THEcalculationsurinaryOr calculations kidney, are formed from minerals that crystallize and grow in the kidneys. If they pass into the ureter (the canal that connects the kidneys to the bladder), they can block it and cause renal colic.
There are two main types of stones: based on calcium oxalate in 80% of cases or uric acid in 10% of cases. Certain illnesses (hyperparathyroidism, chronic urinary infection, etc.) and certain medications promote the formation of crystals. But as Dr Christophe Almeras, head of the Lithiasis Committee of the French Urology Association (AFU), points out: ” Calculations are most often due to our modern diet: too much animal protein, processed products rich in salt, industrial sugar, and not enough plants. »
The curve of calculations urinary indeed evolves in parallel with a country’s GDP: the more a country industrializes and adopts a processed diet, the more cases there are. To remove a stone, there are several possibilities: “ Shock waves to fragment the calculation if it is small; ureteroscopy to destroy it with a laser and be able to analyze it; surgery if the stone is very large. »
The 3 foods to favor to avoid recurrences
- The water : drinking plenty of water helps dilute urine and prevent minerals from becoming too concentrated and crystallizing. The advice is to urinate 2 liters per day (i.e. 6 to 8 trips to the toilet daily) and therefore to drink 1.5 to 2 liters spread throughout the day (food also provides a little water). To know if you are drinking enough, you can look at the color of your urine: it should be clear. It is advisable to drink in the evening, to avoid too concentrated urine in the morning, and even to drink a glass of water at night if you get up to go to the toilet.
- Orange and lemon: These citrus fruits have the advantage of being rich in water and containing citrate which reduces the acidity of urine and prevents calcium from crystallizing. It is interesting to drink a squeezed orange in the morning and sprinkle your dishes with lemon juice. However, there is no question of overdoing orange juice, which is rich in sugar and should therefore be limited.
- The vegetables : they must represent 30 to 50% of the contents of your plate. Their advantages: they are light, rich in water and, above all, provide potassium which neutralizes acidity and reduces the excretion of calcium. The richest in potassium are: mushrooms, potatoes, celeriac, artichokes, avocados, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, etc.
Foods to absolutely limit
Animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs), because “they promote acidity in the body and the leakage of calcium into the urine,” says Dr. Almeras. It is recommended to stick to one serving (150 g) per day. So if we ate it at lunchtime, we have a vegetarian meal in the evening.
Salt because its elimination in the urine leads at the same time to an elimination of calcium. It is therefore recommended not to consume more than 5 to 6 g of salt per day. To achieve this, you must favor herbs and spices to spice up your dishes, and above all limit very salty foods (bread, cold meats, prepared dishes, smoked fish, etc.).
Sugar because it promotes the secretion of insulin which reduces the reabsorption of calcium. It is therefore advisable to limit sugary products: sodas, sweets, pastries, etc. “Be particularly careful of candies with gelatin which contain precursors of oxalate and sodas rich in fructose which is a precursor of uric acid”, underlines the doctor.
Foods rich in oxalates. It is not a question of eliminating them, but of consuming them in moderation: cocoa (and therefore dark chocolate), tea, spinach, chard, sorrel, broccoli, beetroot, rhubarb, red berries, sesame, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almond…
Our expert: Dr Christophe Almeras, head of the Lithiasis Committee of the French Urology Association (AFU)
