Foods That Can Cause Kidney Stones

Foods Rich in Oxalates:  By avoiding foods rich in oxalate, you will be decreasing the availability of a raw material needed to form the most common stones. This, however, is only effective for those who have calcium oxalate stones. Avoid the following foods:

• Fruits : Apricots, figs, rhubarb, kiwi, strawberries
• Vegetables: Artichokes, green beans, beets, raw red cabbage, celery, chives, eggplant, leeks, okra, green peppers, rutabagas, squash, parsley, white corn.
• Dark leafy greens: Swiss chard, beet greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, spinach, kale, endive and arugula.
• Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomato paste.
• Beans: boiled, black, white, pink.
• Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and poppy seeds.
• Starches: Barley, cornmeal, buckwheat, lentil and potato soup
• Whole wheat products: bread, pasta, tortilla, wheat germ, wheat bran and bran cereal, cream of wheat and shredded wheat.
• Drinks: chocolate drinks, tea, instant coffee and carob ice cream
• Others: Chocolate, soy products, black olives, pepper, saffron.

Foods Rich in Sodium:  Sodium causes the kidneys to excrete more calcium in the urine . High concentrations of calcium can form salts with oxalate or phosphorus, leading to kidney stones . Sodium also reduces the levels of stone citrate in the urine . The fact that urinary calcium levels reflect dietary sodium levels can be used to our advantage. Limit your daily sodium intake to less than 2 grams per day. Avoid the following items:

• Table salt (sodium chloride)
• Fast foods
• Processed, canned and packaged foods
• Foods with these labels – sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), baking powder, disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium alginate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite.

Animal Proteins and Other Sources of Purines:  Purines are natural compounds found in the body, even in our DNA and in many foods. They can be broken down into uric acid by our body. So, if we ingest too much purine, urine concentrations ofuric acid will increase. Urinary uric acid can settle down and form kidney stones .

Animal protein sets the odds in favor of stone formation by reducing citrate excretion and increasing calcium and uric acid excretion. Individuals with a history of kidney stones should limit their daily intake of animal protein to 80 grams.

NOTE:  Control your diet to fight obesity and diabetes. You may be wondering what obesity and diabetes have to do with kidney stones. Here’s the link: Insulin resistance, a common cause of diabetes, can reduce citrate and increase calcium in your urine  —both risk factors for kidney stones.

A higher body mass index (BMI), as in the case of obese individuals, has been linked to greater oxalate excretion – another risk factor for stones. In this way, weight loss driven by a healthy diet not dependent on animal protein and effective diabetes management can prevent kidney stones .

Not All Liquids Are Good for Kidney Stones: The most effective advice anyone can give to prevent kidney stones is to drink fluids. Drinking 2.5 to 3 liters of fluid a day can increase the volume of urine , which can work wonders. However, the type of liquid is also important.

For example, coffee and beer decrease the risk of non-oxalate stones but increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones. Lemon juice with a high concentration of citrate can lessen the risks of stones in addition to calcium phosphate stones, while being harmful for those with calcium phosphate stones.

Likewise, grapefruit juice appears to increase the risk of stones in general for unknown reasons. A good starting point would be to do blood or urine tests to identify the type of stones you have or may develop. Some people who are passing small stones in their urine may send the stones to the lab for testing as well.