with Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
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Is Tea Safe for Kidney Stone Formers
Today, we discuss the oxalate levels of tea. I have written about tea and other beverages on Dr. Coe’s website from the University of Chicago, but not on my website. It’s a common question from my students and patients, so let’s dive in.
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The Oxalate Level of Beans
I hear from people all the time who say they miss eating beans. Most of the vegans and vegetarians I have worked with over the years were eating too many beans to get their protein needs met, along with never getting enough calcium into their diet. It’s a perfect mixture for making…
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The ABC’s of Kidney Stone Prevention
This post is a refresher on why each part of the Kidney Stone Diet is important and how each goal can lower your stone risk. If you forget the goals, here is a pretty infographic to put on your phone. Drink Your Fluids Students ask me all the time, “How much do I…
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Salt-Free Seasoning Recipes for Kidney Stone Formers
As you know, lowering salt in your diet is essential in preventing new stones. When we overeat sodium, we pee less, and more calcium can end up in our urine. Both of these problems can increase your kidney stone risk. I have been on a low-sodium diet (1,500 mg/day) for…
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Patient-Recommended Kidney Doctors (by state)
I’m compiling a new resource—patient-recommended kidney doctors listed by state. These referrals come from stone patients on my Facebook page and are highly rated. You will see, however, there are no referrals for Montanna, Nevada, or West Virginia. If you live in these states and love your doctor, email me…
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What Tests Exactly Should My Doctor Order for the 24-Hour Urine Collection?
This is a common question for stone formers and, frankly, many doctors are unsure of what exactly to look for—below I list the values most typically ordered. Remember to read this article to understand the importance of getting a urine collection ordered.
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The Kidney Stone Diet Is Healthy for All
One of the most common things I hear from patients and students is, “There is nothing left to eat between my diabetes, heart disease, and kidney stones!” There are many reasons I keep doing the work I do—the most important being to help people change habits and improve their health. The Kidney Stone Diet does just…
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Choosing Kindness Over Shame
My daily calls with patients focus on devising individual plans to change unhealthy habits. Change is hard for most people because habits have been formed over decades. My job is to listen to each person’s story to understand their lifestyle habits and help them create a plan for success that…
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Do I Have to Give Up My Favorite Foods?
I have been helping patients understand how to prevent kidney stones for a long time. It never gets boring because each person comes with their own set of unique lifestyle challenges and changing habits is rarely easy. A concern I often address (several times a day) is the need to…
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Giving up on the Kidney Stone Diet
This is the time of year when people get frustrated with their lifestyle changes and begin to give up and ditch the whole damn thing. My job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. Every January 1st, people make unreasonable promises to themselves. For instance, here’s a list of promises…
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10 Ways to Break the Cycle of Stress Eating
The Kidney Stone Diet is much more than the goals I teach you, and changing lifestyle habits requires more than simply lowering sodium and drinking more water. Before I introduce students and patients to the KSD goals, we have a conversation about WHY they’re choosing to overeat unhealthy foods in the…
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Naturally Occurring Salt and the Kidney Stone Diet
A friend of mine in the Facebook group asked if she was supposed to count all the salt that occurs naturally in foods like fruits and veggies. She also mentioned that she was dealing with a lot of stress and that the thought of counting salt in produce was overwhelming.…
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Kidney Stone Diet-Approved Road Trip Snacks!
“What should I pack for my road trip so that I stay compliant!?” It’s easy to overeat on long road trips, but there are things we can do to keep it healthy. Here are the foods I load up on when embarking on a long car journey. But remember, these…
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10 Ways My Students Succeed in Stone Prevention
I’m often asked what makes my kidney stone students so successful in their lifestyle change and stone prevention journey. There are many reasons, but here are 10 practices I know, for certain, lead to success. Jill,Your friend and advocate
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How to Stay Kidney Stone Diet-Compliant Through the Holidays
Let’s talk about how to stay compliant with your Kidney Stone Diet goals over the holiday season, because I don’t expect you to forgo your favorite treats. What would the holidays be without your customs and favorite family festivities? I want you to enjoy your favorite foods because the only…
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The Hard Truth About Lifestyle Change
If you don’t know, I have a private Facebook group for kidney stone formers, and I want to share a recent post from there. Oftentimes, I’ll write what has become known as a “Jill rant.” These “rants” typically come after having YET ANOTHER person tell me how they’ve wasted hundreds…
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The Kidney Stone Diet Philosophy
When people ask me what the kidney stone diet is, I tell them the goals and share my thoughts about diet in general. There is much more to this lifestyle than just paying attention to the goals. Lifestyle change is more about the mind than it is the food. And changing the…
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How Meat Protein Fits Into the Kidney Stone Diet.
Let’s discuss the meat protein part of the kidney stone diet—it has always confused people, so let’s see if I can clarify this. The first thing patients usually say to me is, “I don’t eat red meat, Jill!” But, when we ask you to lower your meat protein, we also talk about ALL…
“The Kidney Stone Diet is far more than just a diet; this plan is life-altering!”
“The group calls will transform you physically and emotionally. Once you start this journey, your health naturally improves. I have lost a total of 40 pounds and have consistently kept it off. The group calls are such support; this is more like family than a zoom meeting to stay accountable. Jill is far more than a nurse; she is a life coach. Her platform is invaluable.”
Kim J. | Kidney Stone Prevention Course
“The best decision I’ve made has been to join this group.”
“I have been working on weight loss for many years. This group has kept me on track and has helped my continued success with my weight loss.”
Kate L. | Group Calls with Jill
“I have been following the Meal Plan for about 6 weeks and I feel amazing.”
“Eating healthy has also encouraged me to go to bed earlier, so I am also getting more sleep. Because of that, I have been able to get up before work and exercise! So yes, the positive effects are spilling over into all areas of a healthy lifestyle.”
Jerry T. | Meal Plan Subscriber
“I have been a part of the group calls with Jill for the last 14 months, and they are essential to being so successful with the Kidney Stone Diet Prevention Plan.”
Sarah B. | Group Calls with Jill
“These calls are the gold of this program!!”
“I can’t say enough about how Jill knows just the right questions to ask us or how she prods us to think about what is going on in our lives.”
Monica K. | Group Calls with Jill
“I took the course with Jill, and my second 24 hour urine was MUCH better than the first.”
“She gives very practical information, and it WORKS. I was totally overwhelmed at first. I got very poor diet information from my doctors. Jill made it easy for me to understand, and I took it one day at a time. I still watch her videos when I need a tune-up. Jill is the best, and she really cares about all of us. Take the course—it will help you!!!”
Mark J. | Kidney Stone Prevention Course