When I had my kidney stones 10 years ago, I was told to abstain from tomatoes. More specifically, cooked tomotoe sauce for a while. I have always wondered why, but it was not always so clear. ALthough tomatoes have obvious benefits to health, I discovered why a kidney stone sufferer might want to abstain.
First I want to say that tomatoes have proven to have obvious benefits. High in vitamins A and C, these superfoods have been shown to provide anti-cancer, detoxifying, and cardiovascular benefits. So I won’t go so far to say stay away from these foods.
I will say that some with kidney stones presently or with a history might want to abstain from tomatoes in particular tomato soup, sauce, and juice. The reasoning for this is oxalate content. Tomato soup and beans in tomato sauce are high in oxalate content, over 10 mg per serving. Tomato juice on the other hand has a moderate amount of oxalate. This information is apparent on a variety of websites. The university of Pittsburgh lists these foods in the moderate, 2-10mg per serving. You can see their study at http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/LowOxalateDiet.pdf
The most common thread noticed was the avoidance of beans in tomato sauce. Even the National Kidney Foundation appears to support similar conclusions. This seems to be the case in their offering a tomato sauce free barbecue sauce.
Tomotoes have obvious benefits for many, but for those of us with kidney stone histories seeking to balance our diets for our kidneys’ sake, moderation seems to be the order of the day.
For those who like barbecue sauce, try this recipe at http://www.kidney.org/news/ekidney/july10/BBQ_July10.cfm
Yours in health,
Chris Torsak
AKA, the Flying Health Nut
