When it comes to Kidney stones, there is always a lot of discussion about diet, about how certain foods cause Kidney stones to form and how eating, or drinking, something will help “dissolve” a stone. There are so many zillions of such simple home remedies that supposedly dissolve stones, that many patients of Renal Stones are often mislead into trying these magical formulations rather than seek proper medical help.
Indeed, maintaining a good diet goes a long way in preventing the formation of Kidney stones.That is very true.
Unfortunately though, once a stone is formed, there is nothing in terms of food intake that can dissolve a kidney stone inside the body.
A stone once formed inside the Kidneys can either come out spontaneously via naturalis, or gets stuck in the Ureters .
A small stone, usually 6mm or lower, generally tends to pass out through the Urinary tract. Stones that are larger will find it extremely difficult to find their own way out, and may tend to get struck in the narrower parts of the Urinary tract, and may end up hampering the normal urinary drainage from the kidneys, resulting in obstruction and other harmful sequelae.
Therefore, the old adage which says that ‘Prevention is better than Cure’ holds good for Stones!
With this in mind, you will now realize that here are mainly two things that need diligence.
Firstly, one of the most important factors associated with stone formation is inadequate intake of water. Its the one thing that most stone formers have in common - they don’t drink enough water!
An average healthy adult needs around two to two and a half liters of water everyday. This requirement varies depending on various factors - a humid environment, spending a lot of time outdoors in the hot sun, exercising, etc., when you would need slightly more water consumption.
Second: Balanced Diet.
The number of chemical constituents in a person’s stone can be so mind bogglingly varied, that only a Stone Analysis of an expelled Stone can identify its exact components.
This means that the dietary formulation for every patient needs to be tailored to his particular condition, and what works for one may not make sense at all, for the other.
So, if you don’t know your exact stone type (and very few would actually know), the best thing to do is to take a Balanced Diet.
That means to take reasonable quantities of healthy food, and to make sure that you do not overly partake certain food substances, while completely avoiding others. The sensible thing would be, of course, to avoid unreasonably large servings, or to completely avoid unhealthy food substances.
- Increase fluid intake
An average person needs to drink Water between 12-16 cups of water per day to keep kidneys healthy. Drinking lot of water keeps a kidney healthy and flush unwanted toxic substance which causes kidney stones. - Avoid processed food :-
In these modern days. Everything comes with processed packing foods. But we need to avoid such type of food to keep Kidney healthy. - Maintain a regular calcium Intake.
Even though almost all Kidney stones have at least some amount of Calcium in them, avoiding Calcium in diet will prove far more detrimental. Calcium is a very important micronutrient in the body that plays a role in many major bodily functions including that of the Heart, bones, teeth, etc., It is impossible to live a healthy life in its absence. And, it’s only the excess calcium in the body that is excreted in the urine.
Therefore,It makes sense to avoid substances such as oxalates in the diet, which combine with this calcium to form stones, rather than avoid calcium at all. - Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables are a necessary part of any diet. Increasing the number of vegetables in their diet have been proven to help prevent stone formation.
Fruits with high levels of citric acid like oranges and lemons will help in preventing kidney stones.
What foods to avoid in the kidney stone diet?
- Limit Salt:-
We need to avoid foods that contain high levels of sodium. High sodium levels in the body can promote calcium buildup in urine. Fast food and processed and packed food can have a high level of sodium so try to avoid it - Reduce intake of animal protein:-
Over intake of animal protein like red meat, chicken, poultry, and fish may increase uric acid in the body reduce the Citrate levels and increase the Oxalate levels, all of which highly contribute to stone formation. - Reduce Oxalate containing foods
Foods high in this oxalate chemical increase the formation of kidney stones by binding to the calcium during digestion.
The food contains oxalate
- chocolate
- beets
- nuts
- tea
- rhubarb
- spinach
- sweet potatoes
- Avoid carbonated Drinks.
Carbonated Drinks is high in phosphate, another chemical that can promote the formation of kidney stones.
Conclusion:
Prevention is better than cure, so we need to keep control of our diet to keep us healthy. Our food and our healthy lifestyle acts a crucial role in preventing kidney stones.
Consult Dr Kalyan Kumar for the Best Kidney stones treatment in Secunderabad Hyderabad
