Kidney Stones Diet – Foods List, Benefits, And Lifestyle Changes

March 11, 2019 by Charushila Biswas

ISSA Certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition

Living with kidney stones is extremely difficult. Pain, bleeding, medicines, and recurrence can take a toll on your physical and mental health. But a specially designed diet can help you and 12% of the world’s population (600,000 of which are Americans) reduce the symptoms and recurrence of kidney stones (1), (2), (3), (4).

Read on to know all about the kidney stone diet, which includes foods to eat and avoid, benefits, and the required lifestyle changes to prevent the formation/recurrence of kidney stones. Let’s begin!

Before jumping to the diet, here’s what you must know about kidney stones.

What Are Kidney Stones?

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Kidney stones are small grain-like or pearl-sized, hardened mineral or uric acid deposits in the kidneys. This condition is also known as nephrolithiasis, and it can affect both men and women across all races. But it is more prominent in men (5).

Our urinary tract is not biologically designed to pass solid substances. A deposit, as minute as a grain, blocks the urinary passage, prevents proper urination, and causes pain and bleeding. So, this brings us to one question, how do these deposits form? Find out about that in the next section.

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What Causes Kidney Stone Formation?

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Kidney stones are formed “when there’s too much waste in too little liquid” (6). These solid crystals then start attracting other chemicals like oxalate, cysteine, urate, calcium, phosphate, and xanthine.

These deposits can be of five types (7):

Calcium oxalate – Most common type of kidney stones formed due to inadequate intake of fluid.
Uric acid – The second most common type of kidney stones formed due to consumption of a diet high in meat, organ meat, and shellfish.
Struvite – These are less common and formed due to infection in the upper urinary tract.
Calcium phosphate – Formed due to an underlying metabolic disorder.
Cystine – Much rare. Cystine stones are formed if you have a family history of this kind of kidney stones.

The stone(s) formed might get washed away if you drink an adequate amount of water. Otherwise, the stone(s) either sits in the kidney or moves down to the ureter, where it blocks the urinary passage. This causes less urination, pain, and even infection in some cases. Here are some symptoms of kidney stones.

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Symptoms Of Kidney Stones

Extreme pain in the groin region, back, or the side
Vomiting or nausea
Fever and chills
Blood in urine
Foul-smelling urine
Discolored urine
The urge to urinate frequently

Talk to your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms.

Apart from not drinking enough water, kidney stones can also form when your diet is high in sugar and/or salt, or you have a family history of kidney stones or are obese and lead a sedentary lifestyle. That’s why, along with medications, you must take care of your diet and lifestyle. Here’s everything you need to know about the kidney stone diet.

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Kidney Stones Diet

To know what you may consume, we have to go by ‘process of elimination.’ I will first tell you which foods to avoid depending on the type of kidney stone you have. Please talk to your doctor to confirm the kind of kidney stone you have. And once you get confirmation, you may take a screenshot of this table and use it while grocery shopping.

For Calcium Oxalate Stone

Foods To Avoid	Foods To Consume
Nuts and nut butters, except for peanuts and peanut butter Legumes Spinach (yes! This dark leafy green is a rich source of oxalate, which can further aggravate your problem.) Wheat bran Rhubarb High sodium foods	Beans, lentils, legumes, soybean and soybean products Peanuts Sunflower seeds Almonds, walnut, almond butter, peanut butter, pistachios, cashew, and cashew butter 8 ounces of water Freshly pressed fruit juices Limited amount of meat and meat products

Foods To Avoid

Foods To Consume

Nuts and nut butters, except for peanuts and peanut butter
Legumes
Spinach (yes! This dark leafy green is a rich source of oxalate, which can further aggravate your problem.)
Wheat bran
Rhubarb
High sodium foods

Beans, lentils, legumes, soybean and soybean products
Peanuts
Sunflower seeds
Almonds, walnut, almond butter, peanut butter, pistachios, cashew, and cashew butter
8 ounces of water
Freshly pressed fruit juices
Limited amount of meat and meat products

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For Uric Acid Stone

Foods To Avoid	Foods To Consume
Chicken Pork Beef Organ meat Fish and shellfish Eggs Cheese, milk, and all dairy products	Beans, lentils, legumes, soybean and soybean products Peanuts Sunflower seeds Almonds, walnut, almond butter, peanut butter, pistachios, cashew, and cashew butter 8 ounces of water Freshly pressed fruit juices Very restricted amount of animal product. Consult a registered dietitian to know how much animal product to consume.

Foods To Avoid

Foods To Consume

Chicken
Pork
Beef
Organ meat
Fish and shellfish
Eggs
Cheese, milk, and all dairy products

Beans, lentils, legumes, soybean and soybean products
Peanuts
Sunflower seeds
Almonds, walnut, almond butter, peanut butter, pistachios, cashew, and cashew butter
8 ounces of water
Freshly pressed fruit juices
Very restricted amount of animal product. Consult a registered dietitian to know how much animal product to consume.

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For Struvite Stone

Foods To Avoid	Foods To Consume
Foods rich in magnesium Packaged and canned foods Salty foods Fried, fast foods Frozen foods Foods low in calcium Sugary foods Animal products	Beans, grains, fresh veggies, dark leafy greens, bran, and fruits 8 ounces of water per day. Vitamin C-rich fruits and fruit juices Cranberry juice Watermelon seeds Herbs like rosemary and agrimony Have vitamin B6 and B1 supplements (talk to your doctor first).

Foods To Avoid

Foods To Consume

Foods rich in magnesium
Packaged and canned foods
Salty foods
Fried, fast foods
Frozen foods
Foods low in calcium
Sugary foods
Animal products

Beans, grains, fresh veggies, dark leafy greens, bran, and fruits
8 ounces of water per day.
Vitamin C-rich fruits and fruit juices
Cranberry juice
Watermelon seeds
Herbs like rosemary and agrimony
Have vitamin B6 and B1 supplements (talk to your doctor first).

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For Calcium Phosphate Stone

Foods To Avoid	Foods To Consume
Packaged and canned foods Salty foods Fried, fast foods Frozen foods Chicken Pork Beef Organ meat Fish and shellfish Eggs Cheese, milk, and all dairy products	Beans, lentils, legumes, soybean and soybean products Peanuts Sunflower seeds Almonds, walnut, almond butter, peanut butter, pistachios, cashew, and cashew butter 8 ounces of water Freshly pressed fruit juices Very limited amount of animal product. Consult a registered dietitian to know exactly how much animal product to consume.

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Diet To Follow If You Have Cystine Stone

Foods To Avoid	Foods To Consume
Packaged and canned foods Salty foods Fried, fast foods Frozen foods Foods containing sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), baking powder, sodium alginate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and sodium nitrate or nitrite	Beans, grains, fresh veggies, bran, and fruits 8 ounces of water per day. Freshly pressed citrus fruit juices Homemade vegetable juice/smoothies Note: Cook at home to control the amount of salt and sugar intake in your food.

Foods To Avoid

Foods To Consume

Packaged and canned foods
Salty foods
Fried, fast foods
Frozen foods
Foods containing sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), baking powder, sodium alginate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and sodium nitrate or nitrite

Beans, grains, fresh veggies, bran, and fruits
8 ounces of water per day.
Freshly pressed citrus fruit juices
Homemade vegetable juice/smoothies

Note: Cook at home to control the amount of salt and sugar intake in your food.

Following a diet that targets dissolving the type of kidney stone you have works like magic. But not if you do not add the following catalyst. Read on to find out what is it.

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Lifestyle Changes

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A sedentary lifestyle and poor diet are two main reasons for kidney stone formation. So, along with changing your diet, you must tweak your lifestyle as well. Here’s what you can do.

Get active! Play a sport, run, swim, dance, do yoga, walk, lift weights – pick up any physical activity and spend at least 4 hours on it per week. The good hormones will also uplift your mood.
Drink up! Drink at least 8 ounces of water per day. You may also increase your fluid intake by consuming buttermilk, vegetable and fruit juices, and detox water.
Meditate and medicate! Dealing with pain and treatment can increase your stress levels. Meditate regularly for at least 5 minutes to pacify your restless, worried mind. But do not ignore the medicines prescribed by your doctor.
Dunk the junk! Toss the sweet, salty, canned, frozen, canned, and ready-to-eat foods into the bin (or donate them).

Start integrating one lifestyle change at a time into your routine. Give yourself three weeks to switch to a new lifestyle, which will ultimately help you improve your health condition. In fact, by following a kidney stone diet and a good lifestyle, you will reap the benefits mentioned below.

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Benefits

Weight loss
Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
Reduced risk of developing diabetes
Avoids the risk of complete renal failure
Reduces the risk of kidney infection
Improves mood and quality of life
Makes you less dependant on medicines and other medical treatments

Conclusion

Kidney stones are painful and can become life-threatening if you do not act NOW. Eat clean, stay active, and keep the stress away. For sure, you will see a quick improvement in your condition. Take care!

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References

“Kidney Stone Disease: An Update on Current Concepts” Advances in Urology, Hindawi.
“Medical and Dietary Therapy for Kidney Stone Prevention” Korean journal of urology, US National Library of Medicine.
“Dietary treatment of urinary risk factors for renal stone formation. A review of CLU Working Group.” Archivio italiano di urologia, andrologia : organo ufficiale [di] Società italiana di ecografia urologica e nefrologica / Associazione ricerche in urologia, US National Library of Medicine.
“Diet and renal stone formation.” Minerva medica, US National Library of Medicine.
“Kidney Stone Disease: An Update on Current Concepts” Advances in urology, US National Library of Medicine.
“Kidney Stones” National Kidney Foundation.