Kidney Stone Diet

Chicken, Fish or Red Meat: Which Is Best for Kidney Stones?

Swapping a steak for chicken or fish will not lower your kidney stone risk. When it comes to stones, meat is meat. Your kidneys treat turkey, pork, and seafood the exact

Is Cheese Good or Bad for Kidney Stones?

One slice of Swiss cheese has 180 milligrams of calcium and under 70 milligrams of sodium. Most cheeses do not look like that. People often tell us they eat cheese to get

Is Sparkling Water Bad for Kidney Stones?

Your bottle of bubbly water might hide a surprising amount of salt and sugar. Carbonation itself does not cause kidney stones. The carbon dioxide in sparkling water is co

Arugula: Spinach Replacement or Another Oxalate Trap?

A cup of spinach packs 700 milligrams of oxalate. Half a cup of arugula has only 0.3 milligrams. If you formed a kidney stone, you might feel terrified of all greens. You

Pumpkin Seeds, Pistachios, and the Snack Aisle

A quarter cup of pumpkin seeds has only four milligrams of oxalate. Yet many people get told to never eat nuts or seeds again after a kidney stone. Fear can quickly make

Coffee, Tea, and Kidney Stones: The Caffeine Episode

You do not have to give up your morning coffee or tea to stop kidney stones. Many people hear that caffeine causes stones, but that is a myth. Having a couple of cups a d

Protein Powders in 2026: What I Tell Patients Now

Mixing almond milk and chocolate protein powder into your daily smoothie can spike your kidney stone risk. The internet says you need huge amounts of protein every day. Y

Sugar, Honey, Maple Syrup: Which Sweeteners Are Stone-Safe?

Honey and maple syrup count as added sugar, just like white table sugar. Eating too much sweetener increases calcium in your urine and lowers your urine volume. Both of t

Prevent kidney stones with water

You need to make at least two and a half liters of urine every day to stop kidney stones. It is not just about how much water you drink. It is about how much leaves your

Watch this if you're eating right and STILL making kidney stones

You cut out spinach and almonds completely, but your urine tests still show high oxalate. It is deeply frustrating when you work hard and still make kidney stones. We wal

You have no idea this is causing your kidney stones

Up to 60 percent of calcium kidney stone formers have too much calcium in their urine. You will never know this is happening without a 24-hour urine test. We walk you thr

The one thing kidney stone doctors get wrong

Too many doctors tell patients they are just kidney stone formers. They say nothing can be done. That is simply not true. There is always a reason why your body makes sto

Is this healthy drink good for kidney stone formers?

Kathleen asks whether her daily hibiscus tea—which she drinks to help manage blood pressure—could be putting her at risk for kidney stones. Jill breaks down what really m

The Kidney Stone TRUTH about Lemons

"Drink lemon water" is the #1 piece of advice kidney stone patients hear from their doctors. But is it actually helping you? In this episode, Jill Harris breaks down why

My patients have been doing this wrong

Kidney stone patients are cutting way too many foods out of their diet, and it's making their world smaller and joyless. In this episode, Jill breaks down why "high oxala

What do these lab results mean?

For episode 300, we have a first! Jill will walk you through a urine collection, step by step, so you can better understand your results! Get Featured! Leave us a voice

The Kidney Stone TRUTH about Apple Cider Vinegar

This week we separate the truth from the myths about apple cider vinegar and kidney stones. Get Featured! Leave us a voice message at call.show/kidneystonediet to be fea

Food-based supplement danger?

In this episode, the nuances of calcium supplements, especially food-based and algae-derived options, and their impact on kidney stone risk. We also clarify common miscon

How much calcium does it take to flush oxalate?

This episode explores the relationship between calcium intake and oxalate in kidney stone prevention, emphasizing the importance of dietary sources over supplements, and

The SECRET about Potassium Citrate

This episode explores the role of potassium citrate in kidney stone prevention, discussing its benefits, risks, and dietary considerations. Get Featured! Leave us a voic