Kidney stones could be formed due to several reasons and are not only limited to dietary factors. But one of the most common causes or the most probable cause of kidney stone formation is bad dietary choices. Our body uses the food we consume for energy and tissue repair. Later, the waste products from these foods are carried to the kidney to be excreted as urine.

Certain foods create small particles of crystals in the urinary tract and later form into stones in some people. This makes it important to know what foods and drinks you’ve to avoid to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation.

Here are the 5 Foods & Drinks that leads to Kidney Stones:

1. Dark colas & Carbonated drinks

People who are prone to calcium oxalate stones face issues of kidney stone formation when they consume sugary drinks such as colas. It is ideal if they avoid such drinks altogether.

2. Processed and canned foods

Processed and canned foods are packed with high levels of salts, hence the alarming rate of sodium content. Consuming heavily processed foods like instant noodles, soups, pasta, veggies, frozen meat & frozen fruits could result in the formation of kidney stones.

3. Chips and ready-to-eat snacks

Just like processed foods, chips and packed snacks are high in sodium content leading to not only kidney stones but various other kidney and heart issues. Even small amounts of these snacks could hinder your health because of the high sodium content in these snacks.

4. Cranberry juices

Cranberry juice is often promoted as a drink that could help prevent urinary tract infections, but it contains oxalates. This presence of oxalates could form kidney stones in those who are prone to oxalate formation in their kidney. If not, say no to it completely, it is advised to reduce the consumption of cranberry juice.

5. Heavy intake of animal products

Animal products are rich in protein which makes them an important part of our body. Meats, eggs, poultry, and fish contain purines that break down into Uric acid in the urine. People prone to Uric acid stones should limit animal products. Organ meats are extremely rich in purines, and it is advised best to avoid organ meats altogether for those prone to Uric stone formation.

Ensure to consume food in moderate amounts and limit/restrict the foods mentioned earlier to prevent kidney stones. The first change you could bring to have a healthy kidney is changing your diet to a kidney-friendly diet.

With over 200 transplants operations to his name and over 20 years of experience in genitourinary diseases & disorders, Dr. Mahesh Krishnaswamy is considered the master of urology/endourology procedures. He has worked in prestigious institutions around the world. Dr. Mahesh Krishnaswamy is internationally acclaimed because of his constant effort to give the best treatment for patients and his remarkable paper presentations at national and international conferences. Articles published in peer-reviewed journals gave him recognition in the medical world. He has mastered all advanced urology/endourology procedures for managing kidney and genitourinary related diseases and disorders. Laparoscopic surgery and advanced endourology procedures are his specialities performing over 200 transplant operations in his career.