Diet taboos for kidney stones

There is no one-size-fits-all universal dietary taboo for patients with kidney stones. The core principle is First clarify the composition of your own stones and then make targeted adjustments , blindly following the trend and banning high-calcium and high-oxalate foods will easily lead to other health problems.

I just met a 28-year-old programmer guy last week. His physical examination revealed 0.3cm calcium oxalate stones. He went home and blackened all the milk and tofu. He didn't even dare to touch green leafy vegetables such as spinach and rapeseed. After half a month, his legs were so weak that he was gasping for breath when he climbed two floors. When he came for a follow-up visit, his uric acid was inexplicably high. He ate braised chicken breasts every now and then to supplement his protein, but he developed new problems.

He suffered from calcium oxalate stones, which accounted for 80% of the total. Ten years ago, the doctor would most likely have asked him to strictly limit his intake of high-oxalate foods. In recent years, the urology guidelines have already updated their views: As long as he doesn’t show off half a plate of cold spinach or eat an entire bag of nuts on an empty stomach, there is no need to exclude all such foods from the diet. On the contrary, when eating high-oxalate foods, add something high in calcium, such as drinking warm milk or a piece of brine tofu. The oxalic acid will combine with calcium in the intestines to form a precipitate that is not absorbed by the body, and will not cause trouble in the kidneys.

When it comes to calcium, I can’t help but want to complain. I once had an aunt in her 50s. After she was diagnosed with stones, she didn’t even dare to touch milk. She drank porridge and pickles every day. After six months of review, the stones were not even half a millimeter smaller. The bone density has dropped a lot, and her legs feel weak from time to time when walking. Don’t believe the rumor that “stone patients cannot take calcium supplements”. The calcium we consume by drinking two boxes of milk and eating two pieces of tofu every day simply does not reach the threshold for inducing stones. On the contrary, when there is a calcium deficiency, the body will “remove” calcium from the bones. The calcium content in the urine is actually higher, and it is easier to combine with oxalic acid to form stones. This account really needs to be understood.

Oh, by the way, the only thing worse than avoiding calcium is taking supplements. Last month, there was a young man who loves fitness. He took 1000 mg of vitamin C effervescent tablets every day, and also took extra collagen peptides and various multivitamins. After taking supplements for three months, his waist suddenly hurt so much that he couldn't straighten up. When he went to find out, it was calcium oxalate stones. You must know that the product of excessive vitamin C metabolism in the body is oxalic acid. The more you supplement, the higher the concentration of oxalic acid in your urine. It would be strange not to develop stones. The vitamin C in the fruits and vegetables you eat every day is enough for your daily consumption. There is really no need to take extra supplements unless it is a therapeutic dose specially prescribed by your doctor.

If you are diagnosed with uric acid stones, don’t blacklist seafood, animal offal, and beer. In the early years, the view was to strictly implement a low-purine diet, but now clinical practice advocates flexible adjustment - as long as your blood uric acid can be stabilized below 360 μmol/L, it is really okay to occasionally eat two crabs or boiled mutton at a dinner party with friends, but don't eat and drink indiscriminately. On the contrary, long-term strict diet may lead to malnutrition and loss of immunity, which is not worth the gain. By the way, let me dispel the rumor. If you have high uric acid, you can eat tofu and soy milk. The purine in processed soy products has been lost with water for a long time. On the contrary, it helps to regulate the metabolism of uric acid. Don’t make this mistake again.

No matter what kind of stones you have, there is a minefield that everyone must avoid: don’t drink sweet drinks or iced milk tea as water every day. Last summer, there was a high school student who stayed at home playing games every day. When he was thirsty, he drank ice-cold Coke. He made three boxes of Coke in a month. In the end, he was rolling on the floor in pain and was sent to the emergency room. It was found that there were small stones in both kidneys. High-fructose drinks will accelerate the production of uric acid and promote urinary calcium excretion. They are simply "natural nutrients" for stones and are not as reliable as warm and white drinks. Drink enough 2000ml every day, and the color of your urine will be as light as unboiled rice water. Don’t wait until you are so thirsty that your throat smokes before you think of drinking water.

In fact, I have been in the Department of Urology for almost ten years, and eight out of ten patients with stones I have come into contact with are afraid of themselves. They are afraid of this and that, and they eat more vegetarian food than a monk. In the end, whether the stones will recur or not. If you really want to suffer less, send the stones you pass to the laboratory for composition analysis as soon as possible, and get exclusive dietary advice, which is much more useful than searching a hundred universal contraindication lists online. If the stones have not been passed out and cannot be tested, just remember the two most basic things: drink more water and don’t take supplements with unknown ingredients. You can basically avoid 80% of pitfalls. Oh, by the way, don’t hold your pee, don’t bear it just because you are young, once you experience the feeling of renal colic, you will never want to have it again 😂