Foods To Eat And Avoid In Case Of Kidney Stones

Lack of drinking enough water is one of the main reasons why people get kidney stones. Experts recommend that you must drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water every day to prevent kidney stones. According to nephrologist Dr Vijay Kher, it is important to know what kind of kidney stone you have, before you can go ahead with a particular diet. "After analysing the stone, you get to know about the constituents of stone and on the basis of that you can make changes in your diet," he says.

Kinds of kidney stones

There are 4 kinds of kidney stones. Calcium oxalate stones, calcium phosphate stones, cysteine stones and uric acid stones.

Also read: 10 Habits That Can Harm Your Kidneys

Calcium oxalate stone

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"If you have calcium oxalate stone, foods like potato, beetroot, green leafy vegetables need to be avoided," says Dr Vijay while adding that drinking large amounts of water is important in case of kidney stones because the concentration of salts in the urine becomes low.

Uric acid stone

"If uric acid is high, it means that you have uric acid stone. People who have uric acid stone should cut down on meat. Non vegetarian people have higher chances of forming kidney stones than vegetarians. People who have uric acid stone should consume less non vegetarian food," explains Dr Vijay.

Calcium phosphate stones

In case of calcium phosphate stones, people should reduce their sodium intake by cutting down on packaged and canned food. Also, they should have less animal protein and avoid meat and dairy products as well. People with calcium phosphate stones can consume more of plant-based protein from nuts, legumes, dried peas, lentils and sunflower seeds to name a few.

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Cystine stones

In case of cysteine stones, the most important lifestyle change is drinking lots of water.

Dr Vijay says that kidney stones are formed predominantly among those people who do lots of work, say labour work, in summer and are unable to drink enough water. "In India there's a belt of states which have high incidence of kidney stones. Many states in northern India and some southern Indian states where there are workers who work under the sun, have more people having kidney stones," he says.

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Also read: 5 Habits That Can Prevent Kidney Stones

When it comes to kidney stones, one of the most common mistakes that people make is cutting down on their calcium intake. "They should understand that calcium deficiency leads to greater stone formation. Calcium should be taken in reasonable amounts. One should cut down on oxalates instead," recommends Dr Vijay.

(Dr Vijay Kher is Chairman, Kidney and Urology Institute, Fortis Escorts)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.