Although kidney stones are fairly common, many go unnoticed until they start to grow or leave the body. In many instances, changing your diet can help to speed up the stone’s ability to pass through the urinary tract. Use this guide to determine where you can help it along.

Do:

Increase your citrus intake.

Certain kidney stones are caused by a buildup of uric acid, a waste product of proteins and vitamins. Under normal circumstances, uric acid leaves your body when you urinate. However, certain diseases—like gout—can increase uric acid levels.

Consuming more citrus fruits—such as oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits—will help to break up any small stones. The citric acid in these fruits adds a protective coating around the formations and prevents additional substances from attaching to them. 

Drink more fluids.

Staying hydrated is important for treating all types of kidney stones. Consuming enough liquid to dilute your urine stops the stones from getting bigger and assists in breaking them loose to travel out of the urinary tract. 

Drinking at least two liters of water, ginger ale, and lemon/lime juices every day will help to keep you hydrated and make it more difficult for stones to form.

Don’t:

Eat a lot of salty foods.

All sodium chloride comes from the foods you eat, and most of it is absorbed by the blood. As the kidneys remove sodium from the blood, they also take calcium. The calcium then binds to other substances in the urine, usually oxalate, to form and grow stones. 

By reducing your intake of sodium chloride, you can help to reduce the size of your kidney stone, so it is easier to pass. Limit or cut out items high in salt, like cheese, most frozen and canned foods, and most restaurant staples. 

Consume oxalate-rich foods without calcium.

Oxalates are naturally occurring substances found in many foods. During digestion, they bind with calcium and exit the body through stool. If there isn’t enough calcium, leftover oxalates become waste products and are filtered out of the blood by the kidneys, where they can then bind to other minerals and substances to form crystals.

As oxalate is so prevalent in healthy food sources—such as spinach, almonds, beets, sweet potatoes, and wheat bran—it’s often better to combine these foods with those high in calcium.

When you need help managing kidney stones, turn to the specialists at Mt Auburn Nephrology in Cincinnati, OH. This nephrology practice provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of kidney-related diseases and hypertension. Their urologists perform thorough evaluations of each kidney stone patient to determine the most likely cause of the formation and the best treatment for stopping and reducing further attacks. If you are experiencing kidney stone pains, give their clinic a call today at (513) 841-0222 and visit their website to learn more about their services.