A common question from patients is, “what snacks can I eat on the Kidney Stone Diet?” Paying attention to sodium, sugar, and oxalate limits can make snack time a little challenging but it’s important to treat yourself here and there in order to stay compliant with a healthy lifestyle. Deprivation works for some, but not for most.
We often find ourselves hungry when arriving home from work because we likely ate too little during the day. Having healthy Kidney Stone Diet-Approved snacks stashed in your desk drawer will help you stay away from the unhealthy 3pm offerings at the vending machine or your neighbor’s candy jar.
I also recommend having a cooler in the car where you can keep healthy snacks for those on-the-go moments. Being prepared is one of the most important things you can do for yourself while managing a healthy lifestyle. Having a nibble on the way home usually keeps you from raiding your pantry the minute you shut the front door. I hear from patients all the time who say this is one of their biggest downfalls in maintaining long term compliance. You cannot starve all day and graze all night. Preparation is key!
To help you get your snack game in order, I’ve put together a list of Kidney Stone Diet-Safe snacks to keep handy. By “safe” I mean snacks with lower sugar, sodium, and oxalate levels per serving. Of course, I don’t endorse junk food, but I do recognize that most of us need our favorite snack on occasion.
The phrase to keep in mind here is “portion not perfection”. It’s perfectly fine to have a goodie but don’t let it curtail your healthy eating for the rest of the day. Consider it a treat and move on to a healthy choice for the meal choice. The portion size is key when it comes to snacking (and meals). If you find a snack that is too hard for you to limit, then don’t buy that snack. You will never find Cheez-Its in my kitchen as I am NOT to be trusted with them.
Kidney Stone Diet-Friendly Snacks.
- Fruit is a great option as you try to ween off sugary snacks. I like pears, apples, and blueberries or any other high fiber, low oxalate fruit.
- Yogurt is a tasty treat but you must look at the label. Many brands have a lot of added sugar. Find one that doesn’t and use fruit to sweeten it up. Finding brands that’ll deliver a good dose of calcium is ideal.
- Hard-boiled eggs.
- Unsalted sunflower seeds.
- Dang snacks.*
- Pea crisps.*
- Popcorn. But pop it yourself so you can control the sodium.
- Unsalted pretzels.*
- No salt tortilla chips.*
- Wheat Thins Hint of Salt with a little butter. Yum.
- A small portion of yesterday’s kidney stone friendly lunch or dinner (I do this often).
- No sugar added popsicles, I am obsessed with Outshine.*
- Baked kale chips. I make these myself because it’d so easy. They take 15 minutes and provide that satisfying crunch we so crave from chips.
- Dried fruit with no added sugar. You’ll want to watch the portion size with this. Even though the sugar is naturally occurring, there will be lots of it.
- Low oxalate veggies. Visit our Searchable Oxalate List or download a free PDF copy for yourself.
- Turkey roll-ups with swiss cheese. I choose swiss because it’s the lowest sodium cheese.
- A few Hint of Salt Triscuits with some swiss cheese is always satisfying.
- Low sodium cottage cheese and blueberries or another of your favorite healthy, sweet, toppings.
- Pistachio nuts. That’s right! Pistachios are safe and you can find them on the searchable oxalate list.
- I like to sauté veggies and use them throughout the week for a snack. Quick and easy.
- Homemade granola is another great option. I use unsalted pistachios, unsalted sunflower seeds, coconut chips and unsweetened cranberries for mine.
- Watermelon, feta, and mint. Can’t go wrong with salty and sweet. Just a cupful is all you need!
- Cucumbers (or any lower oxalate veggie) and hummus.
- Popcorners.* This is a snack I really love but have to be careful with portion. I could eat these all day, every day.
If you have other snack options you would like to share with me and your fellow “stoners”, feel free to let us know in the comments! Go to my private group FB page to find more kidney stone friendly recipes for each meal-type and snacks. We have hundreds to choose from and new ones are added all the time.
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a tiny commission when you purchase through links on our site at no additional costs to you.
Snacks don’t have to be boring to be healthy!
The Kidney Stone Diet Safe Snacks & Desserts ebook is filled with 30 simple, safe, and satisfying snacks to help you maintain the goals of the Kidney Stone Diet.
Simple, satisfying smoothies for kidney stone formers
We should be having 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of veggies each day and smoothies are a great way to help hit those goals.
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