If you have kidney stones and want to remove them naturally, your diet will need to be an important part of your strategy. There isn't a particularly "best" kidney stone diet that I've found, but there are many sensible and proven techniques to help you. Keep in mind there is no magical diet that will instantly pass your kidney stones. But by following a sensible and healthy diet and modifying it for your condition, you can definitely speed up the process of dissolving your stones. More importantly, you can lessen the likelihood of their return.

The Best Kidney Stone Diet Food Is... Water!

Even though we can't technically consider water as a diet food, it is one of the most important elements towards helping you pass your kidney stones. No matter what kind of diet you are following or what other treatments you may be pursuing, you need to drink much more water. It's the best remedy for dissolving kidney stones and allowing them to pass through your urinary system. It's essential to drink from two to three quarts of pure water each and every day.

Natural Foods Help You Detox - It Works!

Kidney stones are toxic buildups in the urinary tract. While they usually contain certain natural substances such as calcium, they are a symptom that your body's filtering system --the kidneys-- are not working properly. So you should think of eating in a way that promotes overall detoxification.

Many foods commonly eaten today encourage toxic buildup. This includes most sweets, processed, junk and fast foods, carbohydrates made with white flour, soda and excessive alcohol or caffeine. If you replace this kind of food with more fruits and vegetables, organic grains and animal products (though only moderate amounts of these, as with kidney stones you don't want too much protein or calcium), you will be helping your kidneys and the rest of your body to detox.

Some foods and supplements will help you detox faster. Cranberries, watermelon, lemons and dandelion are all good detoxifiers, especially for the kidneys. Lemon can be squeezed into tea, water or salad dressing. Cranberries and watermelons (actually, all members of the melon family are good) can be eaten as fruits, in juices or even taken as supplements.

Foods to Reduce in a Kidney Stone Diet

People with kidney stones are commonly told to avoid foods high in calcium, as well as high oxalate foods. This is true to some extent, but it depends on the type of kidney stone you have (if you've been diagnosed by a medical professional, they can tell you). Calcium is an essential nutrient, so you don't want to cut it out of your diet. But it's a good idea to not eat large doses of dairy products or take any extra high calcium supplements.

High oxalate foods include spinach and many other dark green vegetables, such as kale, chocolate, many nuts and beans, blueberries and beets. If your kidney stones contain oxalates you want to pay special attention to this. Otherwise, you may want to cut back some on these type of foods, but you don't have to worry about it too much.

If you follow these kidney stone diet tips, along with drinking plenty of water and getting regular exercise , you can and will speed up the process of your kidney stone removal.