5 Tips for Avoiding Kidney Stones

Jan 5, 2015 | Common Health Questions, Family Health, Food Facts, General Health

If you have ever heard of someone that has had a kidney stone, you know how painful it is. In fact, some people say kidney stones are as painful as giving birth. Unfortunately for a lot of people kidney stones don’t just come one time. Roughly 50% of people who have had one, another comes within seven years without preventive measures.

Tips for Avoiding Kidney Stones

So here are my tips that you can use for avoiding kidney stones in the first place.

Drink Lots of Water

One of the biggest things that you want to do for avoiding kidney stones is to drink enough water. If you don’t drink the amount of water that you need, there’s going to be more minerals in your urine which can lead to stones. You should drink enough water so that you produce a minimum of two quarts full of urine in 24 hours. A good indicator to know if you’re drinking enough water is to look at your urine’s colour. If it’s not at least pale yellow you need to up your intake of the ‘corporation pop’. If your urine is golden or worse edging on orange, you really need to up your intake quickly. Ideally, your urine should be almost clear.

2. Stay Away from Sugary Drinks

If you have read my blog at all over the last five years you will surely have read my posts about sugary drinks. But for any new comers, when you consume a lot of sugar, you may have some problems with kidney stones. Plus your weight is also going to be affected so I think this one is a no brainer. Sugar will upset your body’s mineral relationships because it interferes with the absorption of magnesium and calcium. Consuming soda and unhealthy sugar in children is a major factor as to why children are getting kidney stones. Personally, I stopped taking any sugary drinks when I was about 12 and got really into keeping fit. This was about the same time I started taking karate lessons and I have never looked back. At first, I didn’t like drinking water, so pushed myself to drink at least one cup after I washed my teeth, which was 3 times a day. Then when I got used to that, I increased to 2 cups each teeth brushing session, so 6 cups overall per day. This was a fantastic foundation and now I absolutely love water. So give this a try if you find it hard drinking water.

3. Get Enough Magnesium

Magnesium’s responsible for over 300 bodily biochemical reactions. When you don’t have enough of this in your system, it can result in getting kidney stones. It also will affect how your body absorbs and assimilates calcium. If you take in too much calcium and don’t take in magnesium, the extra calcium can cause things like kidney stones.

A good way to get magnesium is by eating leafy green vegetables such as Swiss chard and spinach. I find a really simple way to get what you need is through juicing vegetables. In my juicer I also throw in other great sources of magnesium such as almonds, seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, beans, or sesame seeds.

However, please be careful here because foods that are good sources of magnesium often are high in less desirable constituents, such as oxalate.

If your kidney stone is caused by an excess of calcium, you may be advised to reduce the amount of oxalates in your diet. Oxalates prevent calcium being absorbed by your body, and can accumulate in your kidney to form a stone. You should not reduce the amount of calcium in your diet unless your GP recommends it. This is because calcium is very important for maintaining healthy bones and teeth.

4. The Link Between Poor Exercise and Kidney Stones

I know you’ve heard it before. But if you are not doing enough exercise, or none at all, when are you going to start? You are depleting your quality of life in more ways than just not looking your best. If you aren’t active you are going to have a greater chance of getting kidney stones. This is partly due to the fact that limited activity often makes bones release additional calcium. Exercise is also going to help you with resolving elevated blood pressure, which also can cause kidney stones.

5. Avoid Soy that is Non-Fermented

Soy-based foods and soybeans might cause people who are prone to kidney stones to have more problems with kidney stones. The reason is that they have high oxalate levels, which bind with the calcium in kidneys so that stones are formed

This is just one of the reasons that unfermented soy, which is found in soy burgers, tofu, soy milk, and ice cream made with soy, isn’t considered healthy. If you want to consume soy, make sure that you are only consuming the fermented soy. The fermenting process reduces the levels of anti-nutrients and phytate and the beneficial properties are there for your body.

In conclusion, what would be a good all round recommendation to avoiding kidney stones for most people? Do the things above as well as limiting salt, reduce animal protein intake, and consider intake of high fiber plant foods containing phytate. These things will help you reduce your risk of kidney stones and boost your overall health. And as always talk to your GP before changing your diet.

Make this the week you start a new regime in your life. Don’t waste another week of your life in your old, tired body. The new you wants to come out and start a fresh new, powerful life, full of energy, vitality and happiness. Go for it!

Always Dedicated to Your Awesome Life,