Preventing kidney stones can be done as early as possible through these 5 steps

Kidney stones can happen to anyone. However, if kidney stones are not treated properly, they can cause pain and complications. Therefore, it is important for you to recognize what are the ways to prevent kidney stones in order to avoid the risk of this disease.

An easy way to prevent kidney stones

If you have experienced the symptoms of kidney stones, surely the experience of unbearable pain cannot be forgotten. Pain when urinating due to stones passing through the urinary tract and out of the body can sometimes be very clear.

For many people, kidney stones are kidney disease that may not only occur once. Reporting from Harvard Health Publishing, half of kidney stone patients come back with the same condition. Not a few also experience kidney stones in a period of seven years without prevention efforts.

Basically, how to prevent kidney stones from re-forming is not difficult. However, this effort takes determination because it takes a long time and doesn't stop in the middle. Then, what are the prevention of kidney stones that need to be done?

1. Drink water

Keeping your body hydrated by drinking water is the most important thing you can do to prevent kidney stones. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day can reduce the risk of kidney stone formation.

This is because the adequate water intake makes it easier for the kidneys to remove toxins from the body. The less you drink, the slower the process of removing mineral waste and other chemical compounds. As a result, the buildup of minerals that can form rocks can occur.

Therefore, meeting the needs of body fluids every day is important as an effort to prevent kidney stone formation.

2. Drink coconut water

Tired of plain water that has no taste and that's it? You can occasionally add a squeeze of lemon juice or replace it with young coconut water as a way to prevent kidney stones.

According to research from Panjab University, drinking coconut water to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation is safe. This is evidenced by giving coconut water to mice. Then, researchers will take a urine sample of these animals after 24 hours later.

The result, rats who were given coconut water experienced a decrease in the number of crystals in urine. In fact, coconut water also helps inhibit the formation of minerals in kidney tissue and prevents crystals from sticking to the urinary tract.

Although it is safe to prevent stone formation, consumption of coconut water may not be recommended as a kidney stone treatment. The reason is, the high potassium and sodium content in coconut water can actually damage the kidneys if consumed in excess.

3. Reduce salt intake

Meeting the needs of fluids is important, but it is not enough when not accompanied by a healthy diet. One of the recommended eating to prevent kidney stones is a diet low in salt, aka reducing salty foods.

Too much salt (sodium) can trigger the formation of kidney stones. The reason is, excess sodium in the body can increase the amount of calcium in the urine.

Adults generally need to limit their daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg daily. This size is equivalent to one teaspoon of table salt containing 2,325 mg of sodium.

Not only table salt, there are quite a few sources of sodium that you may not realize, namely chili sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, to canned foods. Here are some tips you can follow when on a low salt diet.

• Read the nutritional value of the product you are consuming to determine the amount of sodium.
• Start recording your daily sodium intake.
• Ask about the sodium content in foods when eating out.
• Avoid processed and fast food. We recommend that you cook from scratch.
• Look for foods that are labeled: sodium / salt free or low sodium / salt.

If you find it difficult, ask your doctor or nutritionist to find out what low sodium diet recommendations are. Thus, you may find it easier to follow a diet for kidney stone disease prevention.

4. Limit your intake of animal protein

Meat and other protein sources, such as eggs and milk, contain purines which can be converted to uric acid in the urine. Uric acid is one of the ingredients that causes kidney stones.

Therefore, consuming too much animal protein can lead to the formation of kidney stones later in life.

A low protein diet is a good choice for preventing kidney stones. So, what needs to be done to make it easier to live this healthy diet?

• Do not consume more than 170 grams per day.
• Focus on vegetables and whole grains and add one small serving of meat.
• Make sure to weigh your food to get the right portion.
• Ask a nutritionist about low protein products, such as cakes or bread.
• Occasionally replace animal protein with vegetable protein, such as tofu.

5. Reduce foods high in oxalates

Consumption of foods with high oxalate levels can increase the amount of oxalate in the urine. When this happens, the oxalate will bind to calcium and form crystals that cause kidney stones. This makes you need to reduce foods high in oxalate to prevent kidney stone formation.

Some examples of foods with a high oxalate content that you may normally consume include:

• peanuts,
• spinach and beets,
• chocolate,
• kiwi,
• almonds,
• soy products, and
• foods with a high vitamin C content.

6. Fulfill enough calcium needs

Too little calcium in the body can actually be one of the causes of increased oxalate levels and lead to kidney stones. In order to prevent kidney stone formation from occurring, you need to consume calcium as needed.

The amount of calcium that everyone needs is different, depending on your age. Ideally, you can get calcium from food, as taking calcium supplements can actually increase your risk of kidney stones.

For example, men over 50 years of age need to get 1,000 mg of calcium per day and 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D. This is so that the body absorbs calcium more quickly.

7. Maintain weight

Obesity or being overweight is one of the factors that can increase the risk of kidney stone disease. Excess weight can lead to insulin resistance and an increase in the amount of calcium in the urine.

This is what causes the body to form calcium stones that cause kidney stones.

In addition, people who are overweight also tend to have an acidic urine pH. Therefore, maintaining body weight is important to prevent stone formation.

You can start by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet. Don't forget to consult your doctor if you have risk factors to find out what steps need to be done to prevent kidney stones.