6 Must Follow Dietary Changes To Avoid Kidney Stone
Your kidneys perform many vital functions in your body; they remove waste, salt, and water, filter your blood, and control the levels of minerals. The filtered blood then again get recirculated back into the body, and the leftover waste is in turn gets converted into urine. But when your urine has high levels of salts or minerals, this usually results in kidney stones. Here we have summarized 6 clinically prescribed diet plans which will surely help you to get rid of kidney stones.
The most common causes of kidney stones include:
- Obesity
- The history of kidney stones
- Gastric bypass surgery
- A diet rich in sodium, protein, or/and sugar
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Certain medications (diuretics, calcium-based antacids)
Some people have no symptoms of kidney stones, while others might experience sharp pain below the ribs, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, brown or red urine, and cloudy or foul-smelling urine.
There are five different types of kidney stones:
- Calcium oxalate stones
- Calcium phosphate stones
- Struvite stones
- Uric acid stones
- Cystine stones
Doctors can use different ways to treat kidney stones like kidney stone extracorporeal shockwave therapy, alpha-blockers, and surgical options. But in most cases, diet alone can help.
Calcium oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney. If you have calcium oxalate stones, you need to incorporate some dietary changes to your life to get rid of the problem. These six tips can help you treat calcium oxalate stones:
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Limit foods high in vitamin C
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Vitamin C is metabolized to oxalate. Getting too much vitamin C can increase the amount of oxalate in your body that will lead to more kidney stones. Limit these foods until you treat kidney stones:
- Bell peppers
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Oranges
- Snow peas
- Papayas
- Strawberries
- Kiwifruit
- Guavas
- Chilli peppers
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Limit your salt intake
Eating more sodium can increase the amount of kidney stones. Eliminate semi-finished foods like deli meats, hot dogs, sausage, canned products, dry soup mixes, sauerkraut, and pickles from your diet. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, drink more water, and add more high-fiber foods. This will help you balance your sodium levels and treat kidney stones.
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Avoid high-oxalate foods
You should avoid foods high in oxalate since they could be the reason for your kidney stones. The more oxalate your body absorbs, the more oxalate in your urine. High-oxalate foods include:
- Potato chips
- Spinach
- Rhubarb
- Beets
- Bran flakes
- French fries
- Nuts and nut butter
- Red meat
- Alcohol
Do not avoid healthy foods that provide some oxalate. Oxalate is unavoidable since most plant foods contain some.
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Drink plenty of water every day
Proper hydration is essential for your kidney health. Try getting 10-12 glasses of fluids a day. You can also try drinking more lemonade. Experts suggest that lemonade might help reduce the risk of calcium oxalate stones.
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Eat more calcium-rich foods
Not getting enough calcium might raise your risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Many people try avoiding calcium-rich foods because of the name “calcium oxalate stones.” But calcium binds oxalate in the intestines.
A diet high in calcium can help lower the amount of oxalate in your body and reduce your chances of kidney stones. Eat calcium-rich foods and beverages every day. Consume more dairy foods like cheese, milk, butter or other calcium-rich foods.
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Eat the right amount of protein daily
Consuming large amounts of animal protein might increase your risk of kidney stone formation. Foods like red meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood, increase the levels of uric acid, and reduce your body’s ability to absorb calcium properly.
The National Kidney Foundation recommends reducing animal-based protein and consuming more fruits and vegetables. This will help you reduce urine acidity and will help your body absorb calcium well.
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