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Hard masses of minerals that tend to accumulate in the lining of the kidneys and cause troubles are called kidney stones. Many of us might have dealt with or are dealing with the discomforts and worries that kidney stones cause.
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Can a proper diet help in kidney stones?
We all know that one thing that every doctor recommends to kidney stone patients is to have plenty of water and stay hydrated. But, yes along with that the diet has to be healthy too. Your diet plays a crucial in improving as well as worsening the condition of kidney stones. Thus, you must know what your diet chart must include if you want to get rid of the kidney stones.
Best Diet For Kidney Stones
The recommended diet for calcium oxalate stones
Foods rich in calcium
If you have kidney stones, especially calcium oxalate stones, your diet should contain an appropriate amount of calcium-rich foods so that the calcium levels in your body do not drop. This ensures that the calcium binds with the oxalates in the stomach or intestines itself, which, in turn, prevents the formation of new kidney stones. Therefore, try to include calcium-rich foods like yogurt, cheese, tofu, legumes, etc.in your diet chart.
Bananas
Including bananas in your routine diet can work wonders for the condition of kidney stones. Bananas are a rich source of Vitamin B6 which helps in the detoxification of the body. They also have high contents of potassium and magnesium which are very effective in preventing the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are a major boon for kidney stone patients. The naturally occurring citrate present in these fruits significantly reduces the growth and development of kidney stones. The citrate also works miraculously in dissolving small kidney stones. Therefore, if you have kidney stones, including these in your diet can be very helpful
The recommended diet for uric acid stones
Low-fat dairy products
Animal-based protein is usually not recommended in the case of uric acid stones. However, your body still needs proper amounts of protein for proper functioning. You can make up for this protein requirement by switching to low-fat dairy products like skimmed milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese. These foods provide you with the necessary proteins and do not aggravate the condition of kidney stones.
Fruits rich in water content and minerals
For kidney stones, staying hydrated at all times is the key. Fruits like watermelon, grapefruit, oranges, pineapple, cantaloupe, etc. have more than 80 percent water content and improve the condition of uric acid stones remarkably. In addition to having a high content of water, these are also rich in fibers and minerals and therefore, aid the process of digestion and alleviate the symptoms of kidney stones. Thus, these fruits should be in your diet chart for kidney stones.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is yet another excellent remedy for kidney stones. Wheatgrass has diuretic properties and promotes the production of more urine. It facilitates the removal of excess uric acid through the urine and therefore prevents the formation of new kidney stones.
Banana stem juice
You might not be aware of this but banana stem juice is very beneficial for kidney stones. Banana stem is a rich source of iron, fibers, calcium, and potassium.
Banana stem juice acts as a diuretic and also helps in the detoxification of blood. Including banana stem juice in your daily diet can save you from the troubles of kidney stones. You can also search for some amazing recipes of banana stems because the right diet can be tastier with experiments.
Incorporating the aforementioned foods in your regular diet will prove to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of kidney stones. Not just calcium oxalate and uric acid stones, but will also provide relief in other kinds of kidney stones as well. Therefore, if you do not want to endure the severe pain and symptoms of kidney stones, you should ensure that these foods form a major part of your diet.
Healthy drinks to include in your regular diet chart
For even better results, you can incorporate certain healthy drinks in your diet. These drinks have positive effects on the overall health and are even more beneficial in the case of kidney stones.
For instance, if you drink coconut water regularly, it aids the passage of kidney stones and also prevents the formation of new stones by making the urine alkaline.
Pomegranate juice has antioxidant properties and facilitates the flushing out of toxins from the body.
Green tea can be quite helpful in preventing the small kidney stones from clumping together to form larger stones.
Lemon-lime sodas help in the breaking of kidney stones due to their citrate content.
Chamomile tea can significantly reduce the pain and symptoms of kidney stones by relaxing the urinary tract and improving digestive health.
Do not have the following things in your diet if you have kidney stones
Now that you know the foods that are beneficial for kidney stones, you must also be aware of the foods that can trigger the symptoms and can cause the worsening of kidney stones.
The following are some dietary options that you should avoid if you are a kidney stone patient.
- Limit the amount of sodium and excess salts in your diet. Sodium can lead to the buildup of calcium in urine, thereby increasing the risk of new stones. Therefore, avoid foods that contain high amounts of sodium.
- Avoid oxalate-rich foods like spinach, beets, nuts, dark chocolate, etc. as these promote the growth of kidney stones.
- Excessive intake of colas and caffeinated drinks should be avoided as these cause dehydration and aggravate the pain.
- Avoid processed and junk foods as these put extra strain on your digestive system, which can increase the pain.
Last but not least- Keep away from smoking and alcohol
Having the best diet for kidney stones is good, but the effects don’t prove to be good enough if you continue smoking or drinking alcohol. Smoking adds up highly to the risk of forming and worsening of kidney stones. It triggers the damage in the kidneys and inflammation in the other parts of the urinary tract. This often results in conditions such as painful bladder syndrome that affects more women than men.
Also, the excessive and frequent consumption of alcohol causes dehydration that makes the symptoms of kidney stones even more pain severe and painful. Thus, of course the only wise choice is to either give up or limit these habits if you want to get rid of kidney stones faster.
What else you need to know?
The above-mentioned recommendations for your diet chart can go a long way in improving the condition of kidney stones. A proper diet for kidney stones can relieve the pain and troubles considerably and can even help in dissolving and passing small kidney stones.
Therefore, if you want the desired results in a shorter span of time, make sure that your diet contains foods that are beneficial for getting free from kidney stones. If you follow a proper diet, you will surely notice significant positive results.
However, if the kidney stones in your case are quite large and dietary changes alone are unsuccessful in providing relief, discuss with your doctor. In such a case, your doctor may recommend surgery after a thorough diagnosis.
Do not sweat much over it, as with modern procedures like shock wave lithotripsy, the surgery for kidney stones has become medically advanced procedure, and minimally invasive. The procedure of Shock Wave Lithotripsy is very simple and effective and will get you rid of kidney stones readily.
Fortunately, Shock Wave Lithotripsy is available at Pristyn Care. You can book an appointment with us and receive proper treatment for kidney stones in a Pristyn Care clinic near you.
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