Many people don't like to drink tasteless boiled water. Tea lovers often believe that if they drink a lot of tea every day, there is no need to drink plain boiled water anymore. However, this kind of thinking is incorrect.
【Comparison between Tea and Water】
The normal pH value of human blood should be weakly alkaline, maintained between 7.2 and 7.4. In daily life, many foods we eat are acidic, leading to the blood becoming acidic, which is medically known as acidosis. Acidic substances need to be neutralized by alkaline substances (such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and excreted from the body in the form of neutral substances. Tea contains rich minerals. Drinking an appropriate amount of tea every day can supplement the minerals needed by the body, reduce blood acidity, promote blood circulation, and balance the body's functions.
Although drinking tea has many benefits, it is not advisable to drink tea that is too strong and to replace water with tea. Medical research has shown that when drinking the same amount of tea and plain boiled water, the frequency and amount of urination are higher with tea, indicating that tea has a diuretic effect. Drinking tea in moderation can help cleanse the blood. However, if tea is used as a substitute for water in the long term, it can lead to a decrease in body hydration and even cause constipation. Therefore, regardless of how much tea you drink, it is important to drink at least 300 milliliters of plain boiled water every day to replenish water.
Furthermore, the catechins in tea have antioxidant effects, and many studies have also confirmed that tea can prevent cancer and lower blood lipids. However, excessive consumption of tea, which has many benefits, can actually increase the risk of kidney stones! Especially for those who don't like to drink tasteless boiled water and think that drinking tea or beverages can replace drinking water, the Food and Drug Administration has stated that tea is a high-oxalic acid food, and excessive absorption of oxalic acid may increase the likelihood of kidney stones.
According to the health consultant at Beijing Silk Foot Spa, kidney stones can mainly be divided into calcium stones (calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate), uric acid stones, infection stones, and bladder acid stones, among others. The main causes may include family history, inadequate water intake, high-sodium diet, high-purine diet, high-oxalic acid foods, and medication, such as long-term calcium supplementation and vitamin C. The most common are calcium oxalate stones and calcium phosphate stones, accounting for about 80%. This is followed by infection-induced inorganic alkaline stones (10-15%), uric acid stones (10%), and stones caused by genetic diseases.
【Diet for Stone Patients】
In fact, the materials for stones mostly come from daily diet, so it is necessary to adjust the diet according to the composition of the stones:
1. Calcium Oxalate Stones:
Eat less or avoid consuming excessive amounts of foods containing oxalic acid, such as strong tea, coffee, cola, beer, peanuts, chocolate, lentils, spinach, asparagus, radishes, etc. Also, avoid consuming too many fruits rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, grapes, strawberries, apples, etc.
2. Uric Acid Stones:
Just like with gout, a low-purine diet is needed. Consume less animal offal, meat broth, saltwater fish, shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, beans, alcohol, etc. When necessary, take uric acid-lowering medications as prescribed by a doctor.
3. Calcium Phosphate, Ammonium Magnesium Phosphate Stones:
Consume less foods high in phosphorus, such as yeast, shiitake mushrooms, etc. Ammonium magnesium phosphate stones are mostly caused by urinary tract infections and require infection control.
4. No Need to Restrict Calcium Intake:
In the past, it was believed that calcium was the main component of stones, so calcium intake needed to be controlled. However, in recent years, research has found that adequate calcium intake can inhibit the formation of calcium-containing stones. A low-calcium diet can actually stimulate the release of more calcium from bones and increase oxalate absorption, leading to an increase in oxalate concentration in urine and an increased risk of calcium oxalate formation.
5. Consume Less Salt, Avoid Excessive Consumption of Meat and Fish:
Consuming less salt can increase calcium absorption. Consuming too much animal protein can increase the excretion of uric acid and calcium, lower urine pH, and increase the risk of stone formation.
How to prevent stones? Drinking more water is not only the best way to prevent stones but also promotes metabolism and helps eliminate waste from the body. Unless suffering from heart disease or kidney dysfunction, water restriction is not necessary. In addition, exercise is not only a good way to maintain health but also a good method to prevent stones. Exercise can even promote the passage of small stones or stones already at the distal end of the urinary tract.
