So you just found out that you’re dealing with kidney stones. If you’ve learned that you had the calcium oxalate type of stones, then you’ve probably been told to modify your diet. Calcium oxalate stones are made when oxalates bind with calcium. Certain foods like beets, spinach, raspberries, grapes, and nuts have high oxalate content. But what foods can you eat without any problems?
The Low Oxalate Food List
First of all, you can eat beef, chicken, eggs, and fish as long as you limit your intake to 6 ounces a day or less. Protein does not produce oxalate but it does reduce citrate in your urine. And citrate helps stop stone growth. Limiting animal protein is primarily recommended if you have uric acid stones because animal protein can lead to elevated uric acid levels.
For low oxalate foods in the vegetable category, you can consume broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage, corn, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, and all kinds of peppers. While the restriction list can be limiting, you still have to be aware of the fact that there are still many choices available to you.
From the fruit category, low oxalate foods you can eat are apples, avocados, bananas, cherries, oranges, lemon, lime, and peaches. The fruits that you really should worry about are blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries. Supplements that contain these ingredients like cranberries in pill form should also be avoided.
For grains, you can go with rye bread, oatmeal, white bread, and rice. Many people usually look for low oxalate foods that make rice their go-to carb of choice. It goes well with many meals and is easy to cook. When you want to purchase bread, make sure it doesn’t contain any nuts or rice bran as they will have high oxalate content.
The big disappointment is when people find out they cannot consume nuts, especially if they enjoy almond milk. There are alternatives like oat milk and rice milk if you want to avoid almond milk.
Focus on Making the Most Out of the List
At first, consuming a restrictive diet can be incredibly challenging. But it gets easier over time when you figure out what kind of meals you can make with these ingredients. It’s a good idea to try out different recipes to figure out what you can enjoy. You also want to find low oxalate substitutions for common ingredients in recipes.
The best thing you can do is to prepare your meals beforehand. If you’re on the run, you can go with instant oatmeal with apple toppings and maple syrup. For lunch, you can go with a chicken stir-fry that uses coconut aminos, which is a soy sauce alternative.
The challenge usually lies when you have to eat out. If possible, you want to be able to pack your meals for such occasions. But of course, there are times when you’re too busy to prepare your meals beforehand. The best thing you can do in this scenario is to choose simple meals.
For example, if you’ve been eating healthy, you can’t go wrong with a cheeseburger now and then. If you want a healthy alternative, a ham sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes can also work well. You don’t want to go with dishes that contain a ton of sauces and ingredients that may carry high oxalate content.
Keep in mind that this low oxalate foods list provides you with foods you can eat without any issues. You’ll be surprised at the whole list of foods that have low oxalate content. You’ll find that your diet doesn’t have to be as restrictive as you think. It just takes some time to adjust your diet and start consuming foods you weren’t used to eating regularly.
