An Important Over View Of The Kidney Stones Diet
An Important Over View Of The Kidney Stones Diet
It would seem that just about everyone has known someone who has had the misfortune to go 
through a kidney stone. After hearing about the pain and discomfort that so many experience when trying to pass a kidney stone, their attention often begins to turn inward. After all, if you’ve heard a friend or family member relate the pain of a kidney stone, and heard the stories that the only pain it can compare to is child birth, that would shake you up, right? And that is probably why there has recently been a rise in interest on the subject of a kidney stones diet. There are some important points to consider though, so without further ado, let us write several of the more important points regarding who a kidney stones diet is for, and how it may be constructed, in a general sense.
To begin with, it needs to be made clear that nobody should really be starting a diet to prevent kidney stones without a couple of things happening first. to begin with, it is important that a person has actually had a kidney stone. Of course, anyone could do well to follow some of the more common points of diets for kidney stones, but the specific dietary additions and deletions are far too individual for anyone to just go by chance. Making the wrong move in your diet in an effort to prevent kidney stones, when you haven’t had one, is a bad idea and could be bad for your health.
Of course, if you have had a kidney stone, or think you may be dealing with the symptoms of a kidney stone, then it is important to see a doctor to ensure nothing goes wrong, and that you can get the stone analyzed to get a proper kidney stones diet put together. So long as you know the type of stone you’ve had, you can make some plans for your diet. At least, in most cases it is true.
Now that we have spoken about different types of kidney stones a little bit, let us go through the common types of kidney stones, and then get along into the common approaches involved in a kidney stones diet.
To begin with, the most common type of kidney stone is a calcium oxalate kidney stone. These stones are made up of primarily calcium and oxalate in a combination. There are some genetic factors involved in probably every case of kidney stones, but these are impacted by diet to an extent. There are a number of other calcium based kidney stones as well which don’t necessarily warrant mentioning in the scope of this article.
Following calcium types of kidney stones, the next more widely known are probably uric acid kidney stones. Uric acid kidney stones are impacted more heavily by the amount of animal protein in a person’s diet. Certain types of alcohol can also result in an excess of purines in the system, which can contribute to the formation of this type of kidney stone.
Third is a type of kidney stone called a cystine kidney stone. These stones are formed by an amino acid, which are the building blocks of proteins, that leaks in to the urine and forming this particular type of kidney stone.
Finally, are struvite kidney stones, which actually have no commonly known association with diet. These seem to be caused by an infection of the kidneys. The main way that people tend to go about avoiding this type of stone is to keep their kidney healthy and infection free. Following some dietary steps, while not necessarily directly linked to this type of stone, may help to keep the kidneys healthy, but that is a big “may”, and purely speculation. So, while specific recommendations don’t exist, it makes sense that general changes may be of benefit. Of course, speaking with a physician about the best path forward is important.
Now that we have talked a little bit about the different types of kidney stones, we can talk about some of the commonly seen recommendations of a kidney stones diet. Of course, these are general observations and for informational purposes only. A uric acid kidney stone may need different strategies than someone with a calcium type of kidney stone.
First off, most people are told to drink more liquid. In fact, whether or not you’ve had a kidney stone isn’t often the point here. Many people are partially dehydrated and don’t know it. In the case of kidney stone sufferers though, the need to drink more liquids is elevated. Getting plenty of water, and perhaps some citrus juices since there are some mentions that kidney stones could possibly be partially dissolved by citrus, is very important. Without enough liquid, the body cannot perform at its optimal level and minerals and other substances that make up kidney stones can settle in the kidneys, raising the chances of a stone forming.
A great way of describing this was that it is like dissolving a sugar cube in a cup of water. More water seems to help the cube dissolve. Whether that is true or not, you can probably understand the example being made. Less fluid allow for a relatively higher amount of material to settle and eventually build into a stone. More fluid allows a relatively lower amount of material to settle and eventually build up into a kidney stone.
Second is the topic of calcium in the diet. Calcium is important and has a number of roles, including muscle function, some kidney functions etc. Too much calcium binding with oxalate may form a stone. While it would seem that the obvious choice then would be to reduce both of these, that is not often done. Calcium may be reduced, but it is often oxalate that gets chopped out. Foods like chocolate, rhubarb, beans, beets and even tea can all be offenders in this case.
Next up is the issue of sodium. In general, many people with kidney stones are told to reduce their sodium for a number of reasons. One is that sodium does seem to impact high blood pressure in some people. The kidneys are also partially responsible for regulating blood pressure, so making the kidneys work any harder isn’t a great thing.
The main point though, is that excess sodium causes changes to fluid balance in the body, and can also cause calcium to be excreted in the urine at higher levels, possibly raising the chances of a calcium based kidney stones forming.
Finally, is the topic of meat in the diet. For a long time now, really ever since the Low Carb groups have been going hog wild in the weight loss arena, people have been saying that these diets aren’t healthy. They lack vegetables in a lot of cases, and the thinking was that all of the meat was hard on the kidneys.
That is only partially true though. Eating a ton of meat with no plant life at all isn’t a great idea for anyone. However, it can be even more of an issue if you form uric acid kidney stones. In this case, too much meat may indeed be hard on your kidneys, but not for the reasons everyone else would be claiming.
For this reason, meat is often limited as well.
So to wrap it up, sodium is often reduced, while calcium is often left alone in favor of reducing oxalate. Alcohol is often cut back as well. In general, these basic points covering a kidney stones diet are similar to any other healthy diet, but with a few tweaks that would be determined later on, after the fact.
And that seems like enough for this particular post. A kidney stones diet is very individual and not something to toy with. Please, be sure to speak to your physician about any concerns you have, and understand that this information is just for informational purposes. Check back soon for more information on the kidneys, and more important content on the topic of a kidney stones diet.
