3 Best Foods for Kidney Stone Prevention
Discover the best foods you can eat if you are prone to developing kidney stones! Below, you find a list of excellent anti-kidney-stone foods that can help prevent kidney stones.
Note: the information below and elsewhere on this website should not be taken as a substitute for professional medical or health advice.
#1: Nettles
Many naturopaths advocate the consumption of nettle to prevent and dissolve kidney stones. Nettle works by keeping water flowing through the kidneys and the bladder. It is also though to help flush out bacteria. The most common way to consume nettle is to drink it in the form of a herbal infusion. But also a glass of fresh nettle juice can make a delicious, kidney-healthy drink!
#2: Water
Water makes urine less concentrated and can therefore hinder the formation of kidney stones. The importance of water to the health of the kidneys can be illustrated by the Negev example: many residents of the Negev desert in Israel have been found to be in a continuous state of mild dehydration — and to have kidney stones. Most experts recommend drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. An even higher intake of water is necessary in hotter weather and for physically active people.
#3: Rice Bran
Rice bran is a great food to add to your anti-kidney-stone diet if you are concerned about calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Japanese researchers found that eating rice bran reduced the amount of calcium in the urine as well as the number of calcium stones in the test subjects. This effect is thought to be linked to the phytic acid contained in rice. Phytic acid is known to inhibit the absorption of calcium so that it does not get into the urine to form stones. Some experts believe that rice bran may be as effective as certain pharmaceuticals at preventing kidney stones.
For further information on kidney stones and nutrition, see: