Often, patients come to me after being on a high-protein diet for weight loss or to control their diabetes. They lost weight or controlled their blood sugar better but gained a kidney stone as a result of eating too much meat protein. Most of my patients got a stone because they ate too much of any one or two foods on their restrictive diets. The trade-off was undoubtedly not intended. In another article, I discuss why I am against fad diets, but for now, let’s talk about how much meat protein you need you need per day and how to figure out what that means for each of you.
Kidney Stone Diet
Meat Protein Calculator
Calculating your daily protein requirement is simple! Just enter your weight in lbs below and the Kidney Stone Diet Protein Calculator will handle the rest!
____ ounces of meat/day
Pay attention to your meat consumption, including chicken, pork, fish, red meat, and turkey- anything that swims, flies, or runs is meat protein. I am less concerned about other sources of protein. That said, none of you need to eat 5 eggs per day or drink 10 glasses of milk. Drink or eat enough dairy or non-dairy sources to get your RDA of calcium but consuming more does not mean better. I don’t worry about dairy sources as much because nearly every adult I work with consumes very little dairy (except for high-sodium cheeses).
There you go. Plug in your numbers. Remember, if you need to lose weight, use your ideal weight in the equation. If you are overweight, do not use your current weight to calculate the right protein intake, as you will be eating too much.
One more thing. Always consult your physician about your specific medical conditions and how this might affect your daily protein intake. Some of you have CKD (chronic kidney disease) and you will be on a stricter protein allowance.
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