevent cystic stones

Cystine stones result from a rare genetic condition called cystinuria, where a substance called cystine leaks into the urine, forming large stones. If you’ve had one, you’re more likely to get more, so here are some things to watch out for:

Stay Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water is crucial in preventing cystine stones. Staying well-hydrated helps dilute your urine and reduce the chance of cystine-forming stones.

Manage Acidity

Cystine stones form more easily in acidic urine. To reduce acid levels, limit your intake of meat and focus on eating more fruits and vegetables, which can help lower the acidity in your body. This is the opposite of calcium phosphate stones, which thrive in alkaline urine.

Watch Sodium

Too much sodium can contribute to cystine stones. Cut back on salty foods like French fries, canned soups, packaged meats, and other processed items. Reducing sodium can also help lower your risk of stones.

Ayurvedic Supplements to Prevent Kidney Stone Recurrence

Wrapping Up!

Changing your diet does make a huge difference in kidney stone formation and recurrence. Out there on the internet, there’s a lot of information about what foods to avoid if you have kidney stones. But, if you’re unsure about your specific risk for kidney stones or just want to take precautions, a simple rule is to limit your intake of salty foods, meats, and other animal proteins.

Most importantly, make sure to drink plenty of water. It helps dilute your urine, reducing the chances of stone formation. Stay hydrated, stay healthy!