Main Meals for Kidney Stone Prevention: Hearty and Healthy

Building Stone-Friendly Main Meals

There's a lot to think about when you're fighting kidney stones with food. The main things are more fluids, more calcium, less sodium, less oxalate and less animal protein. Here are some essential tips and hearty recipes to help you plan delicious main meals that protect your kidneys.

Main Meal Principles

Fresh first. Focus on eating fresh and homemade food. Fresh fruits and veggies can help you control your diet and limit salt. More than 75 percent of the American diet is filled with sodium and sugar from packaged foods.
Start with water. Drink a glass of water before and after your meal to stay hydrated and help your body digest. Your kidneys will appreciate the fresh water.
Kick the can. Use frozen foods to replace some canned foods, pick lower-sodium options, and rinse canned food to lower the sodium by 40 percent.
Slow down. Eat smaller portions, slow down and enjoy the meal.

Hydration is key to preventing kidney stones

Figure 1: The main things are more fluids, more calcium, less sodium, less oxalate and less animal protein.

Flavor Strategies Without Salt

Seasoning Secrets

Spice it up. Turn your salt shaker into an herb shaker. Also, try hot sauces or fresh hot peppers to season your food.
Tart tastes. Sprinkle vinegar or citrus juice to enhance flavors. Vinegar is good on green vegetables, and citrus is great on fruits. Both are great on fish.
Plan ahead. Plan when you'd like to eat more meat and salt. Maybe you'd like to focus on dinner for this, so you can avoid it in your other meals. Consider meat-alternatives in your main meals too.
Use calcium. Eat something with calcium to balance meals with high or moderate oxalate foods.

Smart Side Swaps

Broccoli rice is an interesting twist on an old favorite. It's just roughly chopped broccoli stalks made into small pieces like rice. Saute the broccoli with olive oil, minced garlic and a pinch of seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes. Add a squirt of lemon. It's great with chicken, pork or fish.

Mashing steamed cauliflower with cannellini beans gives you a higher-protein, lower-oxalate version of mashed potatoes. Use roasted garlic, vegetable stock and parsley for a rich flavor.

Kale and bok choy are great substitutes for high-oxalate spinach.

Hearty Main Meal Recipes

Three Cheese Veggie Lasagna

Total: 1 hr | Prep: 15 min | Serves: 8 | 447 calories, 9.5g fat, 38mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 70.3g carbs, 4.2g fiber, 19.6g protein, 352mg calcium

Lasagna is a food that Americans have adopted from Italy as a family favorite. This three-cheese veggie lasagna uses a rich white sauce to add a creamy taste with added calcium.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 yellow squash, cubed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 ounce bag of kale-broccoli slaw (or shredded kale)
1 15-ounce container fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup low fat shredded Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
3 cups fat free milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package no-boil lasagna, divided into thirds
Ground green pepper to taste as garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Add onion and squash; cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in kale and garlic; cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. Stir in ricotta, Swiss & parmesan cheeses. Set aside.
To make sauce, whisk together milk and flour in medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly, until sauce comes to a boil and thickens.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of baking dish. Layer one-third of noodles over sauce. Spread half of vegetable mixture over noodles. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce.
Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with green pepper.

Figure 2: Vegetarian lasagna was the first big dinner I learned how to make.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken

Total: 6 hr | Prep: 10 min | Serves: 6 | 178 calories, 7.2g fat, 48mg cholesterol, 224mg sodium, 10.1g carbs, 2.9g fiber, 19g protein

This rich, delicious one-pot dish includes a balance of spice with creamy coconut, a nutty edge and a bright touch of lime. For a lower-oxalate twist, replace the traditional peanut butter with sun-butter (sunflower seed butter).

Ingredients:

13 1/2 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
7 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 head uncooked cauliflower, cut into florets
1 sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 pound chicken breast, uncooked and cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter (no salt variety)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 medium green onions, sliced
1 fresh lime, cut into 6 wedges

Directions:

Cube chicken and coat with 2 teaspoons of curry paste to marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker, add coconut milk, 2-4 more teaspoons curry paste, garlic, ginger and salt. Add cauliflower, red pepper and carrots. Mix to coat. Place chicken on top of the vegetable mixture.
Cover and cook on LOW setting until cooked through and veggies are tender, about 5-6 hours.
Gently stir in sunflower seed butter and more curry paste (if you like the spice) into slow cooker until blended.
Stir in cilantro and green onions. Spoon into bowls and serve with a lime wedge.

Figure 3: This slow cooked dinner has it all - chicken, vegetables, coconut and Progresso® broth blended in a hearty Thai soup.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables and Feta

Total: 40 min | Prep: 15 min | Serves: 6 | 334 calories, 18g fat, 213mg sodium, 35g carbs, 2.7g fiber, 9g protein, 107mg calcium

This dish is hearty enough to be eaten as a meal if you double the serving, but it's nice as a side dish too. The combination of vegetables, orzo, feta, with the crunch of pine nuts, give it an irresistible flavor.

Ingredients:

1 small eggplant (or squash), 1-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta
For the dressing: 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil
For the topping: 4 scallions minced, 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted, 3/4 cup feta crumbled (choose a lower-salt option)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the eggplant (or squash), bell peppers, onion and garlic with the olive oil, on a large sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.
Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
Mix dressing together and toss into the pasta and vegetable mixture. Serve, topped with scallions, pine nuts and feta.

Figure 4: This orzo with roasted vegetables is a fabulous warm side dish, or try it as a meatless main dish.

Key Takeaways

Fresh and homemade is best - control your ingredients and sodium
Drink water before and after meals - helps digestion and hydration
Use herbs and spices instead of salt - build flavor without sodium
Include calcium-rich ingredients - cheese, milk, yogurt in recipes
Plan your meat portions - focus on one meal per day for animal protein
Rinse canned foods - reduces sodium by 40%
Choose low-oxalate vegetables - cauliflower, broccoli, peppers over spinach
Slow down and enjoy - mindful eating helps with portion control

References：

Primary Sources:
- Urology Care Foundation - Kidney Stones: Diet and Prevention
- National Kidney Foundation - Dinner Recipes for Kidney Stone Prevention

Clinical Evidence:
- NIDDK (NIH) - Kidney Stones: Diet Guidelines
- Harvard Health - 5 Steps for Preventing Kidney Stones

Image Sources ：
- Wikimedia Commons - Public domain and educational use images