Did you know that certain foods can increase your risk of developing oxalate stones? What can make news about foods that can cause oxalate stones a little confusing is that many healthy and natural foods can trigger oxalate stones. It’s not just “junk food” that can cause the formation of calcium-oxalate crystals. You should attempt to manage your intake of foods that are high in crystal-forming oxalates if you need to avoid calcium oxalate crystal challenges.
If you’re someone who suffers from calcium oxalate stones, you may be eager to try anything that will help you avoid the pain and agony of this condition! The truth is that altering your diet just a bit to avoid a handful of the “worst offenders” is one of the best ways to avoid oxalate stones. Commit this oxalate stones what not to eat list below to memory if you’re ready to make a difference.
1. Salty Foods
Your sodium intake is directly related to your kidney health! When we consume high amounts of salt, the sodium and chloride in salt can raise the calcium concentration in our urine. This then causes excess oxalate to stick to calcium in the kidneys to help the formation of oxalate stones. Processed foods and canned foods typically have the highest salt content. Fast foods and restaurant items also have higher-than-average levels of salt. Getting into the simple habit of checking sodium labels on foods could help you to avoid oxalate stones.
2. Miso Soup
While miso soup is a warm and filling favorite that people choose because they assume it’s a healthy option, you might want to put the spoon down if you want to avoid oxalate stones. The broth of miso soup is made of fermented tofu. Unfortunately, the soy that is used to make tofu is rich in oxalates that contribute to oxalate stones. Adding leafy greens such as spinach for example could add additional oxalate challenges down the road.
3. Fried Potato Skins
In truth, any type of potato dish belongs on the oxalate stones what not to eat list if it has the skin left on. Nutrient-rich potato skins are usually considered healthy because they are full of vitamin C, vitamin B, and fiber. However, a single medium-sized potato with the skin on contains nearly 100 milligrams of oxalates. That means that you’ll want to skip potato skins, baked potatoes with skins, and French fries with skin remnants.
4. Peanuts
Raw peanuts and peanut butter are two of the surprising foods that can cause oxalate stones. In addition to being high in oxalates, peanut products often contain high amounts of purines that can cause uric acid to build up. This spells double trouble for stone formers because it puts you at risk for both calcium-oxalate crystals and uric acid stones! About 80 percent of stones experienced by people are calcium-oxalate crystals.
5. Hot Cocoa Powder
Enjoying a mug of hot cocoa nightly can make it hard to get a handle on oxalate stones. Many people aren’t aware of the fact that delicious chocolate is one of the foods that can cause oxalate stones. The high oxalate content in chocolate isn’t diminished when chocolate is processed to make hot cocoa powder. While something hot and soothing may feel good when you’re trying to relax through oxalate stone pain, going with this wholesome favorite may not be the best choice.
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6. Soda
Certain types of soda should be on the oxalate stones what not to eat list because they are linked with an increased risk of stone formation. When researchers looked at the link between soda consumption and oxalate stones, they discovered that there was a 23% higher risk of developing stones for people who consumed large quantities of sugar-sweetened colas. If you’re looking for hydrating options that can help you to avoid oxalate stones, both plain and citrus-infused water would be a better choice. The main purpose of the urological system is to flush out toxins from the body, a process that is heavily dependent on hydration from water. Unfortunately, soda drinkers generally do not drink enough water. As mentioned earlier, soda is never a viable alternative to water and is not very effective in hydrating our bodies.
7. Rhubarb
While it may go against your instinct to cut out vegetables from your diet, there are quite a few vegetables to limit oxalate stones. Rhubarb happens to be one of the top vegetables to limit or even avoid if susceptible to getting oxalate stones!
Those ruby-red rhubarb stalks that you pick from your garden may need to stay in the garden if you want to avoid oxalate stones. The truth is that many leafy greens are high in oxalates. However, rhubarb is one of the vegetables with the highest level of oxalates and should be limited or even avoided. There have even been a few examples of kidney injuries stemming from the ingestion of rhubarb due to oxalate overload. While eating rhubarb isn’t necessarily bad for a healthy person, this staple in pies and jams could increase your risk of developing calcium-oxalate crystals if you’re already vulnerable to oxalate stones.
8. Almonds
You may have been planning to switch from peanut butter to almond butter after reading about how bad peanuts can be for oxalate stones a little further up on this list. Unfortunately, that plan is flawed since almonds can also contribute to oxalate stones. An ounce of almonds contains nearly 125 milligrams of oxalates. In fact, almonds contain roughly twice as much soluble oxalate as peanuts.
9. Swiss Chard
Chefs love the tender leaves of Swiss chard for soups and soufflés. However, this fancy green has a dark secret. Like some other leafy favorites, Swiss chard is one of the main vegetables to avoid for oxalate stones. It lands at the top of the list of vegetables to avoid for oxalate stones simply because it has one of the richest oxalate concentrations.