STONE DISEASE DIET:

METHODS TO REDUCE THE RECURRENCE RATE OF URINARY
STONE DISEASE


There are several significant things that, as a patient, you can do to
help reduce the chance of getting another stone. Specific
recommendations are guided by stone analysis and blood tests;
however, several general ideas are important, and in fact often
most valuable in helping to reduce the chance that you will get
another stone.

The most important thing to do to help reduce recurrence of stone
disease is simple hydration. There is no set amount of fluid that
would be considered adequate; rather adjust your fluid intake based
on the color of your urine. The more yellow your urine, the more
concentrated it is. Your goal should be to keep your urine pale
yellow or clear.

Get into the habit of looking at your urine each time you void. If your
urine is ever dark yellow, that should be a warning sign that you
need to increase your fluids. Fluid intake is especially important
when you anticipate a period of dehydration such as before sleep,
before exercise, or before outdoor activities. Half of what you drink
should be after. The remaining half can be divided among any fluids
you desire, provided that you stay away from excessives of milk
(calcium containing) and tea ( oxalate containing). The use of bottle
water is at your discretion; however if the municipal or private
water source you use is exceptionally "hard" i.e. full of minerals,
such purified bottle water might be advisable.

Adjustments in dietary intake are, long term, rarely successful.
Rather than providing a list of foods to be avoided, it is important to
use some guiding principles in your diet, the foremost of which is to
avoid dietary excesses of certain foods. For most patients, an
excess intake of calcium containing products, i.e. milk and cheeses
combined with an avoidance of an excess intake of oxalate
containing foods ( dietary list provided) is advisable. If you find
yourself eating an excess of these foods, it is most important that
your water intake increase.

The role of medications in the treatment of kidney stones is
probable the least important for most patients. Some patients who
form uric acid stones, such as those patients with gout, may benefit
from long term medication. The most common stone in the United
States, calcium oxalate stones, may benefit from medication use;
however we think you would agree that fluid and dietary
management is preferable to long term medication use.
Occasionally, however 24-hour urine collection and blood work is
necessary to help guide medical therapy.


Please keep this reference available and periodically re-read it as
we have found that many patients begin to drift away from the good
habits of prevention of stone disease over time.


FOODS OF HIGH OXALIC ACID CONTENT (0.1% or over):


Beets, Beet tops, Black tea, Chenopodium, Chocolate,. Cocoa,
Dried figs, Ground pepper, Lambs quarters, Lime peel, Nuts,
Parsley, Poke, Poppy seeds, Purslane, Rhubarb, Sorrel, Spinach,
Swiss chard


FOODS OF MODERATE OXALIC ACID CONTENT (0.2% or over):


Beans (green and wax), Blackberries, Blueberries, Carrots, Celery,
Coffee (roasted), Concord grapes, Currants (red), Dandelion greens,
Endive, Gooseberries, Lemon peel, Okra, Onions (green), Oranges,
Orange peel,
Peppers (green), Raspberries (black), Strawberries, Sweet potatoes




°Copyright 2009 BHUROLOGY.com