You always hear to eat your fruits and veggies. You’ve probably heard that one since an early age because you were taught early on that they were good for you. You may have even been part of the “clean plate club” and told that it was impolite to leave any part of your meal on the plate. Whatever reasons you were given as a kid, you have likely grown into an adult that knows what it takes to ensure healthy living. You know what foods are good for you and which provide the nutrients that your body craves.
If you are big into a healthy lifestyle and work to do everything that your body craves and requires, then healthy eating is likely a big part of it. However when it comes to certain health conditions, there may be certain foods that are off limits. Even when it comes to foods that you perceive as healthy in nature may not be so good for you when it comes to the development of kidney stones. This is one health condition where what you eat can really affect you.
What Happens With These Foods?
Oxalates are chemicals that are found in plant foods, but not in most animal foods. Oxalates are really not a big deal or anything that you would even think of-unless of course you happen to be prone to developing kidney stones. This is where the trouble comes in because higher oxalate levels in the body, specifically in the urine, contribute to the potential development of kidney stones. This becomes problematic when you consider that there is already some oxalate present in the urine that we can’t do anything to control because it is already there and part of your makeup. However it becomes a bigger issue when the oxalate levels become too high as this combined with calcium is what forms kidney stones in the first place. You can see where too much oxalate in the urine is problematic and means that you may have a problem if you happen to be prone to the development of kidney stones.
Some Foods are Higher Than Others
It just so happens that certain foods, even some of which are very good for you, happen to have higher levels of oxalate levels than others. Foods that you would never consider to be bad for you may be in this particular context. There are lists and lists of foods that happen to have high oxalate levels, but a few examples include the following:
Fruits and Veggies: Spinach, Rhubarb, Green Peppers, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Berries, Concord Grapes, Red Currants, Tangerines, and Plums
Nuts and Grains: Wheat Germ, Wheat Bran, Quinoa, and Amaranth
Other Foods to Avoid: Red Meat, Poppy Seeds, Chocolate, Black Pepper, and Soy Beans
Use Common Sense
If you find that a food that you like or which you have deemed to be nutritionally sound for you is high in oxalate levels, do your best to avoid them if at all possible. If you are already prone to kidney stones, then you need to do your part to eliminate or greatly limit the intake of these foods. Aside from that, eating a low fat diet is always a good idea when it comes to avoiding kidney stones. This will ensure that you stay healthy and keep your body in a shape that will prevent kidney stones from ever developing at all.
More articles:
- The Dangers of Spinach and Rhubarb Towards Kidney Stones
- Balancing Calcium Intake Against Kidney Stone Prevention
- Reduce Salt Intake To Prevent Kidney Stone Recurrence
- Dietary Changes Can Squelch Kidney Stones
- Skipping Stones – Kidney Stone Prevention Advice
- The Connection Between Meat and Kidney Stones
- Foods that Fight Cancer