Kidney stones can cause a lot of pain and might happen more than once. Changing the way you eat and live can help prevent kidney stones from forming. Here are some tips to avoid getting kidney stones by watching what you eat.
1. Drink Plenty of Water
To avoid getting rocks in your kidneys, it’s important to drink lots of water. Doctors recommend drinking six to eight glasses of water every day. This helps your body make more pee, which can get rid of minerals that might cause kidney stones.
2. Moderate Oxalate-Rich Foods
Some foods like spinach, nuts, and chocolate have a natural substance called oxalate in them. Doctors recommend that people who are prone to getting calcium oxalate stones should control how much of these foods they eat instead of completely avoiding them, states iythealth.com. It’s best to eat foods with calcium when you eat these other foods. This helps your body process them better. Doing this helps to lower the chance of getting hard deposits in your kidneys.
3. Keep Calcium in Your Diet
Some folks think that calcium is the main reason behind calcium-oxalate stones, but that’s not completely accurate. If you don’t eat enough calcium, you might be more likely to get kidney stones. So, it’s better to not eat less foods that have calcium, but instead, try to eat less foods that have salt.
4. Reduce Sodium Intake
Sodium is an important mineral that our body needs. But if we eat too much of it, it can increase the chances of getting kidney stones. When we eat foods that are processed, fast, canned, or in the form of deli meat, they often have a lot of salt in them. If you want to reduce the amount of salt you eat, choose foods that say “low-sodium” or “no salt added” on the label. Avoid foods that have a lot of salt in them.
5. Limit Animal Protein
Eating too much meat and dairy products like beef, chicken, and milk can increase your chances of getting kidney stones. Protein is very important for our body, but we can get it from things like beans, lentils, and nuts that come from plants.
6. Check with a Dietitian
If you have had kidney stones before, it’s a good idea to talk to a licensed dietitian who knows how to help you avoid getting them again. These experts can help you create a healthy meal plan that prevents kidney stones and makes sure you get enough nutrients and proteins.
If you make small changes to your daily habits and what you eat, you can protect yourself from getting kidney stones.
To avoid getting kidney stones, it’s important to follow some tips. Drink enough water, don’t eat too much food with oxalate, make sure you eat enough calcium, don’t eat too much salt, don’t eat too much meat, and ask a nutritionist for help.
