# Who should avoid the Kidney Stone Diet? Source: https://kidneystonediet.com/preview/ep/who-should-avoid-the-kidney-stone-diet/ Published: 2024-06-04 --- [Embedded content](https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6NziolYKnL7BYbMOlEFMgr) [![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/who-should-avoid-the-kidney-stone-diet/id1528474326?i=1000657806888&uo=4)[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NziolYKnL7BYbMOlEFMgr)[Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0868148d-adfd-411d-b3f2-71a0ad1461ec) June 4, 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 Sherry has a renal leak that causes her to absorb too much calcium, leading to hypercalciuria. She wants to know if the Kidney Stone Diet will help her. The Kidney Stone Diet focuses on getting enough calcium, avoiding excessive salt and sugar, and not overdoing meat protein. While a Mediterranean diet is generally recommended, Sherry should be cautious about consuming foods high in oxalate, such as spinach, due to her renal leak. The diet can help lower her risk of kidney stones, but she should consult with her doctor and consider getting a DEXA scan to assess her bone health. **Takeaways** - The Kidney Stone Diet can be beneficial for individuals with hypercalciuria, but caution should be exercised for those with a renal leak. - Following a Mediterranean diet is generally recommended, but foods high in oxalate, like spinach, should be avoided for individuals with a renal leak. - The diet focuses on getting enough calcium, avoiding excessive salt and sugar, and not overdoing meat protein. - Consult with a doctor and consider getting a DEXA scan to assess bone health. **Sound Bites** - “Is this diet going to help me? Or is it going to hurt me?” - “The diet will be very helpful, especially because you have a renal leak.” - “Pay attention to the oxalate but as you know I don’t freak out about oxalate here.” \ 00:00 Introduction and Sherry’s Question\ 03:14 Understanding Renal Leaks and Hypercalciuria\ 04:36 The Components of the Kidney Stone Diet\ 06:03 Considering Oxalate in the Diet\ 07:56 Importance of Calcium and Other Nutrients\ 08:55 Managing Risk for Stone Formation\ 10:44 Understanding the Impact of Diet on Urine Collection\ 12:07 The Benefits of Following the Kidney Stone Diet\ 12:54 Discussion on Apple Cider Vinegar\ 15:36 Celebrating 10,000 Subscribers and Conclusion This podcast is designed to entertain and inform — not provide medical advice. Always consult your doctor before starting any treatment. **HAVE A QUESTION? _**\ Leave us a voicemail at (773) 789-8763. \ **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) **BUY JILL’S FAVORITE PRODUCTS _** - [Silk Coconut Milk, Unsweetened](https://amzn.to/3jUd9x8) - [Good Karma Non Dairy Unsweetened Flaxmilk](https://amzn.to/3vQZN7J) - [Ripple Unsweetened Pea Milk](https://amzn.to/3GOP7wB) - [Oatly Unsweetened Oat Milk](https://amzn.to/3Gvjwi2) - [Healthy ‘N Fit 100% Egg Protein](https://amzn.to/3lgfXWb) - [Fairlife Core Power Elite High Protein Shake, Vanilla](https://amzn.to/3jlVKNV) - [Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder](https://amzn.to/4dP3OOQ) - [Hydroflask](https://amzn.to/3CAD2bU) - [TofuBud Tofu Press](https://amzn.to/3vTkxie) - [Mini Cuisinart Food Processor](https://amzn.to/3vPxtpx) - [Food Scale](https://amzn.to/42cCcgX) - [Meat Thermometer](https://amzn.to/493DGfY) - [PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter](https://amzn.to/490075q) - [Gluten-Free Oat Bran Cereal](https://amzn.to/48K9FlA) - [Apple Chips](https://amzn.to/3Ht0ryb) - [Drinking Glasses with Measurements](https://amzn.to/48IKi3D) - [Balsamic Vinegar](https://amzn.to/48JFoDr) - [Ground Flax Seed](https://amzn.to/48B9xER) - [Jill’s Go-To Tanktop](https://amzn.to/42hPCsb) - [Heart-Shaped Smoothie Straws](https://amzn.to/42a1Y5v) - [Yeti Water Bottle](https://amzn.to/49o830T) - [Overnight Oatmeal Cups](https://amzn.to/47UUp4c) - [Vanilla Bean Paste](https://amzn.to/4bjHMCC) **WORK WITH JILL _** - [Kidney Stone Prevention Course](https://kidneystonediet.com/kidney-stone-prevention) - [Kidney Stone Diet Meal Plans](https://kidneystonediet.com/mealplans/) - [Safe Snacks and Desserts Ebook](https://kidneystonediet.com/ebook/) - [24 Hour Urine Collection Analysis](https://kidneystonediet.com/24-hour-urine-analysis/) - [Private Coaching](https://kidneystonediet.com/coaching/) **KIDNEY STONE RESOURCES _** - [Kidney Stone Diet](https://kidneystonediet.com/) - [Kidney Stone Diet Resources](https://kidneystonediet.com/resources/) - [Oxalate Food List](https://kidneystonediet.com/oxalate-list/) - [Kidney Stone Diet Recipes](https://kidneystonediet.com/recipes/) - [Meat Protein Calculator](https://kidneystonediet.com/protein/) - [Kidney Stone Diet Podcast](https://kidneystonediet.com/podcast) \ **WHO IS JILL HARRIS? _**\ Jill is a nurse and health coach that specializes in educating patients on kidney stone prevention. For more than 25 years she’s helped patients understand that kidney stones can be prevented with the right treatment plan. It’s one thing to be told to lower oxalate or drink more water, but HOW do you do it? That’s where she comes in. Through the educational resources at [kidneystonediet.com](https://kidneystonediet.com/), stone formers can learn everything they need to know to significantly lower new stone risk. *Some of the links above may be affiliate links which means that we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!* ## Chapters - 00:00:00 Renal Leak Listener Question - 00:02:54 Hypercalciuria and Kidney Stone Diet Guidelines - 00:11:50 Apple Cider Vinegar Supplements and Acid Reflux - 00:12:31 Kidney Stone Diet Educational Resources - 00:13:12 Channel Milestone of 10,000 YouTube Subscribers ## Transcript ### Renal Leak Listener Question 00:00:00 Jeff Sarris Who should not follow the kidney stone diet? Let's talk about that. Today we have a question from Sherry and, what do you say, Jill? Do you want to dive right into, Sherry's question? 00:00:12 Jill Harris Yeah. Every time I hear that name, I'm like, "Sherry baby." Hi Jill and Jeff. This is Sherry Lefton. I'm from Florida. I have a question. You often talk about having a medical condition maybe being an exception to the kidney stone diet. I recently found out that I have a renal leak. I have nine stones on one side, six on another. I have been given now, hydrochlorothiazide and potassium citrate to handle the renal leak situation, plus I've been instructed to take, to drink, at least 2 L of water, and a banana a day since my potassium– magnesium was low. My question is, do you still recommend the need to follow a kidney stone diet when somebody has a medical condition that's causing their stones? I was told I'm hypercalciuric versus hyper– versus having hyperoxaluria, and my doctor said, "Just doing a regular Mediterranean diet, it's fine, since I don't need to watch my oxalates." Period. Basically, I want to know if you agree with that assessment. Also, if you are also handling my questions, I was curious if you think that people in my condition would be able to take apple cider vinegar supplements or a multivitamin that has vitamins C and D. I really appreciate everything that you guys are doing. Without you, I would not have done or knew to do the 24-hour urine collection. I did have to argue with my old urologist, and because of that, I went to the new urologist, and he's wonderful. So, excuse me, I'll be doing my second, 24-hour urine collection shortly, to see if the medications are helping me and my, concentration on really drinking water and, Crystal Light. So, basically, if you could address the questions dealing with people with a medical condition, I would really appreciate it. Like I mentioned, it's a renal leak, and I have hypercalciuria. ### Hypercalciuria and Kidney Stone Diet Guidelines 00:02:54 Jill Harris All right. So, Sherry has a renal leak. That means one of her renal tubules in the kidney is– it's it's not working properly. She's absorbing too much calcium. Okay? And, again, she said it. She would never have known unless she did a urine collection. So, you don't know, so what she has is hypercalciuria related to or due to a renal leak. So, her kidney isn't filtering the calcium properly, okay? It prevents calcium from being reabsorbed the way it should be, and then you wind up with this too much calcium in the urine. So, she's saying, "Is this diet going to help me? Or is it going to hurt me?" So, let's think about what the diet is. It's getting enough calcium. It's making sure you don't eat too much salt because of hypertension, everything else we get from salt, water retention, weight gain. Why weight gain? 'Cause a lot of unhealthy foods have a lot of salt. Paying attention to sugar, getting enough calcium, and not overdoing meat protein, and, of course, getting enough fluids. So, let's think about it this way. It's certainly not going to hurt you. A Mediterranean diet is great. Sure. Every doctor is going to say do the Medit- Mediterranean diet 'cause they know it's a healthier diet. So, they generically will tell you that. The Mediterranean diet also will talk- you'll be definitely be eating spinach. Sherry said, "Well, my doctor said I don't have to worry about oxalate 'cause that's not why I'm getting kidney stones." As a nurse, I always say this: listen to what your doctor's saying. I do not override any doctor's order. Legally, I do not. I'm just here to educate you. Jeff is just here to educate you. That's what we're here for, for information. But as a kidney stone form- and I don't form stones, but it's in my family. I have bowel issues. I have not made stones yet. I hope I don't. Just because my oxalate's not a problem, I have malabsorption issues. My oxalate's not a problem, but I'm not eating spinach anytime soon, I'll tell you that. So, if you have too much calcium in your urine, that's what hypercalciuria is. Hyper, too much, cal, calcium, uria, in the urine. Why would you want to really dig into some spinach on a daily basis? Not that you would, but why do you also then want to increase your oxalate levels? Because maybe the stone didn't make– maybe the stone's happening because of this renal leak. But why are you going to add more of a risk if you're going to eat more oxalate? Does that make sense? I mean, if you eat a lot of oxalate, you're going to– you have a renal leak. So, it's not helping. I would say it is going to lower your risk if you do follow the Kidney Stone Diet, especially because you have a renal leak. So, yes, the diet will be very helpful, absolutely. So, you could do the– look, the Kidney Stone Diet is a set of goals. Whatever lifestyle you want to do, just fit into those goals. So, you could do Mediterranean diet, sure. Not a problem. I wouldn't be eating spinach with a renal leak, absolutely not. I also wouldn't be taking vitamin C because if you are doing something like the Mediterranean diet, you're going to get plenty of vitamin C in your fruits and vegetables. So, I don't, you know, I wouldn't– I really wouldn't want a vitamin. If you're eating well, you shouldn't need a vitamin. You can Google vitamins, and, honestly, we just pee them out. It's what we're doing, and nobody's regulating vitamins. Now, do I take some vitamins? Yes, I have to. Vitamin D and B12, I have to take them. I have malabsorption issues. Those things always run low, so I have to. So, there's that. As far as the hydrochlorothiazide, yes, you should be getting a blood test, too. I assume the doctor ordered that because that's a, that's a, that diuretic can make you lose excess potassium. So, you want to make sure you get a blood test within a week upon start- starting that thiazide diuretic to make sure your potassium doesn't go too low. What else did she ask? Oh, the oxalate. So, I mean, primarily what you're asking, "Is the kidney stone– is it still something I should do?" I think it's something everybody should do. Why? Because it's lowering your salt, not eating too much added sugar and salt, getting enough fluids, getting enough calcium, and not overdoing the oxalate part. But for somebody who has high urine calcium based upon a medical condition, I also would not be increasing my oxalate because then you do have more of a chance to make a calcium oxalate stone. So, it's two separate things. You have a medical condition that is increasing your kidney stone risk. You don't want to all of a sudden be doing spinach because if the– let me put it this way. If your medical condition is being taken care of, and when you do the urine collection, you will see, is the dose of the hydrochlorothiazide fine? Is the potassium citrate dose fine? You're going to see how everything is. I still wouldn't add– I would still take away spinach and almond products. I just would. And the Mediterranean diet will talk about almonds, for sure. So, I would still ditch them, especially for somebody, whether it's based upon a medical condition or you just have hypercalciuria not based on a medical condition, it doesn't matter. As a stone former, you should still be lowering oxalate. Now, a lot of doctors will say, "Oh, don't worry about oxalate. Your oxalate isn't high in the urine collection." But did the doctor ask you, did you– how'd you eat on this collection? Most people, by the time they do a urine collection, they gave up spinach and almond products. They gave it up because if one thing is consistent on the internet, spinach is high in oxalate. So, nobody does that. As opposed to before they made the stone, they were eating spinach every single day. So, a lot of people change their– so, when the doctor says, "Your oxalate's fine," a lot of times, the doctor didn't ask, "How'd you– did you eat spinach on the collection?" And they didn't ask, "Did you use to eat spinach before the collection?" So, they're not getting a real, total look on things. They just see the value, it's low, and think everything's cool. But they didn't ask you– I'm not saying all, but a lot of them won't ask you what your past food diary was like. So, I'm just saying that as somebody who has a risk of kidney stones based upon genetic, genetics, I'm not eating any spinach, and I wouldn't ask you to either. So, I would still pay attention to the oxalate. But as you know, I don't freak out about oxalate here. Get rid of the almond products, chia seeds that are really high in oxalate, spinach, of course. Go about your business. Hopefully, the medications will work for you and that can help your renal leak. I'm sorry that you have that, you know. It's always hard when, you know, it's one thing to change your diet, that's hard enough, but then, two, when you have something because of something else, it's it's a lot. And, also, you don't want to risk for stone disease, so I don't know you, but, Sherry, I would definitely make sure you get a DEXA scan to check on your bone health, since you have been diagnosed with this renal leak. You want a baseline look on your bones and get a handle on that, as well. So, my final answer on this is, I would still very much pay attention to the Kidney Stone Diet. It's just a healthy diet. If you have a renal leak, I absolutely would not be doing the overdoing the oxalate part of this. And salt and sugar and all those other things help lower urine calcium by itself. Yes, you have this thing going on, but why add to it? So, I'm always going to advocate this way of eating, meaning the goals of the Kidney Stone Diet, because they're just healthy for everybody, absolutely. That's my take. I think I got to all her things. I know she asked a lot of things, but I think– ### Apple Cider Vinegar Supplements and Acid Reflux 00:11:50 Jeff Sarris Yeah, she also– she mentioned apple cider vinegar as a supplement. 00:11:53 Jill Harris I So, I still don't really understand why people want to do ACV, but I don't, you know, I don't have a problem with it. I'd be very careful with it. A lot of my patients tried to break up stones that way, and then they got a lot of inflammation in their esophagus. So, just be very careful. It brought on GERD for them. Every- It affects everybody a little bit different. So, I'm never going to suggest people do ACV. I know she knows I'm not going to suggest that. I'm not a fan of things like that. That's me personally. I don't see any medical benefit for that, but as grown people, we all make our own decisions, for sure. ### Kidney Stone Diet Educational Resources 00:12:31 Jeff Sarris Absolutely. Well, yeah, thanks, Sherry, for that question. That was a great one. The number is 773-773-7893 if you want to have your question featured on a future episode. And, yeah, head on over to kidneystonediet.com for a deep dive into everything Kidney Stone Diet related: tons of free res- resources, some premium resources like the course, the meal plans, and a free weekly newsletter. Highly recommend jumping on that email list. Absolutely free, but Jill will keep you on track every single week through that email. So, I think with that, we will wrap. Thanks again for tuning in, for liking, subscribing, and sharing with people who need this information, and we'll see you next time. ### Channel Milestone of 10,000 YouTube Subscribers 00:13:12 Jill Harris Oh, Jeff, we made 10,000 subscribers! 00:13:14 Jeff Sarris Oh, yeah, we did! So, wait, we won't see you next time yet. We need to talk about that for a moment. 00:13:18 Jill Harris I forgot about– yeah, I mean, oh, my god, did I bug my Facebook group and newsletter people for that! But, yes, you know, because even though people watch your videos every week, 30%– there's 70% of people never hit the subscribe button. So, it's very difficult to get people to actually click that button. And when you make 10,000 subscribers, I mean, it– only– only 90%, 90%– get rid of the word "only"– 90% of YouTube channels never make 10,000. I didn't know that. So, it's a big deal and I'm going to tell you right now, Jeff and I are thrilled about it. Hopefully, we'll get up in the search quicker. You know, when you Google "kidney stones," there's a lot of junk that comes up way before us. So, that's why we care about subscribers. We don't– we're I'm not caring about the popularity, neither is Jeff, but YouTube takes our channel a little bit more seriously and will show it to more people if we have a lot of subscribers. So, that's why we ask for that. And now onward to a 100,000, 'cause that's our next goal! But I just wanted to thank everybody. Everybody was so kind and then when we made the 10,000, it was like 9,999, so I got my camera out and I started videotaping and waited until the 10,000 mark and I put it on the Facebook group because I couldn't– you know, I couldn't have done it, Jeff couldn't have– we can't do this without you guys. So, when you subscribe, when you like the video– you don't have to like it, but if you do like it, if you click the little thumbs up button, again, YouTube says, "Hey, they're doing something right over there. People care about this channel," and then we're shown more. So, that's why we ask for these things, not because we want to feel adorable and cute. So, so, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for helping us make the 10,000. We could never do it without you. So, thank you, thank you. 00:15:13 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and that is the goal, is to reach as many people as possible with the valid information. So, that's why, as you'll see, we're changing things up, too. Doing a little intro now. We pulled out the music for these few episodes, but each time, we're going to experiment and see sort of how things do, how we can reach more people through this channel. So, every little bit helps. 00:15:31 Jill Harris Yeah, and tell us what you like! You may say, "Why'd you take the music away? We don't like it," or, "You know, it's great without the music." But we welcome all kinds of criticisms, critiques, comments, what you like, what you don't like, 'cause the channel's for you. It's not for us. I mean, it's for you. So, let us know how we're doing, so we can improve. We're We're just learning how to do all this, too, you know? 00:15:53 Jeff Sarris Yeah, it's all experimentation, so, yeah. 00:15:55 Jill Harris Yes, it is. 00:15:56 Jeff Sarris Thanks again, everyone, for tuning in, and we'll see you next time. 00:15:59 Jill Harris Bye, everybody. Thanks, Sherry!