The 6 Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones
The 6 Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones in a simple and natural way. Also, kidney stones are hard mineral deposits that form inside your kidneys . They cause excruciating pain as they pass through the urinary tract. Up to 12% of Americans are affected by kidney stones . And once you’ve had a kidney stone , you’re 50% more likely to get another one within the next 10 years.
There is no sure way to prevent kidney stones, especially if you have a family history of the condition. A combination of diet and lifestyle changes, as well as some medications, can help reduce your risk. So, check out, The 9 Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones.
Stay Hydrated: Drinking more water is the best way to prevent kidney stones . If you don’t drink enough, your urine output will be low. Low urine output means your urine is more concentrated and less likely to dissolve the urine salts that cause stones.
Lemonade and Orange Juice are also good options. Both contain citrate, which can prevent stones from forming.
Try to drink about eight glasses of fluids daily, or enough to pass two liters of urine. If you exercise or sweat a lot, or if you have a history of cystine stones, you will need additional fluids.
You can tell if you are hydrated by looking at the color of your urine – it should be clear or pale yellow. If it’s dark, you need to drink more.
Eat More Foods Rich in Calcium: The most common type of kidney stones is calcium oxalate stone, leading many people to believe that they should avoid eating calcium . The opposite is true. Low calcium diets can increase your risk of kidney stones and your risk of osteoporosis , so consuming calcium is one of the best ways to prevent kidney stones .
Calcium supplements , however, can increase your risk of stones. Taking calcium supplements with a meal can help reduce this risk. Low-fat milk, low-fat cheese, and low-fat yogurt are all good calcium -rich food options .
Eat Less Sodium: A high-salt diet increases the risk of kidney stones, so eating less sodium is a good way to prevent kidney stones . According to the Urology Care Foundation, too much salt in the urine prevents calcium from being reabsorbed from the urine into the blood. This causes calcium rich urine which can lead to kidney stones .
Eating less salt helps keep calcium levels in your urine lower. The lower the urinary calcium, the lower the risk of developing kidney stones. To reduce your sodium intake, read food labels carefully.
Foods notorious for being high in sodium include:
- Processed foods such as chips and crackers
- canned soups
- canned vegetables
- lunch meat
- Spice
- Foods That Contain Monosodium Glutamate
- Foods that contain sodium nitrate
- Foods that contain sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
To taste foods without using salt, try fresh herbs or a salt-free spice blend with herbs.
Eat Less Foods Rich in Oxalate: Eating less foods rich in oxalate is one of the Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones. Some kidney stones are made from oxalate, a natural compound found in foods that binds with calcium in the urine to form kidney stones . Limiting foods high in oxalate can help prevent stone formation.
Foods high in oxalates are:
Oxalate and calcium gather in the digestive tract before reaching the kidneys, so it’s more difficult to form stones if you eat oxalate-rich foods and calcium-rich foods at the same time.
Eat Less Animal Protein: Foods high in animal protein are acidic and can increase urinary acid. High urine acid can causeuric acid and calcium oxalate kidney stones .
One of the Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones is to try to limit or avoid:
- Beef
- poultry
- Fish
- Pork
Avoid Vitamin C Supplements: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation can causekidney stones , especially in men. According to a 2013 study, men who took high doses of Vitamin C supplements doubled their risk of kidney stone formation . Researchers don’t believe that Vitamin C from food carries the same risk so one of the ways to prevent kidney stones is to avoid vitamin C supplementation .