Avoid Kidney Stones

Disappointed that my husband wasn’t told which type of kidney stones he had, though he was given a list of things to do and avoid for Calcium Disease. Calcium stones are most common and found more often in men. Calcium oxalate stones account for 90% of kidney stone incidence. Chances are this is the type of stones that he passed.

The doctor would like him to follow all seven of the things list here, but told him to do at least two. Here is the list:

1. Drink 2 liters or two quarts (64 oz. = (8) 8 oz glasses) of water every day. If you are active bring it up to 3 liters. The best way to know if your body is taking in the right amount of water is to check your urine. Clear urine shows that you have been drinking enough water. Yellow urine means that you need to more water. Coffee, tea and cola work as diuretics and causes dehydration.
2. Drink real lemonade. 1-2 tablespoons per 8 oz. glass of water. Lemon juice contains citrate. This helps to prevent stone formation in the urine. Lemonade bought at restaurants is fountain lemonade that is made with sweeteners and very little lemon juice, if any. If buying frozen concentrate, check the label for what percent of lemon juice is added.
3. Limit sodium in the diet. Sodium follows calcium into the urine and increases the risk of stone formation. Consider salt substitutes and avoid salty foods.
4. Don’t limit calcium in the diet. Dietary calcium found in diary products and some plant foods. Taking calcium in the natural way according to studies, show that it decreases the risk of stone formation.
5. Avoid supplemental calcium. Calcium in vitamin or calcium tablets will increase your risk of stone formation. Some people take calcium to avoid the risk of osteoporosis. If you need to take calcium supplements for any medical condition, always take the tablets with food and never on a empty stomach.
6. Limit oxalate in the diet. Oxalate is a by-product of normal food metabolism. Foods high in oxalate increase the risk of stones. High oxalate containing foods include: tea, chocolate, cocoa, nuts, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, plums, liver, bran flakes, wheat germ, dark green vegetables and malted alcohol.
7. Limit purines in the diet. Purine is a compound found in nucleic acids. When purine is metabolized, it creates a crystalline compound including uric acid, thus increase the risk of kidney stones.. Purine and uric acid is a by-product of protein metabolism. Foods high in purine content include: anchovies, bacon, heat, kidney, liver, scallops, veal, venison, lentils, dried beans, spinach and asparagus. When eating such foods high in purine, drink a glass of water before and after to help reduce the risk of stone formation.

After reading this, my husband said that he would drink more water and lemonade.

(Be sure to read the first two hubs below (course you can read all of the hubs), these two are follow-up and tie in hubs.)

The copyright to this article is owned by Sandy Mertens (sandyspider). Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. (You can, however, freely use the opening introduction and photo with a link to the article here on HubPages to read the remainder of the article.)