6 Foods That Can Cause Kidney Stones

It is important to know that there are certain foods that can cause them and for this it is necessary to avoid them or reduce their consumption.

Kidney stones can become very painful. Thus, it is better to avoid these foods which can promote their formation and increase water intake to promote their elimination.

The famous “stones in the kidneys” can be caused by various factors.

Kidney stones are very small, solid fragments that cannot come out on their own and obstruct the urinary tract, causing great pain.

Read about it in the following article.

Foods that can form kidney stones

Food is fundamental to avoid the formation of stones in the kidneys and of course to evacuate them more easily if they are already in our body.

However, as the popular saying goes: “prevention is better than cure”.

This is why we are going to tell you the foods you should avoid consuming if you have a tendency to have kidney stones or if you have had them in the past.

1. Caffeine

Coffee is one of the protagonists of everyday life, but, if it can help us wake up in the morning, or at work to carry out our activities better, what is certain is that it also has its side effects.

One of them is to make the kidneys work harder and increase the possibility of them producing stones.

Caffeine is not only present in this drink, but also in some teas or cola drinks.

All of these drinks increase the calcium levels in the urine and can lead to kidney failure in the long term because of the stimulants they contain.

2. Red meats

Proteins and fats of animal origin are linked to the formation of kidney stones and damage to these organs.

If you have a diet that contains too much meat, you should take into account that their components are difficult for the body to eliminate.

In addition, this food is rich in uric acid and purines. When its level is too high, it causes gout and kidney stones.

Other foods high in purines are asparagus, legumes, and cabbage. Try not to eat them too much in a row to avoid the formation of kidney stones due to the build-up of uric acid.

3. Artificial sweeteners

We use them to flavor our desserts and infusions, they are present in diet drinks and in many low calorie products.

While we may think that they are better for you than sugar, they do have many side effects,  for example, kidney stone formation and deterioration of kidney function.

4. Salt

One of the common problems with diet is sodium intake .

Even though we don’t add salt to the meals we prepare, the ones we eat already ready contain way too much. It is even present in sweet foods!

Eating a lot of salt promotes water retention and the formation of kidney stones. The body cannot eliminate excess sodium and it accumulates in the kidney tract.

In addition, it involves an increase in blood pressure and weight.

5. Seafood

People prone to kidney stones should avoid foods high in oxalates. This organic compound contributes to the accumulation of sodium and calcium in the kidneys.

The foods that contain the most oxalic acid are seafood, but that’s not all.

Plants with green leaves, chocolate and nuts also have it in large quantities.

In turn, it is suitable to reduce the consumption of peanuts, wheat bran and beetroot to avoid the formation of stones.

If you are looking for foods with oxalate, you will surely find celery and liver and eat very little. However, in these cases the intake is minimal.

Remember that we should not exceed 50 mg per day of this component in our diet.

To decrease its absorption, it is recommended to eat foods rich in calcium. When you combine the two, they are more easily eliminated through the intestines.

6. Dairy products

They are a very important staple of our daily diet, as they are present in almost everything we eat.

The dairy products provide plenty of calcium and necessary for our development and strengthening of bones; however, they are not good for people prone to kidney stones.

Ingestion of milk, yogurt or cheese increases the excretion of calcium through the urine. This therefore makes it difficult to remove stones and other waste.

Lack of calcium in our diet is associated with a major risk of stone production. We therefore recommend that you ingest it moderately.

That is, you should not eliminate calcium from your diet, but get it from different sources like, for example, almonds.

What to eat to avoid kidney stones?

By taking into account the list of foods that are best to avoid, we can get an idea of ​​which ones are allowed or recommended.

It is therefore necessary to have a healthy diet and habits. This includes physical exercise, not smoking, and reducing sedentary lifestyle. We also recommend that you drink at least 3 liters of water per day.

If the “recognized” quantity is two liters, in the case of people prone to stones, this dose should be increased.

If we drink 3 liters of water a day, we produce 2 liters of urine. This liquid is not only low in sodium. It also helps to remove the leftovers that accumulate in the urinary tract.

If you don’t want to drink just water, you can combine it with juices, smoothies, or herbal teas. This will bring more nutrients to your body.

Please note that coffee, alcohol and sodas do not “count”.