8 natural food that will help you get rid of kidney stones.

Adm Desk May 27, 2018

8 natural food that will help you get rid of kidney stones.

It is very important to have healthily functioning kidneys in our body. They are one of the most vital organs of our body. The help to detoxify our blood and also flush out these toxins in the form of urine. However, it is not uncommon that at times due to certain reason the proper functioning is interrupted due to the formation of kidney stones. So here are a few natural foods that will help you prevent and get rid of kidney stones-

Say no to animal protein.

Did you know animal protein like meat, fish, and dairy is directly associated with higher risk of getting kidney stones? If your diet includes heavy consumption of meat fish and dairy it is likely that your calcium excretion has increased considerably and while levels of citrate have been dropped. Furthermore, animal protein is also abundant in purine. The compound purine is broken down into uric acid and there is a high probability that it increases the risk of forming uric acid stones. Although every food we intake has some amount of purine, plant protein is relatively low in it thereby making it a better option to have more in your diet.

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Drink plenty of fluids.

Drinking plenty of fluids is a great way to help get rid of kidney stones. Fluids dilute the stone-forming substances in urine which makes it highly unlikely to crystallize. Not only this, fluids will also increase the volume so your chances of developing a stone are relatively dropped. But not all beverages aid in getting rid of them. Take for instance if you have a heightened intake of water, coffee, tea or orange juice it is less likely that you will have stones, whereas soda, on the other hand, can increase your chances greatly. This is equal for both artificially sweetened sodas and the regular ones. This is so because sugar-sweetened soda contains fructose which increases the excretion of calcium, oxalate and uric acid which are major elements that contribute to kidney stones. The phosphoric acid in both these kinds of sodas is also one of the majorly contributing factors for kidney stones.

Add citric acid to your diet.

Citric acid is one of the easiest ways to prevent kidney stones. It is found in many fruits and vegetable especially lemon and lime which are loaded with this highly beneficial acid. Citric acid prevents stone formation as it binds with the calcium in urine thereby helping you not form any kidney stones. Not only this it also helps in putting a halt to the enlargement of kidney stones as it binds with existing calcium oxalate crystals thereby preventing them from getting bigger in size so you can pass these stones before they get larger in size. You can add a glass of limewater every day in your diet or just add on fruits like grapefruit, oranges, lemons or limes that will help you greatly in this regard.

Cut down on food that is full of oxalates.

Although a diet which is high in oxalates is generally regarded as very healthy and a low-oxalate diet is no longer recommended for all stone-forming individuals but it can be a problem for people who have calcium oxalate stones. Oxalic acid, also known as oxalate is found in large amounts in leafy green vegetables, vegetables, and cocoa. But this is something your body already produces in abundance. A diet which is high in oxalate might turn out as a problem for those who have calcium oxalate stones as Oxalate can sometimes bind calcium and other minerals and form crystals which serve as stones in your body. Make sure you consult your dietician or doctor before you cut down on oxalates as they are very beneficial for your body otherwise.

Do not consume high doses of vitamin C.

There have been studies all around that link vitamin C or ascorbic acid directly to kidney stones. As a supplement, Vitamin C greatly inflates the excretion of oxalate in the urine as some of the vitamin C can be converted into oxalate within the body. Once a study also concluded that men who take vitamin C supplements were highly likely to develop stones than the ones who did not take any supplements. One thing to keep a note about in this regard is that vitamin C is taken as a supplement is harmful, if consumed from natural sources like lime, grapefruits or any other natural food source has absolutely no harm.

Make sure you are getting enough calcium.

A very common myth that has been revolving around kidney stones since ages is that you need to cut down on your calcium if you develop stones. This is most certainly not true, in fact, contrary to this popular belief in a high calcium diet will reduce your chances of having a kidney stone. As per a study conducted recently, a few men who previously had kidney stones were placed on a diet which had 1200 mg of calcium per day while cutting back on animal protein and salt had about 50% fewer chances of developing a kidney stone again as compared to the other men who were given less calcium, that is 400 mg regularly.

Hold back on your salt intake.

A diet which has lots of salt will ultimately result in stones. As table salt is rich in the component sodium its daily intake will increase the calcium content in your urine which is one of the greatest risk factors for stone formation. Although some studies have also failed to find the association in younger men and women most doctors and dietary guidelines recommend to consume 2,300 mg of sodium per day but people generally consume a lot more than this.

Add lots and lots of Magnesium to your diet!

One of the most important and highly ignored minerals that is essential for your body is magnesium. People generally don’t consume enough of it in their diet. Even though it is essential for many metabolic reactions to take place in your body that included energy production and movement of muscles. Magnesium also helps in reducing oxalate absorption in the gut which ultimately reduces your chances of having calcium oxalate stones in your body. Some food sources that are rich in this mineral are avocados, legumes, and tofu. So, go ahead and add them to your daily diet!