Drinking enough fluids, mostly water, is the most important lifestyle change you can make to prevent cystine stones. Talk to your health care professional about how much fluid you should drink. Remember to also reduce sodium intake. Sodium is salt.
Tips for reducing sodium intake:
Most Americans consume too much sodium. Adults should aim for less than 2,300 mg per day. One teaspoon of table salt contains 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. If you have calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones, you should follow these guidelines even if you take medication to prevent kidney stones.
Some tips to help reduce sodium intake:
Check the percent daily sodium (%DV) on the Nutrition Facts label of most foods. Low sodium is 5% or less, high sodium is 20% or more.
- Consider writing down how much sodium you eat each day
- When eating out, ask about the sodium content of food
- Cook from scratch. Avoid processed and fast foods, canned soups and vegetables, and lunch meat
- Look for foods labeled: sodium-free, salt-free, very low sodium, low sodium, reduced or less sodium, light, no salt added, no salt, and lightly salted.
