What not to drink with kidney stones?

Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Kidney Stones

Can I help prevent kidney stones by changing what I eat or drink?

Drinking enough liquid, mainly water, is the most important thing you can do to prevent kidney stones. Unless you have kidney failure, many health care professionals recommend that you drink six to eight, 8-ounce glasses a day. Talk with a health care professional about how much liquid you should drink.

Studies have shown that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet can reduce the risk of kidney stones. Learn more about the DASH diet. 2

Studies have shown that being overweight increases your risk of kidney stones. A dietitian can help you plan meals to help you lose weight.

Does the type of kidney stone I had affect food choices I should make?

Yes. If you have already had kidney stones, ask your health care professional which type of kidney stone you had. Based on the type of kidney stone you had, you may be able to prevent kidney stones by making changes in how much sodium, animal protein, calcium, or oxalate is in the food you eat.

You may need to change what you eat and drink for these types of kidney stones:

Calcium Oxalate Stones
Calcium Phosphate Stones
Uric Acid Stones
Cystine Stones

A dietitian who specializes in kidney stone prevention can help you plan meals to prevent kidney stones. Find a dietitian who can help you.

Calcium Oxalate Stones

Reduce oxalate

If you’ve had calcium oxalate stones, you may want to avoid these foods to help reduce the amount of oxalate in your urine:

nuts and nut products
peanuts—which are legumes, not nuts, and are high in oxalate
rhubarb
spinach
wheat bran

Talk with a health care professional about other food sources of oxalate and how much oxalate should be in what you eat.

Reduce sodium

Your chance of developing kidney stones increases when you eat more sodium. Sodium is a part of salt. Sodium is in many canned, packaged, and fast foods. It is also in many condiments, seasonings, and meats.

Talk with a health care professional about how much sodium should be in what you eat. See tips to reduce your sodium intake.

Limit animal protein

Eating animal protein may increase your chances of developing kidney stones.

A health care professional may tell you to limit eating animal protein, including

beef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meats
eggs
fish and shellfish
milk, cheese, and other dairy products

Although you may need to limit how much animal protein you eat each day, you still need to make sure you get enough protein. Consider replacing some of the meat and animal protein you would typically eat with beans, dried peas, and lentils, which are plant-based foods that are high in protein and low in oxalate.

Talk with a health care professional about how much total protein you should eat and how much should come from animal or plant-based foods.

Get enough calcium from foods

Even though calcium sounds like it would be the cause of calcium stones, it’s not. In the right amounts, calcium can block other substances in the digestive tract that may cause stones. Talk with a health care professional about how much calcium you should eat to help prevent getting more calcium oxalate stones and to support strong bones. It may be best to get calcium from low-oxalate, plant-based foods such as calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, some kinds of vegetables, and some types of beans. Ask a dietitian or other health care professional which foods are the best sources of calcium for you.

Calcium Phosphate Stones

Reduce sodium

Talk with a health care professional about how much sodium should be in what you eat. See tips to reduce your sodium intake.

Limit animal protein

Eating animal protein may increase your chances of developing kidney stones.

A health care professional may tell you to limit eating animal protein, including

beef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meats
eggs
fish and shellfish
milk, cheese, and other dairy products

Although you may need to limit how much animal protein you have each day, you still need to make sure you get enough protein. Consider replacing some of the meat and animal protein you would typically eat with some of these plant-based foods that are high in protein:

legumes such as beans, dried peas, lentils, and peanuts
soy foods, such as soy milk, soy nut butter, and tofu
nuts and nut products, such as almonds and almond butter, cashews and cashew butter, walnuts, and pistachios
sunflower seeds

Talk with a health care professional about how much total protein you should eat and how much should come from animal or plant-based foods.

Get enough calcium from foods

Even though calcium sounds like it would be the cause of calcium stones, it’s not. In the right amounts, calcium can block other substances in the digestive tract that may lead to stones. Talk with a health care professional about how much calcium you should eat to help prevent getting more calcium phosphate stones and to support strong bones. It may be best to get calcium from plant-based foods such as calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, some kinds of vegetables, and some types of beans. Ask a dietitian or other health care professional which foods are the best sources of calcium for you.

Uric Acid Stones

Limit animal protein

Eating animal protein may increase your chances of developing kidney stones.

A health care professional may tell you to limit eating animal protein, including

beef, chicken, and pork, especially organ meats
eggs
fish and shellfish
milk, cheese, and other dairy products

legumes such as beans, dried peas, lentils, and peanuts
soy foods, such as soy milk, soy nut butter, and tofu
nuts and nut products, such as almonds and almond butter, cashews and cashew butter, walnuts, and pistachios
sunflower seeds

Talk with a health care professional about how much total protein you should eat and how much should come from animal or plant-based foods.

Losing weight if you are overweight is especially important for people who have had uric acid stones.

Cystine Stones

Drinking enough liquid, mainly water, is the most important lifestyle change you can make to prevent cystine stones. Talk with a health care professional about how much liquid you should drink.

Tips to Reduce Your Sodium Intake

Most Americans consume too much sodium. Adults should aim to consume less than 2,300 mg a day. 3 One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. If you have had calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones, you should follow this guideline, even if you take medicine to prevent kidney stones.

Here are some tips to help you reduce your sodium intake:

Check the Percent Daily Value (%DV) for sodium on the Nutrition Facts label found on many foods. Low in sodium is 5% or less, and high in sodium is 20% or more.

Consider writing down how much sodium you consume each day.
When eating out, ask about the sodium content in the food.
Cook from scratch. Avoid processed and fast foods, canned soups and vegetables, and lunch meats.
Look for foods labeled: sodium free, salt free, very low sodium, low sodium, reduced or less sodium, light in sodium, no salt added, unsalted, and lightly salted.

Check labels for ingredients and hidden sodium, such as

sodium bicarbonate, the chemical name for baking soda
baking powder, which contains sodium bicarbonate and other chemicals
disodium phosphate
monosodium glutamate, or MSG
sodium alginate
sodium nitrate or nitrite

References

[2] Taylor EN, Fung TT, Curhan GC. DASH-style diet associates with reduced risk for kidney stones. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2009;20(10):2253–2259.

[3] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020—2025. 9th ed. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published December 2020. Accessed July 15, 2021. www.dietaryguidelines.gov

Last Reviewed May 2017
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This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

Kidney stones — self-care

A kidney stone is a small solid mass made up of tiny crystals. Your health care provider may ask you to take self-care steps to treat kidney stones or prevent them from returning.

What to Expect at Home

You visited your provider or the hospital because you have a kidney stone. You will need to take self-care steps. Which steps you take depend on the type of stone you have, but they may include:

Drinking extra water and other liquids
Eating more of some foods and cutting back on other foods
Taking medicines to help prevent stones
Taking medicines to help you pass a stone (anti-inflammatory drugs, alpha-blockers)

You may be asked to try to catch your kidney stone. You can do this by collecting all of your urine and straining it. Your provider will tell you how to do this.

What is a Kidney Stone?

A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in a kidney. A stone can get stuck as it leaves the kidney. It can lodge in one of your two ureters (the tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder), the bladder, or the urethra (the tube that carries urine from your bladder to outside your body).

Kidney stones may be the size of sand or gravel, as large as a pearl, or even larger. A stone can block the flow of your urine and cause great pain. A stone may also break loose and travel through your urinary tract all the way out of your body without causing too much pain.

There are four major types of kidney stones.

Calcium is the most common type of stone. Calcium can combine with other substances, such as oxalate (the most common substance), to form the stone.
A uric acid stone may form when your urine contains too much acid.
A struvite stone may form after an infection in your urinary system.
Cystine stones are rare. Cystinuria, the disease that causes cystine stones, runs in families.

Fluids

Drinking a lot of fluid is important for treating and preventing all types of kidney stones. Staying hydrated (having enough fluid in your body) will keep your urine diluted. This makes it harder for stones to form.

Water is best.
You can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, and fruit juices.
Drink enough liquids throughout the day to make at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of urine every 24 hours.
Drink enough to have light-colored urine. Dark yellow urine is a sign you are not drinking enough.

Limit your coffee, tea, and cola to 1 or 2 cups (250 or 500 milliliters) a day. Caffeine may cause you to lose fluid too quickly, which can make you dehydrated.

Diet and Calcium Stones

Follow these guidelines if you have calcium kidney stones:

Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water.
Eat less salt. Chinese and Mexican food, tomato juice, regular canned foods, and processed foods are often high in salt. Look for low-salt or unsalted products.
Have only 2 or 3 servings a day of foods with a lot of calcium, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, oysters, and tofu.
Eat lemons or oranges, or drink fresh lemonade. Citrate in these foods prevents stones from forming.
Limit how much protein you eat. Choose lean meats.
Eat a low-fat diet.

Do not take extra calcium or vitamin D, unless the provider who is treating your kidney stones recommends it.

Watch out for antacids that contain extra calcium. Ask your provider which antacids are safe for you to take.
Your body still needs the normal amount of calcium you get from your daily diet. Limiting calcium may actually increase the chance that stones will form.

Ask your provider before taking vitamin C or fish oil. They may be harmful to you.

If your provider says you have calcium oxalate stones, you may also need to limit foods that are high in oxalate. These foods include:

Fruits: rhubarb, currants, canned fruit salad, strawberries, and Concord grapes
Vegetables: beets, leeks, summer squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, and tomato soup
Drinks: tea and instant coffee
Other foods: grits, tofu, nuts, and chocolate

Diet and Uric Acid Stones

Avoid these foods if you have uric acid stones:

Alcohol
Anchovies
Asparagus
Baking or brewer’s yeast
Cauliflower
Consommé
Gravy
Herring
Legumes (dried beans and peas)
Mushrooms
Oils
Organ meats (liver, kidney, and sweetbreads)
Sardines
Spinach

Other suggestions for your diet include:

Do not eat more than 3 ounces (85 grams) of meat at each meal.
Avoid fatty foods such as salad dressings, ice cream, and fried foods.
Eat enough carbohydrates.
Eat more lemons and oranges, and drink lemonade because the citrate in these foods stops stones from forming.
Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water.

If you are losing weight, lose it slowly. Quick weight loss may cause uric acid stones to form.

When to Call the Doctor

Contact your provider if you have:

Severe pain in your back or side that will not go away
Blood in your urine
Fever and chills
Vomiting
Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
A burning feeling when you urinate

Alternative Names

Renal calculi and self-care; Nephrolithiasis and self-care; Stones and kidney — self-care; Calcium stones and self-care; Oxalate stones and self-care; Uric acid stones and self-care

Images

Kidney pain

References

Bushinsky DA. Nephrolithiasis.In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 117.

Leavitt DA, de la Rossette JJMCH, Hoenig DM. Strategies for nonmedical management of upper urinary tract calculi. In: Partin AW, Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 93.

Bladder stones
Cystinuria
Gout
Kidney stones
Lithotripsy
Percutaneous kidney procedures

Patient Instructions

Hypercalcemia — discharge
Kidney stones and lithotripsy — discharge
Kidney stones — what to ask your doctor
Percutaneous urinary procedures — discharge

Review Date 7/4/2022

Updated by: Kelly L. Stratton, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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Kidney Stone Prevention: How Much Water Should You Drink?

Recent estimates suggest that 1 in 11 Americans will experience kidney stones in their lifetime, so it goes without saying that we should all take kidney stone prevention seriously.

«It’s a very prevalent disease,» says Dr. Monica Morgan, a urologist at Houston Methodist. «Kidney stone recurrence is common as well. A person who’s had a stone in the past has a 50% chance of getting another one if they don’t take the necessary steps to prevent them.»

What can you do to stay stone-free? Maybe you’ve heard that simply drinking enough water is all it takes.

Can dehydration cause kidney stones?

«Absolutely,» says Dr. Morgan. «There’s a lot of data showing that urine volume is incredibly important for stone prevention.»

Kidney stones form when minerals and salts in the urine combine to create hard deposits inside the kidney. For instance, calcium stones — the most common type of kidney stone — are typically composed of calcium and oxalate that has attached and lodged in kidney tissue.

The odds of this happening increase if you’re not drinking enough water. As your urine volume decreases, these minerals become more concentrated — making their chances of interacting more likely.

«It’s why low fluid intake is a huge kidney stone risk factor,» explains Dr. Morgan. «This risk increases even further if you also have too much of one of these minerals in your urine for one reason or another. Hypercalciuria, high urine calcium, is one example of this.»

Fortunately, adequate hydration can help counteract this, Dr. Morgan notes. It’s one of the most important ways of preventing kidney stones, in fact.

«The more water you drink, the more diluted your urine will be,» says Dr. Morgan. «This means that the concentration of calcium and other minerals in your urine will be less, reducing the chance of stone formation.»

How much water does it take to prevent kidney stones? It can depend.

For most people, prevention starts by following general recommendations for adequate hydration. (Related: How Much Water Should You Drink In a Day?)

But for those who’ve passed one of these painful stones before, hydration becomes an even bigger priority.

Do people prone to kidney stones need more water?

While some people may be able to get away with drinking just a liter of water (or less) per day, Dr. Morgan points out that those with a previous history of kidney stones have a greater burden of increasing their fluid intake.

«We want kidney stone formers to drink enough water to produce 2.5 to 3 liters of urine per day,» says Dr. Morgan. «But because your body uses some of the water you drink for necessary processes, like digestion, and you lose water through sweat, urine volume isn’t identical to fluid intake.»

Given this, Dr. Morgan says people prone to kidney stones should, ideally, drink more than 3 liters per day — that is, at least 13 8-ounce glasses. However, the exact amount depends on the person’s body weight and many other factors.

«Clinical studies set this number as the goal, but we know it can be somewhat unrealistic for many people,» says Dr. Morgan. «If you give people unreasonable goals, they’re unlikely to meet them, so my practical recommendation for preventing stone recurrence falls somewhere between getting 2.5 to 3 liters of water per day.»

If this is a big shift for you, start slow — adding more and more water to your daily fluid intake gradually.

«Yes, the goal is 2.5 to 3 liters or more, but usually any additionally amount of water is better than what you were drinking in the past,» says Dr. Morgan.

You’ll also want to spread out the water you drink during the day, rather than chugging it all at once.

What kind of water is best for kidney stones?

You might wonder whether there’s a «best» type of water for kidney stone prevention. Alkaline water, a popular Internet remedy, is often touted.

«There’s no scientific data to prove that one type of water is better than another at preventing kidney stones,» says Dr. Morgan. «Some studies do show that magnesium and bicarbonate are good to have in water, but there’s no hard data to prove that alkaline water is actually better at this point in time.»

On the other hand, some studies show that hard water (most tap water in the U.S.) could potentially increase the risk of kidney stones due to its high mineral content. But the evidence is sparse.

«Compliance is more important than the type of water, so we really just want people actually drinking water — regardless of type,» adds Dr. Morgan. «The key to preventing kidney stone formation really is to increase and maintain an adequate urine volume.»

Do soft drinks cause kidney stones?

You might think a can of soda counts toward the fluid intake needed to prevent kidney stone recurrence. It’s fluid, after all. But watch out.

«Dark sodas, like cola and root beer, have actually been shown to increase the risk of kidney stones,» warns Dr. Morgan. «If you’re drinking these types of sodas because you’re trying to increase your urine volume but don’t like the taste of plain water, there are all kinds of tricks you can use to get more fluids.»

To increase your fluid intake without just drinking more soda, try:

Switching to sparkling water
Drinking artificially sweetened fruit drinks, like diet lemonade or diet limeade
Adding a squeeze of lime or lemon to your water
Eating hydrating foods, like lettuce, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, skim milk, yogurt, broths and soups

You might also try motivating yourself to drink plain old water by getting an app to track how much you’re drinking or buying a water bottle and carrying it around with you whenever you can.

«Try anything that can help make water a priority,» adds Dr. Morgan. «People may brush off kidney stones or can forget the pain they went through in the emergency room. However, stones are painful, inconvenient, can cause kidney damage and increase the burden on our healthcare system. Hydration really is one of the primary ways to prevent them.»

What not to drink with kidney stones?

Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Kidney Stones

Can I help prevent kidney stones by changing what I eat or drink?

Does the type of kidney stone I had affect food choices I should make?

Calcium Oxalate Stones

Calcium Phosphate Stones

Uric Acid Stones

Cystine Stones

References

Kidney stones — self-care

What to Expect at Home

What is a Kidney Stone?

Fluids

Diet and Calcium Stones

Diet and Uric Acid Stones

When to Call the Doctor

Alternative Names

Images

References

Read More

Patient Instructions

Review Date 7/4/2022

Related MedlinePlus Health Topics

Kidney Stone Prevention: How Much Water Should You Drink?

Can dehydration cause kidney stones?

Do people prone to kidney stones need more water?

What kind of water is best for kidney stones?

Do soft drinks cause kidney stones?