Is quinoa safe to eat with kidney stones?

In this conversation, Jeff Sarris and Jill Harris discuss the safety of quinoa for individuals with kidney stones, referencing recent studies and the importance of portion control. They emphasize the variability in oxalate content in foods and provide practical tips for managing dietary intake to prevent kidney stones. The discussion also highlights resources available for individuals seeking to understand their dietary needs better.

Takeaways

• Quinoa has been a topic of debate regarding its safety for kidney stone patients.
• Harvard’s recent study on quinoa has clarified its oxalate content.
• Portion control is crucial; half a cup of quinoa is recommended.
• Variability in food composition affects oxalate levels.
• Dietary changes can significantly impact kidney stone formation.
• It’s important to meet calcium needs daily, even with higher oxalate foods.
• Meal plans and recipes are available to help manage oxalate intake.
• The oxalate searchable list is a valuable tool for dietary management.
• Consultations with experts can provide personalized dietary guidance.
• Understanding food portions can alleviate anxiety about eating higher oxalate foods.

00:00 Understanding Quinoa and Kidney Stones
05:53 Practical Tips for Managing Oxalate Intake

Jeff Sarris (00:00)
Is quinoa safe to eat with kidney stones? Let’s talk about that.

So, quinoa, that’s a big one. It always is. It has been a question mark for many years. So why is it a question mark and is it safe for someone to actually eat it?

Jill Harris (00:17)
You know, this was always so annoying because Harvard didn’t study it until a couple years ago. And so we always said, so this is my golden rule when Harvard did not study a food, have that food once a week, twice if you got a leftover, because we don’t throw food out at Kidney Stone Diet. We do not. So nobody’s making a kidney stone with two meals. Get your calcium needs met every day.

But then when Harvard, even though it was the worst nightmare for Jeff and for me and Dave, our other partner, even though it was a nightmare for us and all stone formers, that switch, I was so grateful because they did study quinoa right? And so many, go ahead.

Jeff Sarris (01:04)
Yeah, and just for clarity, Harvard did study, restudy a lot of foods and updated that list after many decades.

Jill Harris (01:10)
Yes. And why is there such an uproar? Well, Jill, if some of these levels have changed now, how are we to trust it? I said the same thing for decades. Probably every time Harvard does study something, it’s going to be a little different. Why? Because every time you pull quinoa out of the ground or wherever the hell it grows, I’m a nurse. I don’t know about botanists or plants or whatever. What do I know? But wherever they pulled it from, it’s always in different kinds of soil condition. Listen to Alexa. It’s always in different soil conditions, gets different sunlight. It’s never going to be perfect.

So if they studied quinoa today and it’s 52, it may be 43 next time they study just because of how it was grown and where it was grown and the soil conditions. So it’s not perfect. And we know and I know anybody who’s had a medical condition wants all the things lined up and perfect. But there’s variability in these things. Okay. So quinoa. So people will say, well, Jill, I’m not going near it. It’s still, Harvard did study it and they say for one cup it’s 54 milligrams of oxalate. And if you tell me I could have 100, well that’s half my day right there. Portion not perfection. Portion not perfection. Have half a cup, it’s only 25. Why do I say it? First of all, a lot of vegans and vegetarians need help getting their protein. So for half a cup of quinoa, you’re going to get, you know, a few grams of fiber. You’re going to get four or five grams of protein. That’s wonderful for people who are having a hard time meeting their protein goal. Like I said, vegans and vegetarians. Plus, it’s nice to have that on the side of your plate, like a chewy little nutty kind of thing.

So you can absolutely have quinoa. Just don’t have two cups of it anymore. Here’s why people stop. Well, Jill, I think one of the reasons I made a kidney stone is I was eating spinach, almonds and quinoa every day. Well Charlie, about how much… Jill, I was eating at least three cups of quinoa. So you see this is why this game whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain weight, it’s always about portion. You want to gain weight, you add a little bit more calories, just add bigger portions of your food. If you want to lower oxalate, keep the food, don’t eat a whole cup, half. So you’ll see if you’re watching this on YouTube I have quinoa in my house.

Well Jill, you don’t never have no stone. But my family members do. And I don’t want them. Well Jill, you’re the leading expert in the world on diet change for kidney stones. Why does your family have stones? Because they don’t listen to me. Why don’t they listen to you, Jill? That’s ridiculous. Because none of them have had surgery yet. They’re like, Aunt Jill, I’ll just pass it. Don’t worry about me. Shut up. So I have, I don’t say a word no more. But me and you, we know better.

So I have listened to people all day for 30 years, talk about nearly 30 years, talk about pain, crying, vomiting, diarrhea, running to the hospital, a nephrectomy, meaning losing a kidney, sepsis, you know, having their ureter resected. You can’t believe what I’ve heard. That’s why I’m so crazy about this subject. And so I do exactly what I ask you to do. So quinoa, when I have it, half a cup.

Any kind of carby thing, I always have half a cup. That’s my portion size for a carb. Most of my plate, if I have a carb. Most of my plate, meat, quarter of a plate, vegetables, half a plate, some fruit if I’m having fruit, quarter of a plate, carbs. That’s what a plate should look like. Protein, fiber. That’s what keeps you full. You have a whole plate of white rice, you’re gonna be hungry in a second. There’s nothing keeping you full. Anyway.

So you can certainly have quinoa. Please bring it back. It’s a nice healthy little grain. You should be bringing it back into your diet. Portion, not perfection. Have half a cup. Hell, even if you said, I want to have a whole cup. You can have a whole cup. Take it with calcium because that is a higher oxalate food then. It’s 54 grams. But honestly, you don’t need half a cup, a whole cup. I would stick with half a cup so you can enjoy it without any anxiety, because I know a lot of you feel anxiety when you’re trying a higher oxalate food, but if you just cut the portion, definitely not a problem.

Jeff Sarris (05:53)
Yeah. And if you’re curious about more foods, like what is the oxalate content in the foods that you’re eating? We have a tool right on the website at kidneystonediet.com/oxalate-list. Or you can just Google kidney stone diet oxalate and it’ll come right up and you can find all of the results that Harvard has in a searchable list that’s easy to understand and sort of see what you’re eating and how that could be impacting your oxalate levels. But also as Jill always says, people take away so many foods when they’re afraid of oxalates. That’s why we have meal plans. So at kidneystonediet.com, you can look at the meal plans. Jill has hundreds of recipes. You get four recipes, everyday breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner of things that you can eat that will not increase your risk for kidney stones and can help you prevent future stones from happening.

Jill Harris (06:44)
Absolutely. And all the oxalates figured out for each recipe so you don’t even have to think about it. But yes, Jeff’s tool, the searchable oxalate list is fabulous. You can also put it on your phone. Our help center on the website in the menu. Last thing on the menu will tell you how to do that. Put on your phone. Even this old lady knows how to do it. And mine is on my phone because I’m always looking at it myself. So yeah, quinoa. Bring it on back, folks. Portion not perfection.

Jeff Sarris (07:11)
Yeah, definitely. And if you’re ready to dive deep, you can talk directly to Jill. Jill has private consultations available at kidneystonediet.com or through the All Access Pass, you get discounted private consultations with Jill. It’s the only place that’s ever been discounted and the only place that it will be. So if you are ready to take control and prevent future stones, head on over there and you can find absolutely everything that you need to move forward. But I think with that, we’ll wrap and we’ll see you next week.

Jill Harris (07:26)
Yes. Have a wonderful afternoon.