Foods to Avoid with Kidney Stones

In case you were not fully aware, the condition of kidney stones, clinically, is known as renal lithiasis. As the name suggests, these stones refer to hard stone-like deposits which form inside the kidneys. These deposits are formed out of mineral and acid salts.

Food Bad for People With Kidney Stones

People with kidney stones, must avoid foods with a high amount of salt or ester of oxalic acid (oxalate) content. This is because this salt combines with insoluble crystals and contributes to the formation of kidney stones. Foods to avoid include:-

• Beans
• Beet greens
• Beetroot
• Beets
• Blackberries
• Carob powder
• Celery
• Chard
• Chocolate/ cocoa/ other chocolate drink mixes
• Dark leafy greens
• Draft beer
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Excessive amount of meat products
• Fruit cake
• Gooseberries
• Green peppers
• Grits (white corn)
• Leeks
• Legume
• Nuts, nut butter
• Okra
• Parsley
• Peanut oil
• Peanuts
• Pralines
• Raspberries (black)
• Red currants
• Rhubarb
• Salt
• Soy products
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Summer squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Swiss chard
• Tea
• Wheat germ

For your information, there are two types of kidney stones; calcium and oxalate. Foods to avoid with the former type are those which are high in salt. And the foods to avoid with the latter type, are the ones which are high in oxalate.

Prevention involves drinking lots of water, so much that the urine output must be around 2.5 liters a day. Needless to say, if you have a history of kidney stones then you would be advised to avoid including oxalate foods in your diet, to prevent any recurrences. Also, a diet that is low in salt and animal protein, also helps in cutting down the risk of kidney stones. Calcium rich foods do not cause kidney stones, but you must be cautious with calcium supplements.

Symptoms and Causes

Until the stones make their way into the ureter, which is the tube connecting the kidney and bladder, the condition remains asymptomatic; meaning, it won't be showing and kind of signs or symptoms. Otherwise, the kidney stones symptoms include occurrence of a severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs. This pain may radiate to the lower abdominal area and that of the groin. Pain during urination is also a common symptom, as the stones are trying to pass through the urinary tract. Urine may become pink, red or brown and the sufferer may have a persistent urge to urinate. Nausea and vomiting, accompanied by fever and chills are some more symptoms of kidney stones that are observed.

Urine consists of fluids and various minerals and acids. Due to unspecified reasons, the balance of these constituents are disturbed. This imbalance induces an increase in the amount of crystal-forming substances. These include calcium, oxalate and uric acid. These substances increase so much that fail to be diluted by the available fluid. Crystals do not easily stick together and become stones. They only do so in the absence of certain substances in the urine. So such environment triggers the risk of the formation of kidney stones.

Know that kidney stones are not known to cause any kind of permanent damage in the body. And in most cases, drinking enough water and avoiding certain foods, are enough to treat the condition without any prescription-strength medicines. However, it is also true that medical treatment does help in preventing recurrences of the stones in future.