Prevent kidneystones with food, oxalate in food

Michael Maardt oct 2024

Prevent kidney stones through diet (suggestions!)

2 surgeries
On June 1, 2024, after severe pain, I underwent emergency surgery at night to save one of my kidneys for a 12mm kidney stone that was blocking the ureter. Unfortunately, that night, the hospital did not have the capacity to crush the stone. This did not happen until another surgery on July 1, 2024. I do not want to relive the experiences before and after the surgeries again, so I have investigated, what I can do to avoid kidney stones. After the second surgery on July 1, 2024, where the kidney stone was crushed, I have been fine. You may want to read 'Why I wrote this page'.

Consider the following as a theory. There are many theories about the influence of food and drinks on health and illness. When I started searching, I found many pages about oxalate, so I have written down what I found, and if just one person can avoid surgery based on this information, I will be happy and grateful.

What are kidney stones made of?
Most kidney stones are made of two things: calcium and oxalate. The terms 'Oxalic acid' and 'oxalate' are used interchangeably, but are not the same. The salts of oxalic acid are called oxalates. Oxalates occur in many plants and foods. Calcium and oxalic acid form the poorly soluble salt calcium oxalate when they bind to each other. Foods high in oxalate, see below. Another type of kidney stone is uric acid stones, but they are NOT discussed here, partly because calcium oxalate is the most common.

Suggestions

The most important recommendation: Drink plenty of water, the cleaner, the better. Most recommendations say 2-2.5 liters of water daily. A doctor in the urology department says 2.5-3 liters! An adult's daily urine should be light yellow and between 0.8 liters and 2 liters. People with kidney stones should urinate 2 liters daily! I keep an eye on my urine.

Foods HIGH in oxalate
Spinach, rhubarb, cocoa (dark chocolate), carrots, radishes, parsley, hazelnuts, pine nuts, celery, beetroot, Swiss chard, Swiss chard, almonds, beans, soybeans, black and green tea, potatoes, buckwheat, couscous, bulgur, tofu, peanuts, peanut butter, white cabbage, walnuts, sweet potatoes, green beans, asparagus, miso, miso soup, soy drink (soy milk), tahini (sesame seeds), wheat bran and certain whole grain products, dried figs.

Foods with LOW oxalate content
asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, arugula, iceberg and romaine lettuce, onions, zucchini squash, cucumbers, mushrooms, radishes, turnips, basil, coriander, saffron, tarragon, honey, vanilla, coconut, apples, cherries, cranberries, melons, peaches, plums, rye bread, chickpeas, lentils All types of salad contain very low amounts of oxalates or none at all. Banana, melon in the summer months.

Foods without oxalate
Meat, eggs, chicken, dairy products, cheese and yogurt, canned fish

Calcium and vitamin D
Get plenty of calcium and vitamin D, not from supplements, but from food such as broccoli, fennel seeds, apricots and kale. See the link under lectins regarding cow's milk products milk, cheese, etc. Vitamin D is important for absorbing calcium. Vitamin D as a supplement only in limited amounts. Some believe that an overdose of vitamin D can contribute to kidney stones. Long list of foods containing calcium. I bought algae tablets, good source of calcium.

Limit or best avoid salt. Processed food often has added salt. Check the product label. Best to avoid processed food.

Reduce animal protein, especially red meat, sausages and eggs.

Eat lots of vegetables, but NOT those with a high oxalate content.

The following was shocking news to me: If you are going to eat oxalate-rich foods, eat or drink calcium AT THE SAME TIME during a meal. This causes the oxalate and calcium from the food to tend to bind to each other in the stomach and intestines BEFORE they enter the kidneys.

Magnesium and citric acid
Magnesium and citric acid help the intestines absorb oxalate. Magnesium is found, for example, in whole grain products. Citric acid is found in citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, etc.).

If oxalate and calcium enter the kidney individually and bind together there, a kidney stone may be formed. If they bind in the intestine, i.e. BEFORE they enter the kidney, they are excreted through the intestine.

Eat oxalates with care. Foods high in this substance can increase the formation of kidney stones. If you have already had kidney stones, you may want to reduce or eliminate oxalates from your diet completely. If you eat foods that contain oxalates, always make sure to eat or drink a source of calcium with them. This will help the oxalate bind to calcium during digestion before it can reach your kidneys.

For the past year, I have eaten a lot of cashews WITHOUT eating anything else at the same time. I have also used cocoa-oat drink on oatmeal without any food that contained calcium. I've also been eating a lot of tahini (made from sesame seeds) as a spread on bread. AND I've tended to drink too little in the winter - so as not to freeze. These foods MAY be the cause of my 12mm kidney stone. As you can probably guess, I've cut out these things AND I'm drinking significantly more.

Really good video:

Suggestion: In the morning on an empty stomach: drink a large glass of water with the juice of a quarter to half a lemon. Then wait at least 15-20 minutes before eating or drinking, so that the liquid can get into the stomach and intestines and possibly to the kidney to dissolve any stones. Read more here (in German).

Suggestion: Resium is well-known in health circles. It is an aqueous liquid with 10 different herbs added, invented in 1927 in Spain. It is said to be good for dissolving kidney stones. The bottle comes with a small measuring cup. The recommended dose for adults over 18 years of age is 25ml three times daily half an hour before meals.

Sources

Michael Maardt, july/august 2024