I have heard this one million times from patients in my practice. Make stones? Drink water. Water, water, and more water. Drink it all day long, all night long. Just drink water.
What about other fluids? Are they safe? Are they high in oxalate? Will they count toward your daily intake? Is caffeine a problem?
Your Physician Prescribes How Much
I will be offering as much variety as I can, and encouraging you to drink, but the volume you need comes from your physician. This applies especially to my two day long examples. I made them to provide very large amounts of fluids for those who need them. If your physician prescribes less, just scale my recommendations back. Under no circumstances should you follow a fluid prescription in this post unless it fits with your physician’s specific recommendations for you.
Some Beverages Raise Stone Risk
What Did People Who Developed Stones Drink?
Perhaps the most useful study of this matter is by Ferraro and colleagues. Two large groups of nurses and one group of physicians have been followed for many years to ascertain habits and diets that appear healthy or unhealthy.
Some of the people in each group developed kidney stones. Most, as expected, did not. Because diet habits were closely monitored by well established questionnaires over the years, the scientists could determine which beverages, my particular concern here, were associated with a higher or lower risk of becoming a stone former.
The amounts are important to keep in mind. For coffee and tea it was 8 ounce servings. For juices, a small glass. For carbonated drinks and beer a glass, bottle or can. For wine a 5 ounce glass. Servings were graded from less than 1 weekly, over the range of 1, 2-4, 5-6 weekly, and more than 1 serving a day. A significant effect meant that as the amounts increased, the risk of new stones increased or decreased in rough proportion – there was a ‘dose’ effect.
Winners and losers
Sugar sweetened colas and non-cola drinks were associated with development of kidney stones. Punch was also associated with more stones. But drinks with sugar in them were not all bad. Apple juice, grapefruit juice, and tomato juice did not raise or lower risk of stones.
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea, red wine, white wine, orange juice, and beer were the winners. People who used more had a lower risk of new stones.
No Special Effect on Stones
We already mentioned apple, grapefruit and tomato juices. Add to them liquor, artificially sweetened sodas – cola and non-cola (clear sodas), whole and skim milk, and water itself.
Water Is Not Your Only Option
Nothing is totally off limits when it comes to increasing fluids. The main point is that you do, indeed, increase them. If having a soda here and there helps you maintain your ultimate daily fluid goal, then by all means, treat yourself once in a while.
I am certainly not advising you to have as many Coke’s as you would like, nor am I advocating that you drink very large amounts of coffee all day long, even if coffee drinking lowers risk of stones. What I am saying is that all fluids count and water is NOT your only option. Other beverages help provide variety but my principle is to use them in moderation.
This post will help you decide which other beverages you might incorporate into your diet to help raise your total daily fluid intake. Keep in mind that you need to take into consideration other medical conditions you may have that will contraindicate some of these choices. Review your version of my plan with your physician to be sure.
Pucker Up!
Lemonade is an excellent way to increase your total daily fluid intake and raise your urine citrate level. Citrate is a molecule that binds to calcium so that calcium does not have the chance to bind with phosphate or oxalate. It also slows the formation of stone crystals. Both actions decrease your risk of forming new kidney stones. Lemonade use was not part of the large beverage study I have already quoted, but is thought to be beneficial for stone prevention, or at least not a specific risk like sugared drinks.
The Best Tasting Ones
The Huffington Post polled people on the best store bought lemonades. The winner was Whole Foods brand 365 Pasteurized Lemonade. The next two best were Simply Lemonade and another Whole Foods product, brand 365 Organic Lemonade. Read the whole article and let us know which ones you like.
Unfortunately, all three winners have extra sugar added to them. Simply Lemonade seems free of extra sugar, but comments to a review of the product document added cane and beet sugars.
Sugar in any form can raise kidney stone risk, and sugared drinks raise risk of stones – as I have already pointed out. Of course sugared drinks promote weight gain, and raise blood glucose and insulin. But if you follow my moderation principle some of these tasty treats are fine. ‘Some’ means some.
My Favorite for You
I recommend Crystal Lite™ lemonade for my patients, as it is a no calorie alternative. The other reason I love this for you is its convenience. Here is a link for “on the go” packets. Another recent post on this site points out that those who need potassium citrate treatment can use this beverage in place of some of their pills.
Make Your Own
You can also just squeeze some fresh lemons to add to your water. If you don’t have time to always buy, cut up, and squeeze fresh lemons, here is an excellent, convenient, alternative: Pre-made concentrate. I get it at Whole Foods, but you can find it at Walmart and Amazon as well. In order to increase your citrate level with a recipe that has been tested in a research experiment, you need to add one half cup of RealLemon© to 7 1/2 cups of water. The Whole Foods concentrate may work as well, but has not been tested.
Got Milk?
Adding low fat, skim or 2% milk is a great way to increase your daily fluid intake and also help you to increase your diet calcium intake. For those of us who are lactose intolerant, here are lactose free alternatives.
Lots of Calcium and Protein
Getting normal amounts of calcium into your diet (about 1000 mg/day) is necessary for your bone health. An 8 ounce glass of milk contains about 305 mg of calcium. Two percent contains 295 mg. You can check the amounts for all milks at the site. There is a lot of protein (8 grams) and other nutrients, too. The protein content is the same whether for fat free or whole milk.
Not So Many Calories As You Might Think
Milk is a calorie bargain. An 8 ounce glass of 2% has only 120 calories, and 1% 105 calories.
Soda Pop
The Skinny on Diet Sodas
Having a diet soda a few times a week will add to your overall fluid intake and, as I have already pointed out, does not increase risk of forming kidney stones to a significant extent. But, unlike milk and lemonade, most sodas offer you no health benefits.
There May be Real Risks
There may indeed be drawbacks. For example, in one study, risk of hip fracture seemed related to diet soda intake in women.
There is Risk By Association
Among diabetic young men, use of diet, but not sugared, sodas was associated with higher average blood glucose. This was ascribed not so much to the beverages as to the generally unhealthy life style of those who consumed larger amounts of such beverages. Likewise, in another study, diet sodas were associated with new onset of type 2 diabetes in men. But with full adjustment for other factors that might predispose to diabetes, the effect of diet soda disappeared. It seems as if men who were trying to lose weight, or compensate for high diabetic risk, preferentially used diet sodas.
Cola vs Uncola
Given that there are drawbacks to sugared sodas and no benefits to diet sodas, what about the clear sodas – the non-cola drinks, as a special case?
The clear sodas have citric acid instead of phosphoric acid. We have already presented the chart of citrate levels in clear soda and you can read it over yourself: Higher is better. Likewise, in the same post, this site has presented the case for the use of beverages as a source of citrate in place of expensive potassium citrate pills.
7UP and Sprite have no caffeine which may be an advantage for some people.
The Final Verdict
Think of diet sodas as a treat, probably not a good protection against stones. The higher urine volume is offset by what else is in the soda. It is not something to have all the time. Diet soda may increase hip fracture risk in older women. Sugared sodas raise risk of stones, so just avoid them except for a special treat once in a while.
Given the high price of potassium citrate pills, many patients may need to use high citrate beverages, which are clear sodas, as a supplement. For those who do not need supplemental citrate, and there are very many stone formers in this category, the clear sodas serve no special purpose except for variety and taste.
Unless you are using high citrate beverages to replace potassium citrate pills, limit how many times a week you are choosing soda as an alternative to water. I would recommend no more than 3 cans a week. If you’re somebody who drinks it every day, start weaning yourself off of it.
Try substituting a LaCroix for each can of soda. It is carbonated and flavored, but without the calories, sugar, and yucky stuff that soda has in it.
Wake Up and Sip The Coffee
I drink one cup of coffee every morning. Not the 72 ounce cup you can get at Dunkin’ Doughnuts, just one true cup. I need it, I love it, and I will not do without it. There is no doubt that coffee can contain considerable oxalate. Instant coffee has even more oxalate per gram than the regular coffees. The question is whether drinking coffee increases urine oxalate, which has not been determined.
I suspect it does not because coffee drinkers have a lower, not a higher kidney stone risk. In the same prospective study I quoted for sodas, caffeinated coffee drinkers had a 26% statistical reduction in new stone onset compared to people who did not drink coffee and there was a graded reduction in risk as the amount increased from none, through 1 cup per week, up to 1 cup or more every day. The decaf drinkers had a 16% reduction.
These coffee drinkers were not using coffee as a form of stone prevention. I presume they used it as a pleasurable beverage. So there is something about coffee drinking that offered a protection.
The issue is therefore not about kidney stone risk but about how much coffee people should drink every day. That is something you need to discuss with your physician. But, I cannot imagine anyone will use coffee, even iced coffee, as more than a small fraction of the many liters of fluid needed daily for stone prevention.
Terrible Teas?
Every patient I have worked with (thousands at this point) has told me that they have been told NEVER, EVER, to drink tea. Tea is known to be high in oxalate. It is true that tea is a higher oxalate beverage, but if you drink it in moderation, a cup here and there will not increase your risk of forming new stones and does add to your total daily fluid intake. In support of what I just said, in the same study I have already quoted in the prior paragraph, tea drinkers had an 11% reduction in stones.
Even though a cup or more of tea every day appears to decrease stone risk, tea, and iced tea, are not a reasonable source for the majority of the large quantities of fluid used in stone prevention. Tea is like coffee: A source of some fluids and variety.
Lovely Libations
The very important epidemiological study on beverages which I have been quoting offers perhaps a little surprise: Wine drinkers (5 ounce glass between 1 per week and 1 or more a day) had a progressive reduction in stones of 31% to 33%. Beer drinkers (1 can between 1/week and 1 or more daily) had an even higher reduction of 41%.
None of these quantities are like the scale of water drinking, or even milk drinking. These are like coffee and tea: Pleasure drinks.
Overall, your alcohol intake is between you and your physician; drinking in excess is never advisable. One glass of wine, or one can of beer a day may confer real benefits for stone reduction.
In between rounds, remember to raise a glass to your old friend water. Your body will thank you the next day.
Sport Drinks
I have not encountered very many patients who use sport drinks in important quantities. Maybe I travel in the wrong circles. Sweetened sport drinks all have the obvious disadvantages of their sugar in relation to stones, and, of course, for weight control. None were remarkable sources for citrate. They are like the sodas: Occasional treats to break up monotony.
Juicy News
If you want risk reduction specific to a juice, orange juice, 1 or more small glasses a day, was effective (12% reduction). Apple, grapefruit, and tomato juices had no effect.
But the lack of an effect is not critical here. The study refers to a small glass daily and did not test larger volumes for urine dilution. Given that none of the juices increased risk, I see no reason larger volumes cannot be used as part of the day’s fluids, apart from the problem of calories – from sugar.
Although cranberry juice may help in protecting you from recurrent UTI’s, no studies have shown it reduces kidney stone risk.
A Day In The Life
How do these suggestions play out in normal day life? Let’s take a look at an example weekday and weekend day. For those of you who are trying to increase urine citrate, we have a whole post to help you.
These are Examples; Your Physician Sets The Amounts
I have already said this and say it again. These examples are for very large volumes of fluid. They show you how you can achieve such large volumes with variety. Your physician will tell you how much to drink. Scale back these examples to match what you are told.
Perfection Is Not a Realistic Goal
You may notice that depending on your day you may drink less than your goal. You may not reach your intended goal every day. It is OK. You are not going to be perfect every single day. Try your best on most days, and if you have a really bad one, just make up for it on the following day.
Monday – A Weekday Fluid Plan That Provides 120 ounces (~1 gallon)
Here is a weekday example for your sunny, early riser with a job and a lot to do. The plan provides 120 ounces – one gallon – of fluids a day and aims for modest front loading so you do not have to get up at night. It includes a treat – diet coke – which could be any diet drink. It does not favor milk because many people do not like it or cannot tolerate it. If you can, milk can substitute for water whenever you wish.
Wake Up – 6 am
1 cup of coffee or tea (5 ounces).
5 ounces of milk with cereal
One 8 oz glass of water with lemon
Mid-morning
Three 8 oz glasses of water
Lunch
One 8 ounce glass of fresh lemonade or diet lemonade beverage
One 8 ounce glass of water
Mid Afternoon
Two 8 ounce glasses of water
One (5 ounce) cup of tea
Dinner
One 8 ounce glass of water before dinner
One 8 ounce glass of water during dinner
One can of diet soda — 12 ounces toward the end
After dinner / before bed
One 8 ounce glass of water
One cup (5 ounces) of herbal mint tea
Saturday – A weekend plan that provides 148 ounces
No work for most of us but a lot of chores. Weekends may be a time to up the ante and go over a gallon. Even if you fall short on the weekdays a bit, and likewise on the weekends, these plans are large enough to give you some margin. But it would be ideal to stay on the high side more days than not. You are buying insurance by the day, after all.
Wake Up – 8 am
1 cup of coffee or tea (5 ounces)
One 8 oz glass of water with lemon
5 ounces of orange juice
Mid-morning
Three 8 ounce glasses of water
Lunch
12 ounces of iced tea
8 ounces of water
Mid Afternoon
One liter of water with workout at gym (about 34 ounces)
5 ounces of green tea
Two 8 ounce glasses of water
Dinner
Two 8 ounce glasses of water
Two 5 ounce glasses of red wine
One 5 ounce decaf
The Wrap Up
My intention was to convey that water does not have to be the only thing you choose when calculating your daily fluid intake. All fluids DO count toward the total.
I think this is important to note, as many patients tell me they hate drinking so much water everyday and then wind up not drinking at all. You can safely add items like diet soda, fruit juices, tea, and alcohol if you do it sparingly throughout the week along with your best friend: water.
Personally, I choose water most of the time. It is free, without any calories, supposedly good for my skin, and does a great job of quenching my thirst during the day and after exercise. As a middle-aged woman, it checks all my boxes.
Need more support getting in fluids or changing your diet?
I have recently put together a private FB page called THE Kidney Stone Diet. It is a group that helps educate you on your physician prescribed treatment plans. I moderate it to keep it clinically sound. Come on over and join the discussion!
Is there a difference between green tea and regular tea? Is one a better choice than the other? Thank you for more great info!
Hi Kim –
Good to see you back on the site!
Green tea is said to have “inhibitory effects” on kidney stone formation (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16724910).
I would recommend incorporating a cup or two of green tea into your beverage menu. It is also known to have many other health benefits that could benefit you (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/960.html.).
Glad you found the post helpful.
Cheers,
Jill
Hi Jill! So i read Matcha green tea and green tea from Zhejiang china had the highest amounts of oxolates. Like extreme amounts, and experts advised stone formers to avoid them. My favorite tea sadly is matcha toasted rice green tea, which is also from that region of China, I am thinking now I should avoid. ? thank you for the info and your time
Hi, I am afraid we just do not know the oxalate content of that product. Fred Coe
Love Crystal light pink lemonade! Great post!!! Thanks
Hi Laura,
Thank you for taking the time out to reply and to share your thoughts. Others will benefit from it!
Be Well,
Jill
Thank you. I appreciate all the info you share. It has been very helpful.
Thanks for the research and this comment. Malate and citrate are similar in being metabolized to bicarbonate and therefore both provide an alkali load. Later this site will host materials about the importance of high calcium intakes in stone formers, and this kind of beverage will be of considerable value – if it remains on the shelves.
You mentioned sports drinks with sugar. What is you take on low calorie like G2 (40 calories) and Power Aid Zero (0 calories).
I love the information on this site. There are so many sites out there with contradicting information.
Hi Tom, It is this way. The closer a drink is to water, the better, but who can live that way? Sugar is bad for stone formers because sugar loads raise urine calcium. I have not written about that yet because the site is being built and the part about calcium is not ready. But just between us this important fact is coming one of these days. So lack of sugar is good. Sodium loads also raise urine calcium and that is not good. So check the label for sodium – bad numbers would be above 100 – 200 mg for a bottle, a good daily amount of sodium is 1500 to 2000 mg daily (I have not done much with sodium, yet, either: Coming). Fred Coe
Jill,
What’s your take on Mountain Dew? Citric acid, not phosphoric acid. Contains caffeine (54mg/12 fl. oz.) But the #2 ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, which I know isn’t a good thing.
Been dealing with kidney stones since about 1992. Used to be about every 5 years. Recently I had episodes 10 months apart, the second involving the largest stone I’ve ever had (7mm), got wedged in the ureter, and had to be dislodged and then fragmented for passing. That soda could potentially be my biggest contributor, but it doesn’t fit the classic “dark cola” description – actually is more like the clear colas – except for the sugar substitute. I don’t have any other issues typically associate with excess sugar intake – BMI is reasonable (26.2), no triglyceride problems, no diabetes, etc.
Your thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Brad
Hi Brad, I am not an expert on Mountain Dew but the fructose, like sucrose and glucose can cause marked spikes of high urine calcium in those stone formers with a tendency to high urine calcium because of genetics – so called idiopathic hypercalciuria. The site is a work in progress and hypercalciuria has not yet made much of an appearance but when it does the sugar effect will be highlighted. So, I think the drink may indeed be a problem. Fructose is not a sugar substitute, it is a sugar, and acts like one. Thanks for the great story and question. Fred Coe
I had a 24-hr urine collection test and the report says that my urine pH of 6.762 and urine calcium of 152 mg. puts me at an increased risk for stone formation. My doctor told me to drink orange juice, but I’m pre-diabetic so that’s not a good option for me. I asked about adding lemon juice to the water I drink and she said that studies have shown that it doesn’t prevent kidney stones so it wouldn’t do any good to drink it. The only other alternative she offered me was to buy a vitamin/mineral supplement called Theralith XR. First of all, have you heard of these studies? Second, is Theralith XR a supplement you recommend to your patients? It contains 99 mg of Potassium and I take Lisinopril (5mg/day) for high blood pressure and supposedly I need to watch my Potassium intake. Thank you.
Dear Hope, Of course, with no immediate information about you except a few numbers there is little specific I can say. Lemon juice will flavor water and make it easier to drink, so feel free to use it, but expect no benefit from the lemon in relation to stone prevention. As for Theralith, I had never heard of it, but I did go on the website. At the bottom of the page I found this: ‘This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.’ Certainly this disclaimer shows good faith in that no claim is made that the product will help you. It contains amounts of potassium magnesium and citrate in levels not of obvious use in stone prevention. Vitamin B6 has never been shown to prevent stones. The amount of potassium is negligible so it offers no risk given your use of Lisinopril. So, it seems a remedy with no force and no likely benefit. As for your tests, the high pH value is indeed noticeable and raises risk for calcium phosphate stones. Perhaps your physician might want to focus there. Such an elevated pH sometimes goes with other abnormalities. I am afraid I cannot say much more having so little to go on, but I am sure your personal physicians are thinking about the alternatives for you. Among them, however, the Theralith does not seem promising. Fred Coe
Hi, Jill. I need more citrate in my diet according to my test results. I’m planning on upping the use of lemon juice (not lemonade, as I don’t want to add sugar or sugar substitutes in any way). Was just reading about a study that said the citrate in orange juice actually raises citrates more than that of lemons, due to the accompanying ions. It’s here: http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/news-releases/year-2006/orange-juice-is-better-than-lemonade-at-keeping-kidney-stones-away.html
Are you familiar with this study? Thoughts?
Hi Ari, I am answering for Jill. Citrate is a weak acid. Citric acid itself will do nothing to help kidney stones. The sodium and potassium salts of citric acid, sodium and potassium citrate, are helpful because as citrate is metabolized as citric acid the citrate must take up a proton which produces alkali in the blood. It is this alkali which signals the kidneys to raise urine citrate and it is the urine citrate that helps prevent stones. Many fruits contain citric acid and the less acid the fruit the more is available as citrate as opposed to citric acid. Potassium salts are preferable to sodium salts because sodium raises urine calcium losses. But no trials support fruits, as yet, so eating oranges or their juice is not necessarily a way to prevent stones. Likewise orange juice is caloric. The study was done in 2006 and we are familiar with it. Regards, Fred Coe
Hello, up in the article the author suggests lemon juice. But this comment seems to suggest that wont help anything. Can you please clarify for me? Do studies show that lemon juice will reduce the chance of developing stones?
Hello R, The article mentions lemonade preparations as a part of variety in fluid choices. Lemon juice is useful for flavoring water. Lemon juice and lemonade drinks have never been tried in formal stone prevention, so no studies show they prevent stones. Fred Coe
When I search for “Crystal Lite Lemonade” I get results for Crystal light which isn’t lemonade at all and the #1 ingredient is Sugar.
Hi Brian, There is a crystal light lemonade as a standard product and it is without added sugar. Just Google it and you will find an array of products everywhere. There is also a sugar version, which is probably what you encountered. Fred Coe
Is it okay to use Mio water enhancers when you have a body that’s makes kidney stones?
Scientifically there is no data at all, so I am just guessing. It seems harmless although loaded with chemicals. The amounts of the additives is small, and if the flavoring does it for you it is a fair trade off. Regards, Fred Coe
This study shows that grape fruit increased the risk of kidney stone formation: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/143/3/240, unlike some other studies sited here.
Hi M, It is true that this article makes that comment. But in a much larger and much more recent article the same lead author – Curhan – found no effects of grapefruit juice. It was that more recent article Jill referenced. It is not all about recency, it is that in the later article the group had better access to more data. The values for grapefruit juice were RR values of 1.06, 1.01, 0.99, and 1.10 for 1 week, 2 -4 weeks, 5-6 weeks and >1/day usages; the 95% CI for all five values passes through 0 meaning lack of deviation from 1, and the p value for a trend with time was 0.26 age adjusted and 0.22 fully adjusted. So grapefruit juice poses no detectable risk of stones. Thanks for your careful reading. Regards, Fred Coe
I’ve gone back to coffee after my last kidney stone, and although I love coffee, my stomach does not! Someone recommended Teeccino. I tried it (with milk of course!) and it’s good; but I am concerned about the oxalate levels. I could not find any resources about the oxalate levels in Teeccino, but the ingredients include almonds, figs, and dates; those ingredients are high. Thoughts?
Thank you.
Hi Meg, The constituents are high, so I guess the product has a lot of oxalate. One possibility is to use the product and recheck a 24 hour urine to see if oxalate has risen. Regards, Fred Coe
I have had a ct scan which confirms I have 2-3 stones per kidney which are 3-5mm in size. My doctor has told me not to drink tea and has offered little less advice. What do you think?
Hi Colin, with multiple stones in both kidneys prevention is very important. Here is an approach to consider with your physicians. This summarizes things a bit more. Get prevention! Regards, Fred Coe
I have had a surgery of kidney stone in 2012 and have developed again.I have 2cm stone in my right kidney and 1cm in my left kidney.I dont want to go for surgery again.Please help if you have any ideas.
Hi Nilesh, Those are rather large stones. If they are not causing pain, bleeding, infection or obstruction there is no rush – even if they are too large to pass they might be easier to deal with in the ureter than in the kidney. But your real problem is prevention. Take a look at what you can do to prevent more. Regards, Fred
Crystal Light “Pure” is now available in their “on the go” packets. Apparently it contains no preservatives or artificial flavors. It does contain 3 grams or sugar and Stevia, a natural sweetener from the stevia leaf. Do you see this product in the same positive light that you see the artificially sweetened Crystal Light? Thanx!
Hi Dana, My colleague Dr John Asplin measured citrate in the product I mentioned, and we published what we measured. I cannot know if the pure product is the same. But, you could tell. If you are using it in place of potassium citrate, see if your urine pH remains as high with the new product as with the old one. Get a 24 hour urine on the old one, and then the new, of course, so you can do this. Also notice the urine ammonium ion; it should be low using the old one and if it stays low then the new one is fine. Old and new are in relation to urine sulfate. Here is a link to how to read this on your lab reports. The uric acid link says a lot about ammonia, the calcium one less so. Regards, Fred Coe
is red wine good for kidney stone ?
Hi Syam, As far as I know it is not a risk nor a special benefit. Regards, Fred Coe
I had a heart attack on 3-12-16 on the way to the E.R. passing a 9.5 mm stone……….Then I had to have a heart cath; I was advised that the heart enzymes became elevated due to the intense pain of passing that stone. I had no blockages. I never want another kidney stone………….all prevention methods would be appreciated. Thank you.
8-5-16
Hi Diane, I am not sure if that was a heart attack or just massive cardiac overload from hormones released because of all that pain; I Hope your heart recovers perfectly. As for prevention, the best way is to follow an organized approach. Here is one I wrote and like. Let me know. Regards, Fred Coe
How do I measure oxalate in my urine? My urologist has never
mentioned this. He just gives a list of foods to avoid. Thank you.
JO
Dear Jeanne, You cannot, it is done by a laboratory. Prevention usually depends upon an orderly sequence which included 24 hour urine testing. Here is a link to an article I wrote for just this purpose. See what you think. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Jeanne,
Ask your doctor to order you a 24 hour urine collection. This is the best way to know how much oxalate you have in your urine.
Jill
Forgive me if the answer to my question is clear and I miss something, but I am reading two of your articles, this – “Thirst for Variety,” and also, I just read “How to Eat a Low Oxalate Diet.”
The one I read first, “How to Eat a Low Oxalate,” article says
“BEVERAGES – PLANT SOURCES
Hot chocolate is the clear loser at 65 mg per cup; carrot juice is the runner up at 27 mg per one cup. Lemonade, tea, tomato juices, rice dream and the like are better but still high. The are 15 – 18 mg per serving. Lemonade – frozen concentrate – is 16 mg per 8 ounces so be careful about this as a source of citrate.”
Then the “Thirst for Variety” article says
“Lemonade is an excellent way to increase your total daily fluid intake and raise your urine citrate level. Citrate is a molecule that binds to calcium so that calcium does not have the chance to bind with phosphate or oxalate. It also slows the formation of stone crystals. Both actions decrease your risk of forming new kidney stones. Lemonade use was not part of the large beverage study I have already quoted, but is thought to be beneficial for stone prevention, or at least not a specific risk like sugared drinks.”
These seem a bit conflicted, and my physician encouraged me to make my own lemonade, similar to the recipe you provided in one of your articles.
Can you comment on where you stand with lemonade please? I am curious if it is on a case-by-case basis, and why you have recommended to those seeking a low oxalate diet should avoid lemonade in the “How to Eat…” article,, but this “Thirst for Variety” article seems to recommend drinking it to prevent stone formation? (which is what my physician told me)
Thanks!
Hi Whitney, Thanks for your careful reading. We should reconcile these articles, but it is just the few of us and we have so little time. Of course, in the oxalate article we were focused on it and in the beverage article on citrate so in one we emphasized to us and our readers the oxalate and in the other we were pleased with the citrate. In truth the confusion is because the amount is significant but not disastrous in beverage planning, and citrate is not easy to come by. The 50 mg oxalate diet ideal is usually not attainable, 100 mg is more reasonable, and this juice may well fit into a day of meal planning. In our recent article on high calcium low sodium food sources we mention calcium supplemented juices, and note the oxalate. But the calcium in the juice will prevent the oxalate from being absorbed well. So overall the calcium supplemented juices are probably a better bet and we should go back and edit our variety article. Regards, Fred Coe
I read that recent studies show that Green Tea helps prevent stones. Then again, I read that tea is still a stone former. Who are people supposed to believe??
Hi Lee,
Black tea is high in oxalate. Best to stay away, if you do drink it, use milk with it to counterbalance the oxalate. The longer you steep it the worse it is. Green tea is deemed acceptable and has many other health benefits.
Hope this helps.
Jill
Interesting article. Thank you.
Hi Maureen,
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to tell us.
Warmly,
Jill
I have calcium oxalate stones. A 24-hr urine test showed that I have hypercalciuria and low levels of citrate. The doctor suggested adding lemon juice to my water daily. However, I suffer from GERD/reflux and there’s a strong possibility that I might have developed ulcers, or at least have gastritis, so lemon juice would be very irritating to my stomach. What are my options to increase citrate, and is this the only solution to lower the excretion of calcium in the urine? I feel caught in a catch 22 situation.
Hi Jason, Idiopathic hypercalciuria is best treated with low sodium high calcium diet – both together, and if that is not enough then medications like thiazide or potassium citrate are added to that diet. For the low citrate, I would do the diet changes first and see if it does not rise. Also, of course, you need high fluids. With this the lemon juice can be avoided. But really prevention is best based on a plan, and here is my favorite. Regards, Fred Coe
I am caffeine sensitive and drink herbal coffee made of extract of roasted malt barley, roasted barley and roasted chicory. Barley is fairly high in oxalates and I wonder if its preparation for an instant herbal coffee concentrates it. I use 2-3 tsp per 8 oz cup and like to have 2-3 per day. Herbal coffee may be too obscure to have been tested, but i thought i would ask. Thanks.
Hi Hanusia,
I do not have access to those numbers as I assume that herbal coffee has not been studied. Going on the premise that barley is high, I would say to watch how many cups you are drinking a day and or lowering the amount you drink at a time. Perhaps ween yourself down to one cup per day? Also adding some milk to it will help, if you like that.
I’m glad you did ask.
Jill
Makes sense to me. It will have to a treat rather than a staple.
On the ither hand, at least i can still drink rooibos tea, though the flavour is not as intense as herbal coffee. According to this article it is low in oxalates.
http://lowoxalateinfo.com/introducing-african-red-bush-tea-rooibos/
Thanks for your info and advice. Your article is very helpful.
Glad to help Hanusia. I have no experience with the source who wrote that article, so cannot comment on it. We stick to our lists and those researchers that conducted the studies.
Thanks for writing in-
Jill
Tea in moderation can be good for the body. Studies show that tea can lower your risk of kidney stones. I have my grandfather drink tea every week for that reason.
Hey Britton,
I don’t mind tea here and there, but be careful as black tea can be higher in oxalate.
Happy to hear you are watching out for your grandpa-
Jill
I’m a bit confused about oatmeal and barley. I eat them regularly to keep my cholesterol in check. I was just diagnosed with two 9 mm stones. Should I eliminate them?
Hi Bill.
No, you don’t have to eliminate them. They are both on the lower side for oxalate. Use the list we provide on this site for you high and low oxalate foods. I am hoping you have done a 24 hour urine collection to see why you are forming stones and if you even need to lower your oxalate.
Happy New Year-
Jill
How much black coffee needs to be had during a day?
Also what all other diuretics can be had for Kidney stones?
Hi Zende, black coffee is not much of a stone risk. Diuretic drugs do not alter urine volume on average, they are used to lower urine calcium excretion and only under special circumstances. Evaluation and treatment needs an organized approach – take a look at this one. Regards, Fred Coe
Could some please let me know about the following:
1) Is coconut water off the shelf and/or Fresh coconut water is a good option for staying hydrated.
2) Could drinking coconut water cause kidney stones?
3) Could drinking coconut water dissolve kidney stones? (I read this in an article online)
I appreciate any advice as I have been diagnosed with a 4mm kidney stone in upper part of my right ureter.
Thank you very much.
Regards,
Alan
Hi Alan, I am asking Jill Harris to answer this one. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Alan,
I know that coconut water is enjoying its 15 minutes of fame right now. You may drink it, it will hydrate you. It will not increase risk for stones for all I know, but it won’t break them up either.
Thanks for writing us-
Jill
Thank you everyone for all this useful information. Just had a second stone in 3 years and as my Father has always had them and gout then I’m obviously taking after him. Am now going to seriously look and diet and fluid intake. Even though I’m pretty fit and eat healthily I’m going to have to make some changes to try and prevent them. Keep up the good work.
Hi Joanna,
Sorry you had another. Please do take it all seriously and make sure you don’t get another. Please do your testing and find out why. Thanks for writing. We love hearing from you-
Jill
I’m on my fourth stone episode since 2008. Just finished #4. Frequency is farther between since I’ve added the potassium citrate twice daily. I really like Simply Lemonade. What do you think about a glass of half water and half lemonade on a regular basis? Also, I’m not a huge fan of just water. Are a few drops of something like Mio flavoring OK on regular basis?
Hi Jack, Given four stones, I would try for better protection. Check this out and see if you have covered all the bases. Simple use of potassium citrate does not seem to have reduced your stones remarkably. One half glass of a lemon juice will contain so little citrate as to amount to virtually nothing – I would guess less than 10 mEq or the amount in one potassium citrate capsule. So it is not harmful nor much of a help apart from taste. About Mio, it is probably harmless. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Jack,
I don’t mind the half lemonade and water or the Mio. Whatever gets you to continue drinking makes me happy and will help decrease your stone rate. Please remember to watch your sugar levels too. You can also enjoy carbonated flavored waters if that helps you too.
Warmly,
Jill
I have been trying to prevent more kidney stones (7 in 15 yrs) now I have been told I have alot of scare tissue in my right kidney and tube.the kidney is at 1/3 fuctuning been trying to increase my water. I love tea and have cut back alot. what do you think of herbal teas like “celestial seasonings”? and what about the water flavoring “MILO”. Trying to figure a diet is crazy thank you
Hi Howard, Prevention is an orderly process. Take a look. Given all your trouble I urge you follow this scheme and find your best way. I am sure your physicians will be happy to help with it. Warm Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Howard,
Using flavorings to help get down more water is fine. Do whatever it takes to increase your urine output. Tea can be drunk if only in a regular sized tea cup or two. Make sure you do your urine testing to see your values.
Keep up posted-
Jill
I’m new to kidney stones (no family history), having just had surgery to remove a 6 mm principally calcium stone. The minute I heard it was calcium based, I stopped eating foods rich in calcium, and now have calcium levels at or slightly (.2 – .4) above 10. If I’m tracking you correctly (and this seems somewhat counterintuitive to me), it sounds like I should increase my calcium intake to reduce my blood and urine calcium levels. Is this correct?
Hi Nancy, It sounds like your blood calcium is above normal. If so, you may have primary hyperparathyroidism, a not uncommon and curable cause of calcium stones. My article on it is still in preparation but here it is for you – forgive incomplete areas, lack of links out to references, and discussion of surgical cure etc. The parts you most need are in it. Regards, Fred Coe
I just thought I had researched this topic and don’t know how I missed all of your valuable research. I have the common calcium oxalate stones( 2x in 4 years), and this last time my dr started allopurinol and gave me a list of low oxalate to high oxalate foods. There is so much contradictory information on the web ( reputable sources too) in regards to what is low and what is high in oxalates. UAMS to webmd makes it hard to know which is true. Thank you fo so much clear information and references to your publications!
Hi Sherri, Thank you for your support. I hope you can use the site to plan your stone prevention. Take a look at the new guide book. Regards, Fred Coe
I enjoyed the article and I appreciated the information provided. I had a 7 mm stone a year ago and I have a 6 mm stone now with 2-3 smaller stones in my kidneys so it is time to get serious. My urologist mentioned diet last year but did not provide any guidelines or recommended diets, so I basically forgot about it. The article, while discussing beer and wine, did not mention any spirits. Is that because there is no data, or is there another reason? Do spirits in moderation increase, reduce, or have no effect on stone formation?
Hi Mark, spirits have no known effect. If you are getting serious, be sure and read this article – a good summary of how to do it. Regards, Fred Coe
I’ve been using pure erythritol as a substitute sweetner in my green tea and in my oatmeal. I can’t find any information on the web about it’s oxalate content or it’s effect on forming kidney stones. I see that there are blends of stevia and erythritol which I don’t use, as stevia is high in oxalates. I have a 5mm x 3mm stone in one kidney found by a sonogram. I used to drink 5 or 6 cups of instant coffee everyday which I don’t do anymore.
How good (or bad) is erythritol?
Hi Lynn, erythritol is a polyol sweetener that has no oxalate nor converts to oxalate that I know of. It is an approved sugar substitute. Chemical stevia has no oxalate, only the plant extract has that. The erythritol has no relationship to stones and is preferable to sugar that can raise urine calcium and could indeed be a stone risk. To prevent your stones follow a plan – here is a good one. Do not rush to this or that possible cause or treatment – never works. Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you so much for this information, I have found your site on kidney stones to be the best on the web.
Dear Lynn,
It makes us very happy to know that it is useful to you. Thanks for taking the time to let us know-
Dr. Coe and Jill
Hello…
Hmmm… if erythritol is excreted mostly in urine, unchanged, does it have an impact on potential kidney stone formation?
Regards
Luke
Hi Luke, No. I looked at its structure. Fred Coe
I use Xylitol to sweeten my Espresso instead of sugar. Is Xylitol high in Oxalate? Or should I switch to sugar?
I like to drink about 3 Espresso’s a day, along with plenty of water. I am in the process of trying to figure out why I keep creating kidney stones. I just received results back showing Calcium Oxalate stones from one that I caught, and 48 Urine Analysis showing low urine pH at 5.215 with Urine Calcium at 218 and total Urine Volume was 2.84. I am also a Type 1 Diabetic. I go back to my Urologist on Monday to discuss the results from all tests that Dr. Coe recommended on this website. Thank you for all of the information on this site.
Hi Bill,
The sweetener is fine. How is your sodium (Na) on your test? And your citrate levels? Your urine is pretty acidic which does not bode well for a stone former. I wonder since you are a diabetic if you are eating too much protein in order to avoid carbs that will lead to higher blood sugar levels? If so, this could be a problem for your stone condition as well. Would need more info. There are different reasons why and you may want a nutritional consult to help you deal with both problems. You can reach out to me at jillharriscoaching.com to get some help if you like-
Hope this addressed your concerns for now-
Jill
Hi Bill, YOu might bring up the low urine pH. Although your stones are calcium oxalate you have a high uric acid stone risk and might want to raise that pH. Diabetes itself lowers urine pH and as Jill mentioned a diet protein intake will do the same. Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you both for you prompt replies. I did the 48 hr urine test as you suggested on your site. The first day these were the levels Vol – 2.84. SS CaOx – 4.53, Ca – 156, Ox – 37, Cit – 527, SS CaP – 0.09, pH – 5.215, SS UA – 0.84, UA – 0.362, Na – 59, K – 54, Mg – 96, P – 0.785, Nh4 – 45, CI – 57, Sul – 19, UUN – 11.56, PCR – 1.0 . The second day these were the levels Vol – 3.09. SS CaOx – 3.69, Ca – 218, Ox – 33, Cit – 763, SS CaP – 0.24, pH – 5.493, SS UA – 0.86, UA – 0.563, Na – 136, K – 74, Mg – 139, P – 1.142, Nh4 – 42, CI – 150, Sul – 12, UUN – 10.79, PCR – 0.9 . I have been taking 300mg of Allopurinol since 2009. At that time I had very low pH and had what my urologist called gout of the kidneys. It always felt like I was peeing glass. After being on the Allopurinol for a couple of months, the pain went away. In 2011 I caught a 6mm stone that was a Calcium Oxalate / Uric Acid stone. I had been doing pretty well until last December, when this new series of kidney stones have started. It has been a very painful year. My Urologist has pointed it back to last June when I started a new low carb, high protein diet, and started working out at the gym and lost about 25 pounds. I realized in January that I had added a lot of nuts back into my diet, forgetting that with my history I shouldn’t be eating them. In the last couple of months I found your website, and have made changes to my diet, but just 2 days ago was back at the ER with more pain, and they saw more stones in my kidneys. I just did these urine tests on August 1 & 2, and my blood test last Friday, so now going back to the Urologist on Monday to discuss the results. Any suggestions either of you may have would be greatly appreciated as well.
Hi Bill, you have formed uric acid stones and have a low urine pH – common in diabetes. I would discuss with your physician raising pH with potassium citrate. Allopurinol is without value against uric acid stones as opposed to raising pH. Also mention to your physician that your urine ammonia is a lot higher than your urine sulfate; is this because of potassium delpetion, or are the numbers copied wrong? It was this way in both urine samples. Apart from low pH you have no specific stone risk. Be sure and analyze the new stones – they may contain uric acid. Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you for your reply. My urologist prescribed Potassium Citrate 10mEQ twice a day after meals. The Litholink 24 urine report suggests a recheck after 6 wks, which he also setup for me. I still have pain in my right kidney, and an ultrasound from ER 1 1/2 wks ago noted there are still stones in my kidneys. The most recent stone caught in July (small fragments) was Calcium Oxalate. I showed the urologist your comment about the urine ammonia higher than the urine sulfate, and he was not aware of why this would be. Those numbers are correct as written in the previous comment above. Do I need to eat more foods with potassium as well or make other diet changes? Will the Potassium Citrate dissolve or break up my current stones in my kidneys? If so, how long does that normally take? I am hoping this will get me out of this long episode of pain in my life.
Hi Bill, The stone analysis of calcium oxalate helps. Given the high ammonia I would suspect potassium depletion as a possibility or colonization with a urea splitting organism. K citrate cannot affect CaOx stones but can prevent more. I would use it along with the whole kidney stone diet. I see no reason to omit the diet as it is correct one for all US citizens. Regards, Fred Coe
Can I drink herbal teas with honey while passing a kidney y?
Hi Margaret,
You can, but water is best. Have a true cup or two, but mostly water.
Warmly,
Jill
A friend of mine has suggested I may want to try a green tea that has come on strongly in the USA. It is called Yerba Mate. It is made from the leaves of a South American holly plant (llex paraguariensis). The product being suggested is pure leaf, air dried, never smoked, never aged. As a prolific stone former of over 30 years, I don’t take dietary changes lightly, seeking knowledge before taking action. I was a former Calcium Oxalate stone former that morphed into a brushite former about two years ago. I remain on a reduced calcium, low oxalate diet at the urging of my urologist who has consulted with Dr. Coe regarding my case several times. Is anything currently understood about the oxalate levels of Yerba Mate. Please advise.
Thank You,
Neal
Hi Neal,
I know that green tea is lower in oxalate overall, but do not know the numbers for this particular one. I would suggest you have one a day, in a true portion size and you should be fine.
A low calcium diet is not advised and could very well lead to new stones and bone loss. Please discuss this again with your physician!
Jill
Hi Neal, Perhaps I have forgotten but I do not think I would have recommended a low calcium diet. I never do. I use a high calcium diet to lower urine oxalate, and low sodium to keep the urine calcium from rising. I would recheck with your urologist. Take a look at the link. As for the tea, Jill Harris has to answer that. Regards, Fred Coe
I have very recently found this set of information due to results from urinanalysis tests. I have had a history of a couple kidney stones (2010) and over active parathyroid (2 removed 2012), NOW the endocrinologist found, urine is high oxalate, uric acid, sodium, calcium. citric acid was 924;
Oxalate acid 61
uric acid 1344
calcium 554
sodium 336
I actual did 2 tests, one with preservative and one with out.
I have had a terrible diet and low hydration the past 5 months — my husband was killed in an accident — and honestly I didn’t care. I live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, munched on nuts – in general, survived.
Question:
Each report is followed by “flag Reference Range” is this the range to be inside??
Can return to good hydration bring these numbers back under control?
Should I be seeing a urologist in addition to my endo?
My primary is recommending return to hydration and a moderate approach that I can live with for diet. – My husband did all the cooking and I was just starting to manage cooking food that he used, many of which are medium to high oxalate.
I am totally stressed and trying to figure out how to care for myself and actually “care” about it.
Thank you for any advice, comments you can give.
Althea
Hi Althea, Firstly, all my sympathies for your terrible loss. As for the urine, the most major problem is the high urine calcium of 554 mg/day. Be sure your blood calcium is normal; possibly your primary hyperparathyroidism is still there. Likewise your urine sodium is very high. But you also mention 2 24 hour urines. I presume this is one of them. Alternatively, have you shown me the sum of both?? It almost looks like it as everything is twice what it should be. Check and post again if you wish. I hesitate to comment on the results further because of uncertainty about what I am looking at – 2 urines together or one. If it is one urine, which one? Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you for the information, do have a question, I prefer to use lemon, your article used 1/2 cup lemon juice to 7 1/2 cups of water. How much lemon juice is recommended on a daily basis? Should your daily intake of liquid in the variety of forms you discussed be equal to ounces that are 1/2 of your body weight? thank you
Hi Lea,
You need to drink enough fluid to produce at least 2.5 liters of urine each day. How one gets there depends on activity level, geographical location, sodium intake, etc. We do not generically recommend lemon juice at all. You can talk to your doctor about lemon juice if your 24-hour urine collection results indicate that your urine citrate is low.
Jill
sending second time, didn’t get confirmation that my comment went through. How much lemon juice should be used daily if this is the one preferred? 1/2 cup to 7 1/2 cups of water is your suggestion, every time drinking water should it be added? and should half of your body weight in ounces = liquid in a day?
Hi Lea,
Please do not use lemon juice unless you need to. The only way to determine this is by doing a 24 hour urine collection.
Hope this helps,
Jill
Thank you very much for the information that helped a lot. God bless
You write, “Citrate is a molecule that binds to calcium so that calcium does not have the chance to bind with phosphate or oxalate.” Per the kidney stone organization website, “You need to eat calcium so that it can bind with oxalate in the stomach and intestines before it moves to the kidneys.” Guess there are different opinions!
Hi Brenda, No. Citrate in urine binds with calcium that is no longer available to oxalate or phosphate for stone formation. Diet calcium, in the bowel, binds to oxalate so the oxalate cannot be absorbed into the blood and thence removed in the urine. One is about urine the other the bowel. Both are correct. Regards, Fred Coe
Dear Dr. Coe, regarding Brenda’s post referring to comment on kidney stone organization website …”You need to eat calcium so that it can bind with oxalate in the stomach and intestines before it moves to the kidneys…” and your response that …” Diet calcium, in the bowel, binds to oxalate so the oxalate can’t be absorbed into the blood & thence removed in the urine….” : I have a question: So, if during the course of a meal I consume a high-oxalate foodstuff, like spinach, for example, and then consume a glass a milk (or even have creamed spinach), can you say that the calcium in the milk (or cream) binds to the oxalates in the spinach, thus reducing the risk of stone formation in this meal? I.e., Does the one (Ca+ in milk) reduce or eliminate oxalate(from spinach) absorption into the bloodstream & before reaching the kidneys? Or would something like citrate-containing lemon need to be added, say, to the spinach in addition to consumption of milk. Thank you if you can clarify.
Hi Terry, Indeed calcium in one food will bind oxalate in another so the oxalate is not absorbed. Citrate with the calcium will bind the calcium so it is not free to bind oxalate, so that is not what you want. But I would not push things so far. Certainly we can do without the highest oxalate foods if we are stone formers. High calcium diet will reduce oxalate absorption from all foods so you can get along without too stringent a food oxalate restriction. Take a look at the kidney stone diet. Regards, Fred Coe
If I eat oxalate and calcium while drinking lemonade the lemonade cancels out the calcium and I retain the oxalate? Yikes!
Hi Linda, Not so sure about this. Lemonade will not do much about the calcium, so it will help keep the oxalate from being absorbed. But ideally you will eat your oxalate as part of real meals and calcium from food with your meals so you get stone prevention and good nutrition, too. Regards, Fred Coe
I use lime juice to sometimes replace lemon juice for citrate.
Hi Lesley, there is nothing valuable about lime or lemon juice; all fruits and veggies provide potassium in the form of anions like citrate and if you just use five servings of them daily – as the US diet guidelines recommend – you get all the benefit and good nutrition, too. Lime is very acid, so probably has less citrate. Regards, Fred Coe
Thankyou for your time and knowledge Dr. Coe,
I am drinking a cup of lemon juice and/or lime juice with water daily to supplement my 10 MEQ Urocit K because I have MSK with high urine calcium. Good to know that I am also getting citrate from my more than 5 servings of vegetables and fruits per day and thus will lower my lime/lemon daily
consumption and save my teeth!
Warm regards.
Hi- does carbonated mineral water (e.g. San Pellegrino) contribute to kidney stones? Thank you. Paulette
Hi Paulette, It is not a particular stone risk, but I would hope it is more of a treat than your main fluid. Regards, Fred Coe
I also drink squeezed lemon in my water. Not only does it help the kidney stone situation, but helps with heartburn. One caveat, I try to also use a straw. Constant contact of lemon juice, even diluted, and damage tooth enamel according to the AMA https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/e/dietary-acids-and-your-teeth
Hi Larry, Thanks for the link. So many people use lemon for stone prevention it could help protect their teeth. Lemon is actually not an ideal way to get potassium and citrate; all fruits and veggies have it, and a decent overall diet would do a lot more for kidney stone protection and offer no tooth hazards at all. Regards, Fred Coe
Almost all of my colon has been removed. It is my understanding from what I have read that since the calcium binds the oxalate in the digestive tract, I need to limit calcium intake to one serving of foods containing calcium(I have yogurt for breakfast) per day. Is that correct?
Hi Tod, No. If all of your colon is gone – osteomy – then urine oxalate will not be high and the cause of stones is mainly low urine volume and pH. If you have small bowel disease, Crohn’s disease as a common example, and any colon left in the circuit, oxalate can be a problem and the treatment is high diet calcium to prevent oxalate absorption. Whichever you have, low calcium diet is not a treatment. You need serum and 24 hour urine testing to know exactly what is wrong, and then means to correct it. Regards, Fred Coe
I have a 4 to 3 cm stone in my left kidney. I would like to avoid surgery, at least decrease the stone size, any ideas on what to consume?
Hi Frank, Unless the stone is uric acid of cystine, you cannot dissolve it. Your physician will know because these two stones have low radiographic density that s/he can determine. If a calcium stone, it cannot be dissolved. One can prevent more, and I would urge you do that. Regards, Fred Coe
Looking to fin out about flavored water with natural flavors such nestle splashes water….lemon…orange…etc are they ok to drink or do they contribute to kidney stones….
Hi David, these are the ingredients in Nestle Splash: Ingredients: PURIFIED WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVE FRESHNESS), POTASSIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVE FRESHNESS), SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA, MAGNESIUM SULFATE. Although a bit of a chemical factory I see no obvious cause of stones. Regards, Fred Coe
Thanks for the reply….it is greatly appreciated….how would you rate the flavors that you squirt into water to flavor…good or bad….Thanks again….David
Hi David, I have never tasted any of the flavors. Regards, Fred Coe
But are they good or bad to drink for future kidney stones….?…Thanks again
Hi David, These are mainly just water and would be a good health measure against stones for anyone. Regards, Fred Coe
Is it ok to drink reg clear soda? I hate diet anything
Hi Denise, The problem with regular soda is the refined sugar that is not healthy and can promote stones. Sorry! Lots of us hate diet drinks. But sugar is not a good thing. Regards, Fred Coe
It is the sugar that is just so high. I would try to wean off soda as soon as possible. Best, Jill
I had very bad experience with cranberry and orange juices causing my kidneys to produce 1/8 teaspoon of uric acid stone everyday for 3 months until I stopped taking orange and cranberry juices.
Hi Bob, an interesting observation. Cranberry juice lowers urine pH and that would cause uric acid stones. The orange juice does not do that. Regards, Fred Coe