Did almonds give me kidney stones?

In this conversation, Jeff Sarris and Jill Harris discuss the implications of consuming almonds, particularly in relation to kidney stones. They explore the role of oxalates in kidney stone formation, the importance of dietary adjustments, and the need for proper guidance in managing kidney health. The discussion emphasizes the balance between healthy eating and the potential risks associated with overconsumption of certain foods, particularly almonds and spinach.

Takeaways

• Almonds are often considered healthy but can contribute to kidney stones.
• Oxalates found in almonds can lead to high levels in urine, increasing stone risk.
• Dieticians may not always provide specific advice on oxalate levels.
• Many people overconsume healthy foods, thinking more is better.
• It’s essential to monitor oxalate levels in urine to prevent kidney stones.
• Reference ranges for oxalate levels in urine may be misleading.
• Dietary changes can significantly lower oxalate levels and prevent stones.
• Almonds and spinach are commonly removed from kidney stone diets.
• Other nuts can be consumed in moderation as alternatives to almonds.
• Education on kidney health and diet is crucial for prevention.

00:00 Understanding Almonds and Kidney Stones
06:25 Dietary Recommendations for Kidney Stone Prevention

Jeff Sarris (00:00)
Did almonds give me kidney stones? Let’s talk about that.

I think this is very important to talk about almonds and talk about this healthy food, but what are the implications when it comes to almonds and kidney stones?

Jill Harris (00:16)
It’s very disconcerting to have this dog stare at me so intensely all day long, but I love him so much. I do. I love you. He’s like, are you still talking about oxalates at 7 a.m. this morning? Come on. Okay. Almonds. Almonds is one of the foods we take away. Almonds, spinach, cashews. We take them away. Specifically almonds. The paleo world, the low carb world. Really love almond everything.

Jeff Sarris (00:27)
Ha ha.

Jill Harris (00:46)
And so dieticians, no shade, we need our dieticians, God knows. But dieticians will always tell patients for diabetes, eat almonds. It’s almonds and spinach. My dietician, Jill, told me to eat almonds, just eat them. Keep my blood sugar steady, that’s a great snack for me. It is a great snack. And it’s not that the dietician was wrong, it’s just what we say to patients as healthcare professionals, you know, you gotta be really specific.

Because when somebody says eat almonds, it’s healthy for you. Well, they’re getting the bag, they’re sitting down, they’re putting on their show, and they’re eating almonds. That’s what they’re doing. So, too many. Then there’s for the low carb community, almond bread, almond milk, almond everything, almond bath oil. We got a new breed of dog called the almond doodle. I mean, you know, it’s just almonds all over the place. So people tend to overdo it.

Typically when a food is touted as something that’s healthy, we human beings just overeat it or over drink it. That’s what we do because the thinking is if I have more of that, that’s even healthier for me. And that’s what’s so annoying about kidney stones. Often I hear, well Jill, what the heck? I was eating a healthy diet. I ate spinach. I became a diabetic. I took away sugar. I changed my whole life. And now you’re telling me that caused kidney stones?

You didn’t know what you didn’t know, Joe, right? But the problem is it is very frustrating for patients when they’re trying to help themselves with one disease, yet they cause another. And how would the dietician know? How would the patient know what’s going on here, right? And so too many almonds, one ounce of almonds is 72 milligrams of oxalate. We take them away because most people are overeating them. So we take away everything almond and we take away spinach. Also let’s not forget almond butter. People eating the heck out of some almond butter. So between almond bread, almond butter, almond flour, almond milk, and just sitting around with a bag of almonds, people really overdid it and their oxalate’s high.

I once saw a urine collection. The patient got the urine collection. They did not get any information when they had their stone removed about how to prevent kidney stones. There’s many urologists that their job is to take away the stones. They ain’t talking to you about low salt and stuff. So one of the reasons you keep making them is because no one’s giving you preventative advice. And so I have seen patients, we want urine oxalate to be under 30 on your 24-hour urine collection. And people will say on the Facebook group, Kidney Stone Diet Facebook group, they’ll say, oh Jill doesn’t need to look at my urine collection. The doctor said everything’s fine. But that’s because the oxalate reference range said that oxalate at 45 is totally fine when it’s not. That’s really high in the urine. We want it under 30.

So a lot of you were told that your urine collections are just fine. If they were, I’m going to ask you, well, they can’t be because you’re telling me you got a new stone. So something’s amiss, right? The reference ranges on a lot of the lab values for 24-hour urine collections are much too generous. Some of them say that, you know, it’s okay for you to eat 5,000 milligrams of sodium. We all know, no. So the oxalate should be under 30 in your 24-hour urine collection. And so it’s, I have worked with people that when I first see them their oxalate level is 125. Actually Dr. Coe has a case study on that one. I talked to her for one hour. We went over her urine collection. We changed her diet and the follow-up test two months later her oxalate was I think 28.

So you are not just a stone former. You must learn how to change your diet. This YouTube channel is a great way to begin your journey along with kidneystonediet.com, the website. Jeff has an oxalate food list there that can show you the highest oxalate foods. On the website, we have one little infographic that will show you a very short list of the highest foods. So it makes it easier for you. But I want you to remember, almonds are a no in the Kidney Stone Diet, just as spinach is. And getting your calcium needs met is a way to start lowering your oxalate. And again, you don’t want bone disease, osteoporosis going forward. So you should be doing that anyway. But most women are not until they have bone disease or, excuse you, or—

Jeff Sarris (05:50)
Finn is, anyone just listening, Finn is jumping right in front of the camera, which is kind of fun.

Jill Harris (05:55)
He’s, yeah, well, he’s a ham like his mama. There you go. So the point is, go to kidneystonediet.com, look at the oxalate food list. You’re going to see that almonds are really high and you’re going to have to get them out of your diet. But the good news is there’s plenty of nuts you can still have. You take away almond, spinach. You can have, I eat every day a little mix of nuts. I put them in my yogurt because I like crunch. I use pecans. I use walnut. I use pistachios. I use sunflower seeds. I’ll use flax seeds, all in little portions. So it’s a total of two tablespoons, but again, portion not perfection because I’m getting all different varieties. Sunflower seeds are so low, it takes up some space in the two tablespoons. So the pecans and walnuts that are a little higher, they don’t take up a lot of room. Portion not perfection. So you can still enjoy nuts. You just can’t be eating almond products anymore, especially the way you were. That’s it, Jeff.

Jeff Sarris (06:50)
Yeah. Yeah. And again, like oxalate is just one piece. We have the calcium needs, we have fluids, we have protein, animal protein. We have all the different goals of the kidney stone diet are all at kidneystonediet.com. So you can learn everything that you need to know to prevent future stones and never deal with what could be the worst pain you ever have to experience. So we have all of that at kidneystonediet.com, including the meal plans, the all access pass, the prevention course, everything that you could possibly need, everything that Jill has used since what, 1998 to help thousands and thousands of people prevent kidney stones. You can find all of that kidneystonediet.com, free and paid resources. So head on over there if you haven’t yet and thanks again for tuning in and we’ll see you next week.

Jill Harris (07:30)
Yep. Love you.