About 8 out of 10 men and 9 out of 10 teen girls and women don’t get the recommended amount of calcium. “It’s one of the top four missing nutrients in the American diet, along with vitamin D, potassium, and fiber. “Most people think they’re doing okay, but the reality is that most Americans don’t get enough calcium after they are young children,” says Isabel Maples, M.Ed., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You probably think you’re getting enough of this mineral every day. In fact, your nerves, muscles, and hormones depend on calcium to function properly, and 98 percent of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.N., L.D.Ever since you were a little kid, people (and commercials) likely told you to drink lots of milk because it would help you build strong bones thanks to its abundance of calcium. He or she can help guide your dietary choices to reduce your risk of stones while still getting the nutrition you need. Limit these foods to no more than 3 ounces at your midday meal and 3 ounces at your evening meal.įor more information on diet changes that can lower your risk for kidney stones, talk to your health care provider or a dietitian. Finally, too much meat, chicken or fish can increase the likelihood of kidney stones. Sugar and sodium can raise the risk of developing kidney stones, so limiting both in your diet also will help. If your health care provider recommends you limit oxalate-rich foods, consider meeting with a dietitian to evaluate your diet. Meats, eggs, dairy products, white rice and pasta are generally low in oxalate. The highest amounts of oxalate are found in certain fruits, vegetables and other plant foods, such as nuts. Unfortunately, oxalate content is not listed on food labels. You also may need to cut down on foods that are rich in oxalate. The easiest way to know whether you’re drinking enough fluids is to look at your urine. Drink about 8 to 10 ounces of liquid each hour you’re awake. For example, it’s important to drink plenty of water and other fluids. In addition to getting the right amount of calcium, there are other changes you can make to reduce your risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Check the Nutrition Facts label to find out how much calcium is in these and other beverages and foods. When you consider good sources of calcium, dairy products are high on the list. If you have calcium-rich foods or beverages at each meal, you lower the amount of oxalate absorbed into your bloodstream, reducing your risk of new kidney stones.įor the best stone prevention, calcium should come from food and not calcium pills. A typical recommendation is to have 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium every day. Your liver also produces oxalate.Ī key for preventing growth of calcium oxalate stones is to get the right amount of calcium. Some fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and chocolate, have high oxalate levels. Oxalate is a naturally occurring substance found in many foods. Your body needs it, not only to keep your bones healthy, but also to help regulate your blood pressure and aid in muscle function. But calcium is a critical part of your diet. It may seem to make sense that when calcium and oxalate make up the kidney stones, then avoiding both should help. At the same time, the urine may lack substances that prevent the crystals from sticking together, creating an ideal environment for kidney stones to form. When that happens, the calcium and oxalate form crystals. Kidney stones made of calcium oxalate form when urine contains more of these substances than the fluid in the urine can dilute. Cow’s milk doesn’t have oxalate, and it does have the calcium you need, so it is a good choice for you. People with a history of calcium oxalate stones often are cautioned to avoid oxalate-rich foods. And, although almond milk and other plant-based milks, such as soy milk, contain calcium, they also contain oxalate. In fact, people who’ve had calcium oxalate kidney stones do need a certain amount of calcium in their diets. I’m hesitant to start dairy again, so am wondering if drinking almond milk will make a difference.ĪNSWER: It sounds like your concern about milk and other dairy products is that their calcium may spur the development of more kidney stones. DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What’s the difference between almond milk and regular milk? When I was drinking regular milk, I was getting calcium oxalate kidney stones every couple of years however, when I stopped dairy, the kidney stones stopped.
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