Eating Cheese Has An Unexpected Effect On Your Kidney Stone Risk – Health Digest

It sounds counterintuitive that you should eat more calcium to prevent kidney stones, but when you consider how your digestive system works, it might make a little more sense. When you eat cheese with foods high in oxalate, the calcium and oxalate will bind to one another in your stomach, not in your kidneys.

Besides, oxalates that form in your urine don’t necessarily come from the food you eat. Your body creates oxalate as a waste product, and that’s what’s typically found in your urine, according to Colorado State University. Drinking more water will help dilute these urinary oxalates to prevent kidney stones.

The National Kidney Foundation suggests getting 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day. An ounce of low-sodium cheddar cheese provides almost 200 milligrams of calcium. Why choose low-sodium cheese? Sodium causes you to leak calcium into your urine. It’s also best to pair your cheddar cheese with oxalate-rich foods like purple grapes.