KIDNEY STONE DIET

Diet can play a significant role in reducing risk of kidney stone (renal calculi) formation. I have had several years of experience working with people who get recurrent kidney stones to lower the risk of a new stone forming.

The foods to eat for the prevention of kidney stones will vary depending on the type of stones you have formed in the past as well as your blood and urine results.

 FAQs

  • If you have had calcium oxalate stones in the past or if you have high oxalate levels in the urine then the answer is likely yes. However, it is important to note that whilst eating a low oxalate diet may reduce your risk of kidney stones, there are other diet and lifestyle changes that play a larger role in risk reduction.

    Oxalate rich foods include berries, rhubarb, spinach, silver beet, beetroot, eggplant, sweet potato, star fruit, nuts and so on. As you can see, oxalate is found in a lot of healthy foods therefore it is not expected nor recommended to cut out all foods containing oxalate.

    New research has suggested that eating and drinking high calcium and oxalate foods/drinks together allows the minerals to bind together and reduces the risk of kidney stone formation.

  • Certain vitamin and mineral supplements can increase your risk of stone formation. It is particularly important to avoid vitamin C supplements as the kidneys partly convert the vitamin C you ingest into oxalate, an excess could therefore increase the risk of calcium oxalate formation.