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Eating the right foods in the right amounts will help to prevent kidney stones. What are the
foods to avoid witey stones? What can you eat if you have kidney stones? How to eat and
drink with kidney stones? Is there a diet for Kidney Stones? These are some questions we will
try to address here.
Kidney stones are considerably more common in times of prosperity, whereas in times of
shortage (e.g. world wars) substantially fewer stone disorders are recorded. Men are more
frequently affected than women. Most kidney stones are 95% crystalline, while the rest is
organic material. The following distinctions are drawn between different kinds of stone based
on their crystalline composition: 80-85% are calcium stones (usually calcium oxalate, less
commonly a mixture of calcium oxalate/calcium phosphate or pure calcium phosphate), 5-
10% are uric acid stones, 5-10% are "infection stones" (struvite and carbonate apatite), and
1% are rare varieties, e.g. cystine stones.
No kidney stone disorder can be explained by nutrition alone. However, diet does play a
crucial role in calcium and uric acid stones, triggering the formation of stones in people with a
predisposition. Major studies have shown that excessive consumption of meat protein leads to
a marked increase in kidney stones. The main risk factors for calcium stones are a low volume
of urine, increased excretion of oxalic acid and calcium (less critical), and a deficiency of
citrate, which inhibits crystallization in the urine. Overly acidic urine is the main risk factor
for the formation of uric acid stones.
Salt
The sodium contained in common salt can increase the risk of stone formation, probably by
increasing the urinary excretion of calcium. On the other hand, a drastic reduction of salt leads
to a decrease in urinary volume. A slightly reduced salt intake (to about 8 g per day) is
therefore recommended.
Sweets
Excessive consumption of foods rich in sugar increases the urinary excretion of calcium and
thus possibly also the risk of kidney stone. Probably more important, however, is the fact that
chocolate, pralines and products containing cocoa have high oxalate content.
Many factors affect our dietary behaviour: individual needs and desires, our day-to-day
condition, the social environment, the food currently on offer, advertising etc. The following
recommendations ensure a balanced and varied diet that provides an adequate intake of
energy, nutrients and protective substances and thus a healthy approach to nutrition. The
figures quoted are intended for the "average person", i.e. for adults who engage in normal
physical activities and thus have an average energy and nutrient requirement. The figures
would vary for other groups (such as children and adolescents, top athletes, pregnant women
etc.). The quantities and portions given are likewise average values; they cannot be adhered to
precisely every day. Those passages which appear in italics are particularly important for
persons with a tendency towards kidney stones.
Fruit:
Eat 3 portions of fruit a day (1 portion = 1 apple, 1 banana, 3 plums or a dish of berries),
ideally raw.
Vegetables:
Eat 3 - 4 portions of vegetable per day, at least one of them raw, e.g. as a dip or a mixed salad
(1 portion = 100 g raw or 150 - 200 g cooked vegetable).
Exercise restraint, however, with spinach, chard and rhubarb (preferably eat these
vegetables together with dairy products, e.g. spinach with cheese gratin).
Beverages:
Drink at least 3 litres of liquid per day, preferably unsweetened and alcohol-free beverages.
Black tea or ice tea and cocoa beverages should only be drunk in small quantities.
Alkoholic drinks:
Do not drink more than 2 glasses of wine or beer a day. Plan to have at least 1 day a week
without alcohol!