How do you prevent kidney stones?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
The core of stone prevention is dilute urine: drink enough that your urine stays pale all day - roughly 2 to 3 liters for most people, more in heat or heavy exercise. Water leads, and citrus drinks add citrate, which actively blocks crystals. Then the diet levers: cut salt hard, since sodium pushes calcium into urine; keep normal food calcium with meals, because gut calcium binds oxalate and protects - cutting calcium backfires; moderate animal protein; and limit high-oxalate foods (spinach, beets, nuts, chocolate) if you form oxalate stones. After a first stone, get it analyzed and ask about a 24-hour urine test - that turns generic advice into a plan for your chemistry, and some people benefit from preventive medication. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you build the routine.
What to do
- Make pale urine the daily target: it is the cheapest monitor there is.
- Slash salt, keep food calcium: the counterintuitive pair that matters most.
- Add citrus for citrate: lemon water is a real, mechanistic prevention tool.
- Get the stone and your urine analyzed after one episode: prevention works best aimed at your type.
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