How to Prevent Kidney Stones: Simple Rules for Healthy Kidneys

To avoid the excruciating pain caused by these "pebbles," it is necessary to maintain a balanced diet, avoiding eating too salty, and above all, drinking lots of water. It is also important to exercise and know which foods to avoid.

When excruciating pain, accompanied by shivering cold, most often prevented men from even standing, the Latins spoke of calculus ( literally: pebbles ). For us contemporaries, medical science speaks of calculus, or agglomerations of mineral salts, along the urinary tract, in the kidney, leading to the famous colic, the same excruciating pain that struck the ancient Romans.

Natural Remedies for Kidney Stones

Further research on the origins of calculus goes, the more studies focus on two factors: the genetic disposition (evident, for example, when there are other people affected by colic in the family) and diet. Once again, on a healthy diet, without unnecessary obsessions, the game of wasting our health is played.

Read also: Home Remedies for Dandruff.

So, to mention a few cases, a diet with too much salt, among the many negative side effects, also involves an exponential increase in kidney stones' risk. Conversely, drinking a little water is just as dangerous for the formation of pebbles. Calculus is favored by the frequent consumption of carbonated soft drinks and the misuse of dietary supplements based on the known vitamin D.

Preventing kidney stones
Image source: Reproduction/Internet

Diet for Kidney Calculations

Thanks to the research progress today, sometimes a laboratory analysis of the calculus or the pebble expelled from the urinary tract may be enough to understand which foods our body is intolerant of concerning the calculus risk

It may thus happen that the doctor suggests, another example, to avoid the consumption of pears, which, due to their granular composition, are not suitable for those who have problems with kidney stones.

Natural Remedies for Kidney Colic

But what are, in detail, the natural, preventive remedies, and the right advice to avoid the crises and excruciating pain of kidney stones? How can we address our lifestyle in the right way to not be exposed to this type of painful pathology? Here is a simple and convenient decalogue:

  • The analysis of the calculation. When you are suffering from stones, the first thing that must be done is to undergo specific tests, such as blood and urine tests, to understand the risk factors and the reasons that caused the problem. For example, it is essential to understand if you have any intolerances that can cause calculations.
  • Drink lots of water. Keeping your body hydrated is the best way not only to cure stones but also to prevent them. The recommended consumption is 2 - 3 liters over the course of twenty-four hours, even during the night, so make sure you keep a bottle on the bedside table. The recommended waters are those with a low fixed residue, low in sodium, and rich in calcium and bicarbonates. Avoid fizzy drinks.
  • Follow the Mediterranean diet: thanks to the large use of vegetable proteins and fats, rather than animals, and the low presence of simple sugars, this diet is ideal for preventing urinary stones.
  • Foods to avoid. To avoid the formation of stones, care must be taken not to take too much oxalic acid. The foods that are particularly rich in it are spinach, rhubarb, chard, red beets, hazelnuts, tea, chocolate, and berries. A good way to reduce its absorption is to combine these foods with others rich in calcium.
  • Reduce the use of salt. It is not enough to be careful at the table when seasoning dishes. Much of the salt we eat comes from packaged products we buy at the supermarket. For this reason, we must pay particular attention to labels when shopping. Also, having the daily salt consumption from 10 to 5 grams (about a teaspoon of coffee) can reduce the risk of having a stroke by 23 percent and heart disease by 17 percent.
  • Eat fruits and vegetables regularly: especially citrus fruits, a dietary source of citrate, potassium, and magnesium, all of which are powerful protective factors. And to increase the benefits of vegetables, remember always to use lemon to season them.
  • Reduce the consumption of meat: eating too much of it causes the urinary elimination of acids, including uric acid, which favors the formation of stones. In general, I prefer white meats and no more than two weekly portions.

Also read: How to Remove Fungus from Feet Using Lemon.

  • Little football but without exaggerating. For a long time, people with stones were advised to reduce their dietary calcium intake drastically. Today, many studies have shown that it is essential in intestinal absorption and urinary elimination of oxalates. For this reason, it is important to consume milk, preferably skimmed regularly, and cheeses, preferably fresh and not very salty.
  • Not smoking. Nicotine is a powerful vasoconstrictor and slows blood flow to the kidneys, weakening the important cleansing work. It also increases the risk of cancer of this organ by 50 percent.
  • Stay fit with physical activity. Being overweight is one of the major risk factors for urinary stones. So, in addition to a balanced diet, it is important to keep the body moving. For those who are unable to do sport regularly, it is possible to make up for it with thirty minutes of walking a day, always keeping hydration under control.

Adapted and translated by The Cop Cart Staff

Sources: Non Sprecare