Health -Kidney

Kidney health

Kidney stones are way more common than most people think,neurologist shares 3 simple dietary tips to prevent kidney stones.

To keep kidneys healthy, maintain a balanced diet low in salt and sugar, stay hydrated with water, exercise regularly, manage weight,

These little hard lumps show up when things like calcium and oxalate get too packed in your pee and start sticking together inside your kidneys.  Some people say passing a kidney stone is the worst pain they’ve ever felt.  Sometimes, the bigger stones don’t budge on their own, and doctors have to step in and remove them.

But here’s the good news: you can do a lot to avoid kidney stones just by tweaking what you eat and how you go about your day.  Dr Priyanka Sehrawat, a neurologist and general physician at AIIMS Delhi, going by the on recently shared three straightforward diet tips to help people dodge kidney stones.  Her advice is simple.

 What are kidney stones, really?

They’re solid clumps of minerals, usually calcium oxalate, that build up in one or both kidneys.  Sometimes, they’re as tiny as a grain of sand; other times, they’re as big as a pebble or worse.  When they move, they can cause intense pain, problems peeing, infections, or even land you in surgery if they get stuck.

 Cut back on salt and eat more foods with citrate

 One of the best ways to lower your risk is to eat less salt.  Too much salt makes your kidneys dump extra calcium into your urine — and that’s a big reason these stones form.  Try to keep your salt intake under one teaspoon (about 5 grams) a day.

Watch out for high-oxalate foods

A lot of healthy foods have oxalates, which can join with calcium and lead to stones.  Dr Sehrawat suggests cutting down a bit on foods high in oxalate, like spinach, beetroot, weet potatoes, and sugary drinks or juices.  If you eat a ton of these, you’re more likely to get stones.

• Fruits and Vegetables: They are packed with essential nutrients. Aim to fill half your plate with fresh vegetables and fruits during meals.

• Limit Processed Foods: Processed foods often contain high levels of sodium and unhealthy fats. Reducing your intake can help maintain healthy blood pressure and weight.

 Drink plenty of water — at least 2.5 liters a day

 This one’s simple but makes a huge difference: drink enough water.  Dr Sehrawat says shoot for at least 2.5 liters (around 10–12 cups) of fluids a day, and more if you’re sweating a lot or it’s hot outside.  When you’re hydrated, your urine gets diluted, so minerals don’t clump together and form stones.