Kidney Stone Diet

®

with Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

Login
Home » Blog » Kidney Stone Safe Energy Balls
Kidney Stone Safe Energy Balls

Kidney Stone Safe Energy Balls

Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar

Written by

Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

Updated

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

I made this to show you that you can certainly still enjoy peanut butter. Many of you think you must never have it again on a low oxalate diet. Most of you can safely eat 100 mg/ox per day so you can definitely have these as a satisfying treat if you like. If peanut butter is a trigger food for you, meaning once you taste it you cannot limit it, then use sunbutter instead. It is lower oxalate. You can sub out the honey for sugar-free maple syrup if you like to cut down on the added sugar. This pairs nicely with a nondairy or dairy calcium-based product to help with oxalate absorption! Portion not perfection is the name of this game. Enjoy!

Print

Kidney Stone Safe Energy Balls

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Jill Harris
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 0 min
  • Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 cup of Old fashioned oats
  • 2 tbsp Lilly’s stevia baking semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 cup of peanut butter

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together.
  2. Roll into bite-size balls.
  3. Put in pan and place in fridge to set.
  4. They keep nicely in freezer and I like to put them there as I think about them less and therefore eat less!

Notes

Oxalate: 14mg/Energy Ball  Added Sugar: 1g  Calcium: 9mg

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Energy Ball
  • Calories: 199
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Sodium: 36mg
  • Fat: 12g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 17g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 7g
  • Cholesterol: 1mg

When you’re ready, here’s how I can help you prevent kidney stones

Since 1998, I’ve helped thousands of patients prevent kidney stones. With my Kidney Stone Diet All-Access Pass, you get access to every prevention tool I’ve ever created:

And, as a BONUS, you’ll get my flagship Kidney Stone Prevention Course (normally $249) absolutely free!

Learn More!
Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar

About the Author

Jill Harris is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) who specializes in kidney stone prevention. Her goal is to teach you what you need to know and, more importantly, how to put that knowledge to work so you can stop forming stones. For good.
  1. Lauren Robinson Avatar
    Lauren Robinson

    I love peanut butter energy balls but have been thinking I need to limit peanut butter. I have some “no sugar added sun butter “ I intend to use instead of peanut butter. Am I being overly cautious about peanut butter?

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Lauren,
      One of the reasons I use PB in my recipes is to show that you can still have some. Think portion not perfection. Make sure you get your oxalate food list, but even more importantly read what I have to say about oxalate and how many foods you can still eat! It is when we stick the spoon in the PB jar over and over AND not get enough daily calcium. Watch this from my YouTube channel
      :https://youtu.be/lV-eUPOwH1M

      Reply
  2. DIane Day Avatar
    DIane Day

    I thought peanut butter was a no-no, and we should use sunflower seed butter instead?

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Diane,
      One of the reasons I use PB in my recipes is to show that you can still have some. Think portion not perfection. Make sure you get your oxalate food list, but even more importantly read what I have to say about oxalate and how many foods you can still eat! It is when we stick the spoon in the PB jar over and over AND not get enough daily calcium. Watch this from my YouTube channel
      :https://youtu.be/lV-eUPOwH1M

      Reply
  3. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    How many balls should the recipe make? I love the specific nutritional info per ball including oxalates, but “bite size” is a bit relative.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Susan,
      I typically use one inch ball cutter. Next time I will count them.
      j

      Reply
  4. Nunyabuisness Avatar
    Nunyabuisness

    This recipe is garbage for kidney stone formers. Why is this even allowed to be published on this website?

    1. Any resource will show that peanut butter is a no go for stone formers and is one of the top 10 worse foods to eat.

    2. Its well established in many medical documents that kidney stone formers should stay below 50mg/oxalate per day

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Nunyabusiness,
      Not sure of your sources that say to limit oxalate to 50 mg. For patients that have malabsorption issues, this is true, but no need to do that if you don’t. You would be limiting too many healthy foods. For the past 23 years my patients have kept peanut butter in their diet. I see their follow-up urine collections, and their oxalate is low. One can no longer grab a spoon and eat a jar of PB and must also get calcium needs met. Totally doable, and no need to delete it from the diet. Unless it is a trigger, food and portion cannot be controlled.
      j

      Reply
    2. Reen Avatar
      Reen

      I agree. Peanut butter, stevia and chocolate are all bad for kidney stone forming people. I am a kidney stone sufferer. These are 3 top offenders that I will not eat.

      Reply
      1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
        Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

        Hi Reen,
        If you look at the Harvard list stevia the plant is high in oxalate. Once processed in the packets we know there is zero oxalates. Also, peanut butter has 26 mg for 2 Tablespoons. You can easily make a sandwich out of that. Chocolate too. Make sure you know there are plenty of foods to eat if you eat within portions and get your calcium needs met every day. I say this with certainty because I look at hundreds of follow-up urine collections each year, and while people follow my advice and they keep their oxalate low on their urine collection results. My YouTube channel discusses this in detail. Go take a lookhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgGU1UtFveq57MyN-Uqhz1A

        Reply
        1. kaitlyn karol Avatar
          kaitlyn karol

          I find this info helpful but also, why not share other ‘alternatives’ for some of these foods? Stevia is a sugar alternative and that is one good thing BUT why not also offer folks the option to use CAROB POWDER instead of chocolate?

          It tastes just like choc! My friends think my brownies are made w/ choc and they are not and no one usu can tell the diff! Carob is so yummy! I NEVER NEVER EVER hear anyone offering this alternative to choc…..it drives me mad how much ppl don’t know and don’t bother to research.

          I knew about stevia way back over 20 yrs ago and told ppl about it and they all thought I was nuts and now today, that it has become so mainstreamed, everyone now acts like an expert about it!

          Also, you can use the alternative of macadamia or pecan butter! Why not share that info? I have other food intolerances as well so I can’t do peanut butter or chocolate or 12 other foods on top of being oxalate-sensitive due to being a kidney stone producer so I am very resourceful and go online to stores that sell pecan butter. It’s the closest thing to peanut butter as far as taste and it’s healthier than peanut butter!

          Let’s level up above our oxalate levels and even do better than just lowering them! Yes, we can do little bits of it here and there but isn’t it even better to offer healthier alternatives to avoid oxalates altogether when we have a choice to do so?

          This makes sense – esp if the alternative is healthier. For example, carob is MUCH healthier than choc; it has minerals and vitamins and has no caffeine like choc. I have to also watch caffeine due to my IC b/c I have a cranky bladder that can’t tolerate caffeine.

          Let’s be expansive in our diets – I agree. But when we can replace oxalates or lower them much lower, why not do that and be even healthier?

          Reply
          1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
            Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

            Hi Kaitlyn,
            Couldn’t agree more with you! People should expand their diets more and I have spent the last 24 years trying to do just that.
            Thanks for writing!
            j

  5. Irma Avatar
    Irma

    Interesting information! I’m following your info because I was recently and surprisingly diagnosed with osteoporosis, high risk, and I now have to adjust my diet to ensure I get my calcium intake, so all this info on oxalates and phytate as well is overwhelming. I also have microscopic colitis and so need to be even more careful.
    My question is if I beat the PB ball, will the oxalate and calcium in the ball neutralize each other or will I still get some calcium?
    Thx!
    Will continue to follow with great interest. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Irma,
      I am not understanding the question. Can you explain?

      Reply
  6. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    I see that Lily’s stevia chocolate chips contain chicory root fiber. I’ve read that chicory leaf is very high in oxalate but can’t find any information as to whether the root fiber is also high. Can you help?

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Rob,
      Because these are chocolate they should be limited. When we eat food in normal portions and get our calcium needs each day, I don’t worry so much about oxalate. Except for spinach and almond products of course.
      j

      Reply
  7. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    If I’m sensitive to chocolate, I was going yo use carob chips. Is that a good substitute? I see by googling it they are low oxalate and sodium. I do like the taste too.

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Laura,
      Harvard didn’t study them so for foods that they didn’t study I give this advice that has been successful for my patients for 25 years. Have it in normal portions and have it with a calcium source.
      j

      Reply
  8. Marth Avatar
    Marth

    Omg! Hard to eat just one! Sooo good Jill.

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Marth,
      so good!
      j

      Reply
  9. Angela Avatar
    Angela

    How many energy balls is a serving?

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi Angela,
      However many fit into your goals. I list nutrition for each one so go from there. I usually have one, but sometimes two depending upon my day.
      j

      Reply
  10. MJ Avatar
    MJ

    How would you modify this recipe for the peanut butter if you have to eat low-fat food due to gallstone/gallbladder issues in addition to kidney stone?

    Reply
    1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC Avatar
      Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

      Hi MJ.
      I would use a peanut butter powder like this one which has no saturated fat and I use often. https://amzn.to/458V6bw
      Nurse Jill

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

“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