Kidney Stones and Diet - How Much Protein Do You Actually Need When You Are on a Kidney Stone Diet?

Kidney stones and diet are intertwined. In fact, most stones can be prevented if you only follow a proper diet regimen. What I find most frustrating for a nurse like me is that kidney stones can be easily prevented, but the resources available to spread the information are insufficient.

Kidney stones are formed in the urinary tract when urinary concentrations of substances such as calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, and uric acid increase. We call this super saturation and this is dependent on the amount of substance, ionic strength and pH of the urine.

HOSPITAL DIET

Urinary stones account for about 328,000 hospital admissions each year. The occurrence of urinary stones occurs predominantly in the third to fifth decades of life and affects men more than women. About half of patients with a single renal stone have another episode within 5 years.

Through this alarming numbers you see above, it is but natural that we should discuss the relationship between kidney stones and diet. With this information on hand, we can follow this diet to prevent kidney stones and save us all a lot of trouble.

The best way to prevent having stones is to drink lots of water. In fact, this is the mainstay treatment for kidney stones. Unless contraindicated, any patient with renal stones should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. This is to keep the urine diluted and prevent super saturation.

Another mislead information is reducing calcium. My advice is to restrict dietary calcium unless instructed by your health care provider. Lowering your calcium intake will ultimately lead to more disease conditions such as osteoporosis and it might increase the risk of oxalic acid stones.

Lowering protein intake is recommended to decrease urinary excretion of calcium and uric acid. We want to lower calcium excretion to prevent osteoporosis. A maximum of 6 oz of protein (on a normal healthy individual) gives the body enough energy during the day. You need to consider the fact that protein does not only mean meat, you can also get them from vegetables.

A healthy practice would be to have a "meat break" each week and select a day that you would only use beans, peas, and legumes as your protein source. This way, you will lower down the family's red meat diet and increase complex carbohydrates.

Kidney stones and diet can be used to reverse the progression of any kidney disease as well. If it is used correctly, it will save patient's lives.

Kidney Stones and Diet - How Much Protein Do You Actually Need When You Are on a Kidney Stone Diet?

HOSPITAL DIET