Do you know kidney stones are the type of stones only? Well, let us tell you that kidney stones are very painful and need immediate attention. Kidney stones are hard deposits consisting of salts and minerals. Usually, the urine contains salts, minerals, water and other substances in a certain balance. However, when this balance gets disturbed or changed due to some reasons, the minerals and salts crystallize together to form into tiny pebbles or kidney stones. The answer to what causes kidney stones include several important factors, such as, less consumption of water, body weight, the presence of more stone-forming substances in urine, type of diet, gout, and hereditary factors and so on. So you have any idea on how to prevent kidney stone? Let's have a walk with this article.

Diet Tips to Avoid Kidney Stones

Kidney stones' formation can mainly be prevented through two ways, including diet and medication. Let us first discuss the diet tips that will help you control the formation of kidney stones.

• Drink ample of water. Most of the kidney stones are formed due to the low consumption of water. Drinking plenty of water is one of the best and easiest ways to reduce the risks of getting kidney stones. Enough water consumption keeps your urine diluted which prevents waste from getting concentrated. Drinking almost 12 glasses of water every day will reduce the possibility of minerals and salts sticking together in your urine.

• Reduce salt intake. Kidney stones are often formed due to the presence of high calcium content in your urine. Thus, it is essential to limit your intake of salt. While buying any food item, do not forget to read the food labels carefully and avoid ones which contain too much sodium. Also, remember that the canned, packaged and frozen foods contain an excess amount of salt. The daily Sodium(Salt) intake will be around 2300 milligrams

• Maintain body weight . Excess weight results in an imbalance of substances present in urine. It also puts stress on your kidneys that leads to kidney stones. The healthy weight for adults ranges from 125 lbs to 168 lbs.
• Limit intake of foods containing oxalate. Calcium oxalate stones are the most common types of kidney stones. Reduce their chances by avoiding food containing oxalate. Some of the oxalate-rich foods are grapes, peanuts, wheat bran, nuts, carrot, spinach, potato, etc.
• Reduce caffeine & alcohol intake. Excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol increase the risk of kidney stones formation as they contain oxalate. Hence, limit your intake and avoid caffeine, alcohol and such beverage as much as possible.
• Reduce animal protein intake. The presence of more animal protein in your diet leads to kidney stones, particularly uric acid stones. Hence, ensure that you consume less animal protein. Animal protein consumption up to six ounces or less reduces the chances of formation of all sorts of kidney stones.
• Increase citric acid & fibers in your diet. Remember, low citric acid levels lead to kidney stone formation in 60% of the cases. Increase the citric acid levels in your body by having lemon juice, orange juice, mango and other food items that are rich in citric acid. Eating high-fiber foods is beneficial in the prevention of kidney stones. Fiber-rich foods have phytate. This is a compound that stops crystallization of calcium in the body.

Tips to Avoid Relapse

For the patients who had and recovered from kidney stones, your doctor will review your previous medication as some medicines can also result in the reformation of kidney stones. And based on the type of kidney stone you had, he will prescribe new medicines for you so that you find essential help on preventing its relapse. And you need to follow your medication strictly according to his instructions and certain precautions.

• For calcium stones . If you have calcium stones because of hereditary reasons, you will be prescribed diuretic medication. Thiazide diuretic or phosphates are also prescribed for calcium stone formed other than hereditary reason. And those who recovered from calcium-stone problems should make sure to limit themselves to the intake of oxalate-rich food. They should also have a word of discussion with their doctor about the calcium supplements.
• For uric acid stones . The stones are formed because of increased uric acid levels in your urine. Your doctor may prescribe allopurinol for treating these stones. If you are in the recovering phase after getting treatment for your uric acid stones, try to avoid animal protein. However, when you control your animal protein intake, you also need to ensure that you are getting enough protein as needed by your body. The best way to do so is to replace your animal protein intake with plant-based protein. For example, instead of having fish, try to eat soy or soy milk.
• For cystine stones. Cystine stones get formed due to high levels of cystine in your urine. Your doctor might prescribe medicines that aid and support the reduction of cystine levels. If you or your loved ones have experienced uric acid stones, drink as many fluids as you can as that will help you produce more urine. Having enough liquid will reduce the possibility of getting uric acid stones in the future.
• For struvite stones. UTI (Urinary Tract Information) or infection of the kidney is the main causes of these stones. Hence, you may be prescribed antibiotics for treating the Struvite stones. The recovery phase after getting Struvite stone treatment is important. Make sure to drink a lot of water so that your urinary tract remains clean. Also, focus on your personal hygiene. Avoid public toilets completely.

Identify Kidney Stone Symptoms & Take Essential Measures

You can identify kidney stones through some specific symptoms. Pain in the abdomen, groin, below the ribs area and pain while urinating may indicate kidney stones. Change in urine color like pink, red or brown and passing urine in small quantity is yet another symptom for the kidney stone. Frequent urination and relentless need to urinate also indicate the presence of kidney stones. The other symptoms include fever, shivering, urine with foul smell, vomiting, and nausea. Noticing blood in the urine or experiencing unbearable pain is also important signs of kidney stones. If you observe any of these symptoms, you should contact the doctor on an immediate basis.