Kidney stones afflict roughly 500,000 Americans every year. Most are made of calcium. Diet and fluid intake are important factors in the development of urinary stones. Specifically, when you eat excess protein, it is accompanied by increased calcium in the urine, which can result in stones forming. A low-protein diet, defined as 1g per 1kg of body weight per day, is protective against stones. For a man who weighs 154 lbs., or 70 kg, following a 2,500-calorie diet, this amounts to 70g of protein, or roughly 10 percent of total caloric intake.
Fruits
In general, fruits are low-protein foods, with an average of about 5 percent of calories from protein. Apples contain as little as 1 percent, bananas have 5 percent, and berries like cherries, raspberries and strawberries are 8 percent protein. Lemons, which contain 16 percent protein, are an exception, as are green peppers, a vegetable fruit that derives 22 percent of its calories from protein.
Many vegetables, leafy green varieties in particular, are among the highest in protein of all foods, with vegetables such as collards, turnip greens and spinach deriving over 40 percent of calories from protein. However, T. Colin Campbell says in "The China Study" that plant-based foods, even those high in protein, may be protective against kidney stones due to their high levels of antioxidants, which inhibit the free radicals believed to initiate stone formation. Vegetables low in protein include potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes.
Grains
In general, grains are not low-protein foods, as many derive more than 10 percent of their calories from protein, often in the form of gluten, as is the case with wheat, rye and barley. However, at 8 percent protein, brown rice is low, and at 15 percent oatmeal has only half of the protein of wheat germ. To reduce the protein percentage of a meal containing oats, mix in a banana, which is only 5 percent protein.
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