Your kidneys play an important role in your bodily functions as part of your urinary system. Kidneys have the vital duty of removing waste from your blood as your body's filtering system. A low-oxalate diet is recommended for a variety of circumstances, including kidney, or renal, failure and kidney stone prevention and treatment.
Oxalate
Kidney stones are a painful but common urological disorder affecting about 12 percent of Americans. Most kidney stones pass out of the body without the need for intervention. However, prolonged symptoms require medical intervention. A kidney stone is a hard mass that develops most commonly from a combination of calcium and oxalate crystals, two chemicals that occur in your diet naturally.
Causes
While some foods can promote kidney stone formation, according to MayoClinic.com, there is no definite single cause, instead a variety of factors contribute to conditions that make you susceptible to developing kidney stones. Inadequate fluid intake can contribute to the development of kidney stones. Fluid imbalance can cause your urine to contain more crystal-forming substances, such as calcium oxalate and uric acid. Over time, this buildup can cause kidney stones.
Low Oxalate Diet
In some circumstances, a low-oxalate diet can help prevent kidney stones or reduce recurrence. Your doctor will make an assessment accordingly. If he determines a low-oxalate diet will benefit your circumstance, he can provide a list if high oxalate foods to avoid. Many foods are oxalate rich, which is not harmful under normal circumstances; these include vegetables and fruits such as green beans, spinach, zucchini, bell peppers, blackberry, raspberry and rhubarb.
Other Dietary Changes
Your doctor may recommend other dietary changes that can reduce oxalate and calcium in your urine. Increasing your fluid intake will make your urine less concentrated with calcium and oxalate. Less concentrated urine is light yellow in color. Excess protein can increase the levels of calcium and oxalate in your urine. Your doctor may recommend limiting your amount of protein, so that you have enough to meet your needs without the excess that can contribute to kidney stones.
