Kidney Stone Diet, where to start

Welcome to a day in my life filled with private consults. I find it a true joy and privilege to help you navigate your kidney stone journey. Whether reviewing 24-hour urine collections or helping someone integrate the Kidney Stone Diet^® into their current lifestyle for weight loss, diabetes, or food intolerance, each session is unique and rewarding because each situation is unique and complicated.

One of the most common questions I get is, “Jill, what are the most critical goals of the Kidney Stone Diet^®?” In other words, they’re asking me where to start.

Dr. Coe (my mentor) and I will suggest patients start with these two goals first.
 

Water

The number one thing you should focus on when starting the goals of the Kidney Stone Diet^® is drinking more water. A urologist will commonly advise, “Drink a gallon of water daily.” Increasing your daily water intake lowers your urine saturation, thus lowering the risk of kidney stones.

I have a problem with this advice which I often relay to patients during my consults. How are you going to drink a gallon of water if you’re not even drinking two glasses per day currently? My job is to help you identify the habits leading you to make kidney stones and then undo them with healthier habits.

Also, a 5-foot woman and a 6-foot man are getting the same generic advice. It doesn’t make sense to me. Treatment plans should be specific to each person. Our fluid goal is based on urine output, not input.

The only way to do this is to start slowly. If you try to drink a gallon of water on day one and don’t meet that goal, you will throw your hands up and say, “There is no way I can do this!”

My whole intention in helping patients is to empower them with lifestyle advice specific to their needs and, more importantly, show them how to be successful, not set them up for failure. It takes time to make these changes.

If you drink two glasses of water today, can we aim for three glasses each day next week and four the week after that until we reach the recommended daily output of at least 2.5 liters? Your bladder is a muscle and will need time to adjust. Drinking fluids is critical in preventing kidney stones. Here’s an article on specific aspects of drinking more water.

Salt

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard this over the past 26 years: “Jill, I don’t use the salt shaker. I eat a low-salt diet.”

When I look at a urine collection result, I can tell that on the day of the collection, the person ate 4,234 mg of sodium. The salt goal of the KSD is 1,500 mg/day. They are flabbergasted. As most who follow me know, salt is in everything. I am known for saying, “Turn it around, Buster Brown!” This is about turning a food package, can, or box around to look at the nutrition label.

Once I educate them, my students and patients cannot believe how much salt they actually eat. Love those extra-dirty martinis? Olives have a ton of salt. Eat low-salt chips, but don’t watch the portion size? They are no longer low-salt when you eat the entire bag. You get the point.

I know what you’re thinking, “Boy Jill, what do I have left to eat, paper?” Look, I’m not saying you can’t go out to eat or never have your favorite fill-in-the-blank again, but I am asking you to understand that the amount of salt you’re eating is leading (in many cases) to your kidney stone disease. Too much salt can increase urine calcium, and coupled with not peeing enough each day, you will increase your kidney stone risk.

Lowering salt will also help you pee more as you will retain less fluid and will also help you start losing weight. Got that bloat around your middle? Lessen your salt intake. Give yourself two weeks to adjust to a low-sodium diet, and you will notice how salty food is when you go out to eat. It takes that little time to gain a new perspective on how salty food can be!

Fluids and salt are where I tell my folks to start when beginning the Kidney Stone Diet^®. You can find all the goals here.

My Kidney Stone Prevention Course covers each goal and how to achieve them in detail. It is also the lowest price on the Internet. Although I have the most experience helping people prevent kidney stones, I believe in keeping the course price low. And that will always be the case.

Enjoy your upcoming week!

Your friend and advocate,
Jill