5 Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones

Kidney stones used to be an obscure affliction that only happened to a friend of a friend's friend, but no more. With the majority of the population being overweight and having blood sugar problems (both of which increase the risk of developing kidney stones) chances are that you or someone close to you has experienced a painful bout of kidney stones. Prevent kidney stone from occurring or re-occurring with these five risk reducers.

Lemon Juice

Lemon wedges in your glass of water not only add flavor to the water, but they can help prevent kidney stones. Lemons are packed with citrate, a natural kidney stone inhibiter and just 4 ounces a day of lemon juice will help prevent kidney stones. Squeeze fresh lemon juice in drinks, on salads and on cooked fish, even enjoying a glass a fresh squeezed lemonade everyday will help prevent kidney stones.

Stay Hydrated

Frequent dehydration increases the risk of developing kidney stones. Concentrate urine provides a breeding ground for the crystals which can combine to create a kidney stone.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water (4-6 glasses per day) and keep kidneys flushed out. Avoid caffeinated drinks which act as a diuretic and can cause mild dehydration.

Eat More Fiber

Adding more fiber to the daily diet can prevent kidney stone formation. Fiber helps keep the feeling of fullness longer after eating, enabling you to eat less and ultimately lose weight. Weight loss, combined with eating more fiber, keeps the blood sugar level steady which in turn helps prevent calcium from leaching out of the bones and contributing to kidney stone formation.

Stick with Low Sodium Diet

Keep daily sodium intake to below 2,300 mg to help prevent kidney stones. A high salt diet forces calcium into the kidneys, where it speeds up kidney stone formation. Lower sodium intake reduces cystine excretion within the kidneys and help prevent the formation of cystine stones.

Add a Pinch of Baking Soda

Adding a pinch of baking soda to the daily diet can help prevent kidney stones and improve kidney function in people suffering with impaired kidneys. Baking soda acts like a mop in the kidneys and mops up waste products and flushes out of the kidneys. If those waste products were allowed to remain in the kidneys, (due to impaired kidney function, dehydration, etc.) kidney stones or kidney damage could occur. Talk with your doctor about adding a pinch of baking soda to your diet.