Low Oxalate Diet

A recent study has revealed that 80% of kidney stones diagnosed in patients are primarily composed of calcium and oxalate. In other words the hardened material that form kidney stones, comprises calcium oxalate. So, it won't be wrong to conclude that low oxalate diet can play a major role in preventing kidney stones. As the name suggests this form of diet excludes high oxalate foods or recommends to eat them in minimal amounts.

Low Oxalate Diet

Dairy products
Dairy products also come in the list of foods that have low oxalate levels. Following are the dairy products:

• Milk
• Buttermilk
• Yogurt (nonfat)
• Cheese

Vegetables
So, which are the vegetables containing low levels of oxalate? People with kidney stone problems can include the following vegetables in their diet:

• Frozen green peas
• Peeled cucumber
• White cabbage
• Zucchini squash
• Alfalfa sprouts

However, people with a history of kidney stones need to avoid using vegetables like potatoes, spinach, kale and green peas as these vegetables are found to be high in oxalate levels. Intake of these vegetables will only increase the chances of recurrence of kidney stones.

Meat
Those, who like to eat sardines, however should stay away from this type of fish. This is because sardines is high in oxalate content and hence, one should refrain from consuming it. Following are the meats that can be included in low oxalate diet:

• Chicken (lean)
• Eggs
• Lamb
• Turkey
• Pork (lean)

Sweets
Those with a sweet tooth would want to know, is it possible to include sweets in this diet. The answer is yes. However, certain restrictions have been put on the amount of sweets one can eat when following a low oxalate diet. Although recipes made from sponge cake, marmalade or fruit cake are popular, they cannot be included in this diet, as they are high in oxalate levels. Following are the sweets low in oxalate levels:

• Jams
• Jellies
• Honey
• Pure maple syrup

Keep in mind that the above sweets have to be consumed in limited amounts (not more than 1 tablespoon). One might be wondering why chocolate is not included in the aforementioned sweets list. Analysis of a sample of plain chocolate and cocoa dry powder has proved that these psychoactive foodstuffs have high oxalate levels.

Fruits
Choices are plenty, when it comes to fruits that have low oxalate content. Some of them are given below:

• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Mangoes
• Papaya
• Grapes
• Peeled apples
• Plums

Other Foods
Will it to be okay to have spaghetti, white rice or white bread at breakfast? All these food items can be a part of this diet for kidney stones. One can also have cereals, noodles and oatmeal during meals as they are low in oxalate levels.

So, besides drinking plenty of water, one should also follow a low oxalate diet to keep kidney stones at bay. As calcium is also an important constituent of kidney stones, to be on the safer side, one should consume calcium rich foods (dairy products) in moderate amounts.