There is nothing worse than recurring kidney stones. Not only is it extremely painful, it’s frustrating that they keep coming back! You are doing everything your doctor tells you and yet, here they are yet again. What the heck?!
There are 2 things you can start doing now to help stop kidney stones from forming again, and they are easier than you’d think!
First, Why Kidney Stones Form
I’m sure you’ve heard that chronic low water intake and high salt intake can contribute to them. However not many have heard that a bacteria imbalance in your gut, frequent antibiotic use, nutritional deficiencies, and being diabetic (pre, type 2 and type 1) all contribute to recurring kidney stones as well. Crazy that no one really talks about this!
Antibiotics wipe out the good and bad bacteria in your gut. While sometimes necessary, the more antibiotics you take the more of the good guys that get wiped out, sometimes entire groups of probiotics. There are strains of probiotics that break down oxalate before it can reach our bloodstream to be filtered by our kidneys. When these are gone, it’s extremely difficult to repopulate with these strains.
Chronically high levels of sugar in the blood also contribute to kidney stone formation. When you have elevated blood sugar, your blood becomes more acidic. The higher pH can cause uric acid crystals to form which can then grow into stones if blood sugar levels do not go down into a healthy range.
If you needed a reason to eat less sugar, this is a really great one.
Now, Here’s What You Can Do Now
#1 Take Magnesium and B6 Daily
Studies have shown that daily magnesium supplementation can reduce recurring kidney stones between 80-92% over the course of 3 years! Now THAT is easy. The specific form of magnesium recommended is magnesium citrate. Now when it comes to taking magnesium internally you have to be careful. It can cause loose stools. More does not always equal better! Your best bet is to start with a low dose and increase until your bowel tolerance is met.
Now B6. B6 deficiency can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Supplementing with B6 reduces oxalates in urine and in turn reduces kidney stone formation.
It is recommended to pair 200-400mg of magnesium citrate (to bowel tolerance) with 50mg of B6 (I typically recommend a b-complex that includes B6 because we all need all the B’s). It takes time for it to build up enough to be effective so be patient. Remember, those in the studies had an 80%+ reduction over the course of 3 years.
#2 Eat a Low Oxalate Diet
Vitamins are great and all but supplementing won’t be as effective as it could be if you’re still eating a ton of oxalates. High oxalate foods include:
- Beans
- Beer
- Beets
- Berries, all types
- Chocolate
- Cranberries
- Nuts (almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts)
- Oranges
- Rhubarb
- Soda
- Soybeans
- Soy milk
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
- Swiss chard
- Tea (black)
- Tofu
- Wheat
So many healthy foods on that list! You might be asking yourself, Is it really worth it to dramatically reduce these foods in my diet? The answer is yes. It will be worth it. Now there are a lot of different lists out there. Some list a million foods you can’t eat, some are shorter. At the end of the day you want to dramatically reduce, or even eliminate the big hitters including spinach, soy, nuts and nut butters, all forms of soy, and chocolate. Then eat a variety of fruits and vegetables as to not overeat any one type.
If you are feeling frustrated and just want to be given a shopping list and recipes, I got you covered. My Low Oxalate Guide and Meal Plan makes the switch to this new lifestyle a million times easier. You have 2 weeks of done for you meal plans with shopping lists and 49 recipes to get you started. Plus my guide on how to make a low oxalate diet work no matter how busy your life is, traveling, and partying. All you have to do is go to the store and enjoy yummy food.
These 2 things combined together will dramatically reduce those recurring kidney stones. No more pain and suffering!
