# Did pasta give me kidney stones? Source: https://kidneystonediet.com/preview/ep/did-pasta-give-me-kidney-stones/ Published: 2025-08-26 --- [Embedded content](https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/73tAPpuUlmjoDiS5SaylnN) [![Kidney Stone Diet Podcast](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kidney-Stone-Diet-Podcast-1-1024x1024.jpg)](https://kidneystonediet.com/preview/podcast/) [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/did-pasta-give-me-kidney-stones/id1528474326?i=1000723600806&uo=4)[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/73tAPpuUlmjoDiS5SaylnN)[Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0868148d-adfd-411d-b3f2-71a0ad1461ec) August 26, 2025 --- ![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 In this episode of the Kidney Stone Diet podcast, Jeff Sarris and Jill Harris discuss the relationship between pasta consumption and kidney stones, focusing on the oxalate content in different types of pasta. They emphasize the importance of portion control and incorporating vegetables into meals. The conversation also touches on the role of carbohydrates and sugar in kidney health, and the significance of community support in making lifestyle changes for better health outcomes. [Did pasta give me kidney stones?](https://kidneystonediet.com/did-pasta-give-me-kidney-stones/) **Takeaways** - Pasta can be consumed in moderation, even whole wheat. - Whole wheat pasta has higher oxalate levels than white pasta. - Portion control is crucial when eating pasta. - Incorporating vegetables into pasta dishes is beneficial. - Regular pasta is lower in oxalate than whole wheat pasta. - Chickpea pasta offers protein and fiber benefits. - Carbohydrates are not counted as sugar in the kidney stone diet. - Community support is vital for lifestyle changes. - Weight loss can be a significant outcome of dietary changes. - Feeling isolated during health challenges is common, and support helps.  \ 00:00 Understanding Pasta and Kidney Stones\ 05:00 The Role of Carbohydrates and Sugar in Kidney Health\ 06:57 Community Support in Lifestyle Changes **HAVE A QUESTION? _**\ Leave us a voicemail at (773) 789-8764. \ **KIDNEY STONE DIET® APPROVED PRODUCTS** - [Protein Powders, Snacks, and more](https://kidneystonediet.com/favorite-things/) **WORK WITH JILL _** - [**Start Here**](https://kidneystonediet.com/) - [**Kidney Stone Diet® All-Access Pass**](https://kidneystonediet.com/) - Kidney Stone Diet® Course - Kidney Stone Diet® Meal Plans - Kidney Stone Diet® Books - [**Private Consultation with Jill**](https://kidneystonediet.com/work-with-jill/) - [One-on-One Deep Dive](https://kidneystonediet.com/private/) - [24-Hour Urine Analysis](https://kidneystonediet.com/24-hour-urine-analysis/) \ **SUPPORT THE SHOW _** - [Join the Patreon](https://patreon.com/kidneystonediet) - Rate Kidney Stone Diet on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kidney-stone-diet/id1528474326) or [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5O9BXOJUFnnT6JSgfxramx?si=T6lIOozgTUO8K6MobpVWsQ) \ **WHO IS JILL HARRIS? _**\ Since 1998, Jill Harris has been the #1 kidney stone prevention nurse helping patients reduce their kidney stone risk. Drawing from her work with world-renowned University of Chicago nephrologist, Dr. Fred Coe, and the thousands of patients she’s worked with directly, she created the [Kidney Stone Diet®](https://kidneystonediet.com/). With a simple, self-guided online video course, meal plans, ebooks, group coaching, and private consultations, Kidney Stone Diet® is Jill’s effort to help as many patients as possible prevent kidney stones for good. ## Chapters - 00:00:00 Oxalate Content in Whole Wheat and Regular Pasta - 00:04:52 Carbohydrates, Added Sugar, and Kidney Stone Risk - 00:05:58 Weight Loss and Overall Health Lifestyle Management - 00:07:15 Managing Stress and Lifestyle Changes with Support ## Transcript ### Oxalate Content in Whole Wheat and Regular Pasta 00:00:00 Jeff Sarris Did pasta give me kidney stones? Let's talk about that. Welcome back to the Kidney Stone Diet podcast, a show about reducing your kidney stone risk and living your best life. I'm your host and fellow student, Jeff Sarris. 00:00:12 Jill Harris And I'm Jill Harris, your kidney stone prevention nurse. 00:00:14 Jeff Sarris All right, so pasta. Pasta is a– it's not a– it's not an ingredient, like sometimes we'll talk about specific ingredients, but it is an entire category that really encompasses so many different things. 00:00:25 Jill Harris Yeah, it's interesting. Well, somebody listening may be like, "No, it's not." But it is. It is interesting. This is– and I wanted to do this because it is common. "Jill, I can't eat spaghetti no more." Yes, of course you can. So, Harvard studied, now, specifically, folks, whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat has a lit– has more oxalate than refined white pasta. So, whole wheat pasta, 1 cup has 46 mg of oxalate. And if you're just having the plain pasta, 1 cup has 16.5 mg. So, a little– a little more a little less than half. A little more than half. Whatever. Shut up, Jeff. Anyway, so whole wheat pasta is higher in oxalate. But does that mean you can't have pasta, whole wheat pasta? Of course you can. You could say, "But I don't want to waste 46 bucks of oxalate out of my 100 in my bank account. I don't want to waste 46 bucks of oxalate on whole wheat pasta. I'm just going to have the regular pasta for only 16." You can do that. But the bigger picture is, too, have pasta, folks. Most of you, most of you are not only eating 1 cup of pasta. They may do that in Italy, but we here in America, we eat, probably, two or three cups of pasta as the serving. And so pasta, those calories add up, okay? So, I'm looking at pasta diabetics can't deal with pasta, too carby. But I think the bigger picture here is, not just the oxalate, but how much pasta are you having? If you really wanted some whole wheat pasta, we always our portion, not perfection, at Kidney Stone Diet, you can have it. I'd also like you to have, maybe you want to put some vegetables in there, especially if you're, you know, trying to eat healthier. It's a great way, even for kids, it's a great way to put some vegetables also into your meal, not just eat whole wheat pasta. There's not a lot of nutrition going on in there. Now, I'm always trying to sneak vegetables onto your plates because most of you are not eating the amount of vegetables that you should each day, which the minimum is 3 cups. So, I'll tell people, "Have your veggies. Not a problem. With your pasta." I'm sorry. "Have pasta, put vegetables in it." And if you're having the whole wheat, make sure you're coupling that with calcium, whether it's non-dairy or dairy, and to lower that oxalate. But, certainly, you can have it. Now, remember, though, if you're having 3 cups, you're having over your 100 bucks of oxalate, so that's going to break your budget. So, portion, not perfection, when it comes to whole wheat pasta. Regular pasta is a lot lower in oxalate. Whenever you eat pasta, I would love for you to put some vegetables in there–red pepper, onion, broccoli, all of these things are lower in oxalate. Please do that. Tomatoes–I know that's a fruit, but you know what I'm saying. Also, remember, sauce will increase your oxalate level, but it doesn't mean you can't have tomato sauce. You can. They studied it. Harvard studied it. Look it up on your list. And we still– we did a lot of shows, Jeff, so I'm getting tired. Just saying that. I'm just saying that. So, the bottom line is, you can have whole wheat pasta. Watch your portion of it, because you may say, "Jill, I'm going to have all low oxalate for the rest of my meal. I'd rather have, you know, a cup and a half." Okay. Get some vegetables in there. Have it with some calcium. Not a problem. Don't eat pasta every single day, folks, because that oxalate adds up quickly. Get your calcium needs met. Know that regular pasta is a lot lower than whole wheat pasta. And then you have other pastas, like chickpea pasta. You're going to get some protein with that and some fiber. I, personally, if I'm having pasta–I don't eat a lot of pasta, even though I'm an Italian woman, I don't, because it has the oxalate, and it's just not the healthiest food. I'd rather have other foods than that. If I do have pasta, I always stick vegetables in it, because I want some fiber in there. But I use chickpea pasta. Harvard did not study that, but, you know, I have a normal portion size. I'm not worried about it. And then I get some fiber and protein to slow that, you know, insulin spike that I may get. So, that's my take. Whole wheat spaghetti, Harvard studied it, almost 50 mg for 1 cup. Most of you are not just having 1 cup of pasta. So, portion, not perfection. Mangia. ### Carbohydrates, Added Sugar, and Kidney Stone Risk 00:04:52 Jeff Sarris Yeah, so when it comes to other, the other goals, so, obviously, pasta is high in carbs, and there is a sugar goal. Do you connect that at all when you sort of look at it? Okay. 00:05:01 Jill Harris No. No, but I'm glad that you brought it up, because a lot of people will ask that. Sugar, we have a goal on the Kidney Stone Diet of 25 g of added sugar for women, 38– it's 37.5, but I just give them the extra half– 38 mg of added sugar for men. But carbs, we do not count as sugar. So, you can have carbs on the Kidney Stone Diet. But for diabetics, who are counting carbs, or your sugar and carbs, that's your own thing. So, we don't have goals for it at the Kidney Stone Diet, because that's really not going to affect kidney stones unless there's oxalate in it, or you're just overeating carbs, and obesity, folks, can also increase your kidney stone risk. And so, also, if you're a diabetic, that can increase your kidney stone risk. So, we do not put that as goals specifically to lower your kidney stone risk, but everybody should not be overeating carbs in general, period. ### Weight Loss and Overall Health Lifestyle Management 00:05:58 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and that's a big part, too, is the weight loss with everything, because Jill does work, private consults with people and also group consults within the All-Access Pass at kidneystonediet.com. You actually get access directly to Jill, but you've brought it up before that a lot of that, you start with kidney stones, but then what's next is overall healthy lifestyle, weight loss, diet, or weight gain, whatever someone needs. 00:06:20 Jill Harris Oh, yeah. Absolutely. In our group accountability calls, which is part of the All-Access, membership, we– there's a lot of people that stay on there. They lose 50 lb, 70 lb, 100 lb in that group, and they stay there because it's so cheap, the membership, you know, and it's a good group accountability. We have it three times a week, and it– it– it's things like, you know, we're not just talking about kidney stones in there. It's like a little family. So, you know, maybe somebody has– they're dealing with their mother who's dying, and they're not eating enough, or they're overeating, and it's just a place where you can say, "Look what's going on, guys. I need help going through this phase," and we're there to motivate and support and love. That's– that is a– that is a very cherished, program for me, personally. I just love it, because you really get to know people, and that you get to hear wonderful things, and– and, also, you just become part of their life and you share their journey, and you become friends. We're just truly a family in there. I love our group calls. Love them. ### Managing Stress and Lifestyle Changes with Support 00:07:15 Jeff Sarris Yeah, a supportive community is so important, especially when we're making major life changes, and this is one. Like we might think of major life changes as, maybe, marriage and family and things, but lifestyle is huge, because this is our health, and like, we don't want to be in pain anymore. 00:07:31 Jill Harris Yes, and you know, even people in the group, they'll– they'll, you know, they'll gain 30 lb back, and they're like, "Look, you know, I can't believe that this has happened." That's part of any kind of change. Lots of times we're going three steps forward, and then we're going 14 steps back, because life gets in the way of our lifestyles, and we all know that. If you travel a lot, like I said, a lot of us who form kidney stones are at the age where we have parents that are very ill, old, and we're taking care of them, and we still have kids around. It's a really hard, it's a hard time in life, and it's it's it's very hard to take care of ourselves when we're going through, traumatic times. So, that group is really important because, you know, it just keeps us on track, and you just don't feel alone. I think it's really important for somebody who's been really sick in their life. It's very easy to feel isolated and alone when you're sick, and, you know, kind of like nobody understands. So, that group is as important to me as it is to everybody else in there. Yeah. 00:08:33 Jeff Sarris Well, I think with that, we'll wrap, and we will see you next week. 00:08:36 Jill Harris Bye, everybody!