The Development of Kidney Stone Dietary Plans for Patient Education

Currently patient education programs and urology practices provide individuals with "lists of foods to avoid" for dietary management of kidney stones. However, "planned diets" that include daily meal plans and recipes provide structure and specificity for diet management and are preferred by many individuals. This article describes the development of planned diets to assist individuals with treatment and prevention of calcium oxalate kidney stones. The literature does not include planned diets available for individuals with kidney stones; the "list of foods to avoid" approach is the standard of practice. Results from studies using the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet with modifications for patients with kidney stones served as the foundation for the planned diets developed in this study. Foods identified in the literature that reduced the development of kidney stones were included in the meal plans. Nutrient analysis was conducted on all foods to ensure nutrient adequacy and compliance with the dietary management of kidney stones. Foods were grouped for meal planning purposes and two sample one-day 2000 calorie planned diets were distributed to 13 patients in an adult urology practice. Adjustments were made in the diets to accommodate for food preferences and caloric levels. Planned diets can provide a useful alternative for community health education specialists in patient health education programs to assist individuals with diet management to reduce the incidence and recurrence of kidney stones. (Contains 2 tables.)