Based on the type of kidney stone you had, you may be able to prevent kidney stones by making changes in how much sodium, animal protein, calcium, or oxalate is in the food you eat.
You may need to change what you eat and drink for these types of kidney stones:
Calcium oxalate stones
Calcium phosphate stones
Uric acid stones
Cystine stones
1. Calcium oxalate stones:If you’ve had calcium oxalate stones, you may want to avoid these foods to help reduce the amount of oxalate in your urine :
Nuts and nut productsPeanuts—which are legumes, not nuts, and are high in oxalateRhubarbSpinachWheat bran
#reduce sodiumYour chance of developing kidney stones increases when you eat more sodium. Sodium is a part of salt. Sodium is in many canned, packaged, and fast foods. It is also in many condiments, seasonings, and meats.
#limit animal proteinEating animal protein may increase your chances of developing kidney stones.Limit eating animal protein, includingBeef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meatsEggsFish and shellfishMilk, cheese, and other dairy productsAlthough you may need to limit how much animal protein you eat each day, you still need to make sure you get enough protein. Consider replacing some of the meat and animal protein you would typically eat with beans, dried peas, and lentils, which are plant-based foods that are high in protein and low in oxalate.Get enough calcium from foodsEven though calcium sounds like it would be the cause of calcium stones, it’s not. In the right amounts, calcium can block other substances in the digestive tract that may cause stones. It may be best to get calcium from low-oxalate, plant-based foods such as calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, some kinds of vegetables, and some types of beans.
2. Calcium phosphate stones:Reduce sodium: Your chance of developing kidney stones increases when you eat more sodium. Sodium is a part of salt. Sodium is in many canned, packaged, and fast foods. It is also in many condiments, seasonings, and meats.Limit animal protein: Eating animal protein may increase your chances of developing kidney stones.Limit eating animal protein, including Beef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meats eggs fish and shellfish milk, cheese, and other dairy products. Although you may need to limit how much animal protein you have each day, you still need to make sure you get enough protein.Consider replacing some of the meat and animal protein you would typically eat with some of these plant-based foods that are high in protein:
1. Legumes such as beans, dried peas, lentils, and peanuts
2. Soy foods, such as soy milk, soy nut butter, and tofu
3. Nuts and nut products, such as 4. Almonds and almond butter, cashews and cashew butter, walnuts, and
5. Pistachios
6. Sunflower seeds
Get enough calcium from foodsEven though calcium sounds like it would be the cause of calcium stones, it’s not. In the right amounts, calcium can block other substances in the digestive tract that may lead to stones. Talk with a health care professional about how much calcium you should eat to help prevent getting more calcium phosphate stones and to support strong bones. It may be best to get calcium from plant-based foods such as calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, some kinds of vegetables.
3. Uric acid stones:Limit animal proteinEating animal protein may increase your chances of developing kidney stones.A health care professional may tell you to limit eating animal protein, includingBeef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meats eggs fish and shellfish milk, cheese, and other dairy productsAlthough you may need to limit how much animal protein you have each day, you still need to make sure you get enough protein. Consider replacing some of the meat and animal protein you would typically eat with some of these plant-based foods that are high in protein:Legumes such as beans, dried peas, lentils, and peanutsSoy foods, such as soy milk, soy nut butter, and tofuNuts and nut products, such as almonds and almond butter, cashews and cashew butter, walnuts, and pistachiosSunflower seedsTalk with a health care professional about how much total protein you should eat and how much should come from animal or plant-based foods.Losing weight if you are overweight is especially important for people who have had uric acid stones.
4. Cystine stones:Drinking enough liquid, mainly water, is the most important lifestyle change you can make to prevent cystine stones. Talk with a health care professional about how much liquid you should drink.
Tips to reduce your sodium intake: Adults should aim to consume less than 2, 300 mg a day. 3 one teaspoon of table salt has 2, 325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. If you have had calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones, you should follow this guideline, even if you take medicine to prevent kidney stones.Here are some tips to help you reduce your sodium intake:Check the percent daily value (%dv) for sodium on the nutrition facts label found on many foods. Low in sodium is 5% or less, and high in sodium is 20% or more.Image of a nutrition labelConsider writing down how much sodium you consume each day.When eating out, ask about the sodium content in the food.Cook from scratch. Avoid processed and fast foods, canned soups.Look for foods labeled: sodium free, salt free, very low sodium, low sodium, reduced or less sodium, light in sodium, no salt added, unsalted, and lightly salted.Check labels for ingredients and hidden sodium, such as sodium bicarbonate, the chemical name for baking sodaBaking powder, which contains sodium bicarbonate and other chemicalsDisodium phosphateMonosodium glutamate, or msgSodium alginateSodium nitrate or nitrite.