# Does a low oxalate diet prevent kidney stones? Source: https://kidneystonediet.com/ep/does-a-low-oxalate-diet-prevent-kidney-stones/ Published: 2024-09-10 --- [![Kidney Stone Diet Podcast](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kidney-Stone-Diet-Podcast-1-1024x1024.jpg)](https://kidneystonediet.com/podcast/) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haWYDVSDCt4)[Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/does-a-low-oxalate-diet-prevent-kidney-stones/id1528474326?i=1000669027114&uo=4)[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7uy0HwvVt0q0ZvJo2qlL5s)[Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0868148d-adfd-411d-b3f2-71a0ad1461ec) September 10, 2024 --- ![Jeff Sarris](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jeff-Sarris-150x150.jpg) Jeff Sarris Host ![Jill Harris](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Kidney-Stone-Diet-Jill-Harris-150x150.jpg) Jill Harris Host A low oxalate diet alone does not prevent kidney stones. It is important to pay attention to other goals of the kidney stone diet, such as getting enough fluids, calcium, and reducing salt and added sugar intake. The order of importance for these goals is: fluids, sodium, added sugar, calcium, meat, and oxalate. Following these goals can help lower the risk of kidney stones. The Kidney Stone Diet website provides resources and information to help individuals follow the diet. **Takeaways** - A low oxalate diet alone does not prevent kidney stones. - It is important to pay attention to other goals of the kidney stone diet, such as getting enough fluids, calcium, and reducing salt and added sugar intake. - The order of importance for these goals is: fluids, sodium, added sugar, calcium, meat, and oxalate. - Following these goals can help lower the risk of kidney stones. - The Kidney Stone Diet website provides resources and information to help individuals follow the diet. **Sound Bites** ## Chapters - 00:00:00 Limitations of Low Oxalate Diets for Kidney Stones - 00:01:57 Calcium Binding and High Oxalate Foods to Limit - 00:03:52 Prioritizing Fluids Sodium and Sugar Over Oxalate - 00:06:41 Improving 24 Hour Urine Collection Results ## Transcript ### Limitations of Low Oxalate Diets for Kidney Stones 00:00:00 Jeff Sarris Does a low oxalate diet prevent kidney stones? Let's talk about that. Welcome back to the Kidney Stone Diet podcast, the show about reducing your kidney stone risk and living your best life. I'm your host, valve student, Jeff Sarris. 00:00:21 Jill Harris And I'm Jill Harris, your kidney stone prevention nurse. Low oxalate diet.. 00:00:27 Jeff Sarris Yeah. 00:00:28 Jill Harris It's it's a very confusing thing in the kidney stone world because everybody has a different list. We use the Harvard list here at Kidney Stone Diet. I've had success with it in the last almost 26 years, so you can go to kidneystonediet.com and look for the oxalate list there, or just put Jill Harris oxalate food list in Google and you will come right to it. Now, A low oxalate diet alone, folks, is not preventing any kidney stones. I've never seen anybody in all these years prevent kidney stones by just doing a low oxalate diet. 00:01:03 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and that's almost 26 years, this year. 00:01:05 Jill Harris Yes, very long time. So, I will always say this. The oxalate part of the diet is really the easiest thing. It's the most confusing thing because everyone has conflicting advice, but it really is the easiest thing once you sit down and talk to somebody that knows what they're talking about. But low oxalate is not going to guarantee that you're going to make stop making kidney stones. You must pay attention to the other goals of the Kidney Stone Diet. We want you to get enough fluids, all the goals are listed at kidneystonediet.com. We want you to get, even more important than lowering your oxalate from restricting some foods, we also have a list of oxalate, high oxalate foods to avoid, that's also at kidneystonediet.com on the start page. ### Calcium Binding and High Oxalate Foods to Limit 00:01:57 Jill Harris You have to get enough calcium. That's even more important than giving up the spinach and almonds and chia seeds. If you don't get enough calcium, oxalate builds up in your body. That's just a very easy way for you to understand it. But the only way oxalate can leave your body is to bind with calcium in the intestine and leave through the stool. If you're not getting your calcium needs met, which nobody does until they start learning about it, Then oxalate can be higher just because of that. The oxalate looks around, says, "Hey, there ain't no calcium here. I'm going back in," and gets reabsorbed back into the bloodstream. So, it's really important that we get our calcium needs meet- met. We don't overeat a bunch of meat every day, because that could lead to calcium oxalate stones and uric acid stones. And that we lower our salt and added sugar. All of these things are important. When you take my kidney stone prevention course, which is the lowest on the market, by the way. I have the most experience and the cheapest course out there because I'm a patient myself with my stuff. I get money not a lot of people have it. The- there's a set of videos. The reason I bring up the course is there's there's videos. Oxalate is the last one. And I'll say in that video, "I know you probably looked at this one first, but if you notice, I put it last cause it's the least important thing to prevent kidney stones. You must take away things like are really high, like 700 mg of oxalate in 1 cup of spinach. You have to take spinach away. And you have to take things like eat- eating almonds or cashews all day long or chia seeds. People overeat those all the time. They're really high in oxalate. Buckwheat groats. What is it, rhubarb? What's the one I always forget? 00:03:46 Jeff Sarris Oh, yeah. Rhubarb, you got it. 00:03:47 Jill Harris Yeah, sometimes you do rutabaga by accident, but yeah, rhubarb. 00:03:50 Jeff Sarris Yeah, I always, yeah. ### Prioritizing Fluids Sodium and Sugar Over Oxalate 00:03:52 Jill Harris So, yeah. There are a handful of foods we don't want you eating anymore, but honestly, folks, I'd rather you really microfocus on salt and added sugar, because the salt and added sugar part and fluids, that's going to get you so much more health. I don't even You got diabetes? You got hypertension? You got cardiovascular issues? Lower your salt, lower your added sugar, get fluids, obviously. That's always the number one thing with kidney stones. But, God, folks, you have to pay attention to those goals. A low oxalate diet itself is not going to lower your stone risk. It may a smidge, but it's not the main factor why you made kidney stones. People always say, "I made kidney stones because I overate almonds and spinach." You may have, But all those patients also didn't get any calcium and they were eating a hell of a lot of salt and added sugar, one or the other or both. So, because the internet just hyperfocuses on oxalate, that's all people hyperfocus on. And it's really not where the attention should be. It should be on fluids number one, number two sodium, number three added sugar, number four calcium, number five the meat, number six oxalate. That's how I would want you to do it. That's the order of importance, really. So, you can stop eating spinach and almonds, folks, but if you don't get your fluids and lower your sodium, you're still going to make kidney stones if you're a stone former. It's just that important. 00:05:24 Jeff Sarris Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's the big thing is having these goals as a framework. We have them all listed right on the homepage where you can see with an explanation. You don't have to buy the cour- course to learn how to follow the Kidney Stone Diet. That's just where Jill dives deep to explain all of it. But, yeah, if you go to kidneystonediet.com, you can scroll right down to the Kidney Stone Diet goals and know how to dial in your own diet, your own lifestyle to fit these goals to Live a better life. I mean, that's the whole tag of this show, is we're just trying to help you improve and live a better life. 00:05:58 Jill Harris Yes! And, please, the blog, people are like, "Why do oxalate lists vary?" There's a- there's an article that says why oxalate lists vary. I mean, that blog has so many short and sweet and right to the point. I'm a simple kind of gal. I like it right to the point, practical, just common sense stuff. Go read all of those articles. I don't read all of them, but the one There's so much on oxalate. Just put oxalate in the search bar in the menu on Kidney Stone Diet and you'll just going to come up with so much stuff if that's what you want to binge. All of these videos now on YouTube, we have organized into a playlist. So, if you want to learn about oxalate, if that's what you're hyperfocused on, ### Improving 24 Hour Urine Collection Results 00:06:41 Jill Harris Just go to that playlist and you'll see everything and it'll play right after the other. But if I were you, I'd get away spinach, almonds, chia seeds, whatever I said at the beginning of the video. Get your calcium needs met and that, and get fluids and lower your salt and added sugar. Those things are really the most important. And, of course, don't eat a side of beef every day. Pay attention to what I'm saying, folks. What I say works, not cuz I'm a genius. It's just what I see every day. I see follow-ups. People call me to go over their urine collections. They're a hot mess, but their th- the urine collection results and also the patient, because they've they've been through such hell. And so, we talk, they change their diet, they do the follow-up, and it looks like a non-stone former. So, what I'm saying works, not because I think I'm Queen Mary, but because of what I see every day in results, results in my hand. So, go to the website, too, see all the testimonials. Go under the praise section, hundreds. So, but those people are working. I'm going to expect you to work, too, but you got to put in the work and you'll get the results, I promise. Hard work always pays off. 00:07:57 Jeff Sarris Yeah, absolutely. That's a perfect note to end on. The number again, if you have a question you want to be featured on the show, is 773-789-8763. You can leave us a voicemail and you can find everything else at kidneystonediet.com. So, with that, we'll wrap and we'll see you next week. 00:08:11 Jill Harris Have a great week, guys. Bye!