General Kidney Stone Prevention

The most common cause for kidney stones is an inherited tendency to form stones. At the present time, there is no way to change this genetic tendency, but changing what you eat and drink can reduce or stop the formation of stones.

1) Avoid salt and salty foods (this is the most important of the instructions).

2) Reduce protein intake. Red meat and organ meat (including liver, pancreas, wieners and sausages) are the worst offenders. Poultry and fish in moderation are okay. Vegetable protein (soy) is okay.

3) Drink large amounts of fluid, especially water (2-3 quarts per day, or one 8 ounce glass of water every three hours). A good index is to check the color of the urine. If it appears to be concentrated, you need to drink more water. Adding lemon juice to the water is helpful since this will get citrate into the urine. Citrate helps to prevent stones, so lemonade and orange juice are good fluids to drink.

4) Avoid excess foods or fluid containing oxalate. The worst offenders for oxalate are tea and dark green vegetables (turnips and spinach). Other foods that contain significant amounts of oxalate are as follows:

• potatoes
• beets
• chocolate or cocoa
• bell peppers
• wheat germ
• nuts

5) For most patients, moderate dietary calcium intake (dairy products) is okay, but some calcium supplements (Tums, Rolaids, etc.) may increase the risk for stone formation. This risk is decreased by taking these medications with meals. If calcium supplementation is recommended, the calcium supplement CITRACAL is less likely to form stones, especially when taken with meals. Restricting calcium intake is only useful in the patients who absorb too much dietary calcium from the intestine which is determined by calcium absorption tests.