DASH Diet: Eat This Way to Prevent Pain
You've heard the rumors. Or maybe experienced the misery yourself. A kidney stone attack is like no other pain on earth. But a simple choice may help keep you in the clear.
Eat a DASH diet. It's the one recommended for people interested in controlling their blood pressure. A new study showed that DASH-diet practitioners may have a lower risk of the painful stones.
Dash Away Pain
After combining the data from three large long-term studies and reviewing the health and eating habits of over 200,000 adults, researchers found that people whose diets most closely matched the principles of the DASH diet were as much as 45 percent less likely to develop kidney stones. The DASH diet emphasizes fruit, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean sources of protein. Not a bad way to go, regardless of your health goals.
Stopping Stones
It's a bit unclear why eating this way would help prevent kidney stones, because certain fruits, veggies, and nuts contain oxalate -- a chemical compound from which some types of kidney stones are made. But researchers note that eating fruit and veggies increases the level of citrate in your urine as well, which can help stop the formation of calcium stones. Regardless, clear any diet with your doctor if you have a history of kidney stones
And if you want to give the DASH diet a try, these tips help make it easy-breezy:
- Shop smart. Print out a copy of this DASH-style shopping list and take it to the store with you.
- Give yourself reminders. This cheat sheet makes it easy to remember the secrets to low-sodium cooking.
- Be adventurous. Choose from hundreds of delicious heart-healthy meal ideas in the RealAge Recipe Box.
