Melanie Betz MS, RD, CSR, FAND

It has been awhile since I introduced myself - so wanted to take the time TODAY to share a little more about me, The Kidney Dietitian and how I can help YOU move towards a kidney stone free life!⁠ ⁠ 🔔 KIDNEY STONES ARE PREVENTABLE! You just need to work with someone who really understands how to come up with a personalized stone prevention plan for you!⁠⁠ ⁠ I could not be more passionate about not only helping people prevent kidney stones, but teaching them to ADVOCATE for themselves in a kidney stone healthcare system that DOES NOT prioritize prevention. Less than 10% of people with kidney stones get a 24-hour urine test. This test is a NON-NEGOTIOABLE when it comes to stone prevention - and is recommended by the @amerurological association for EVERYONE with more than 1 stone. ⁠ ⁠ I PROMISE that no matter WHY you are making stones, there are ABSOLUTELY things you can do to reduce your risk of kidney stones.⁠ ⁠ DM me to get started and figure out the best solution to kidney stones is for YOU.⁠ ⁠ #kidneystones #kidneystone #kidneystoneprevention #kidneydietitian #kidneystonedietitian #stopkidneystones #oxalate #oxalatestones #medullaryspongekidney #msk #kidneystonesaretheworst

Guess what!? I STARTED A PODCAST!⁠ ⁠ I am seriously SO excited to announce my VERY own podcast is LIVE! I'll be chatting all things nutrition and kidney stones. It is seriously like having your very own dietitian in your back pocket!⁠ ⁠ You can find me on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Audible. 🔗 in bio!⁠ ⁠ Make sure to subscribe so I can help MORE people prevent kidney stones!⁠ ⁠ I can't wait to have you listen in!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #kidneystones #kidneystone #kidneystonessuck #kidneystonediet #kidneystoneprevention #kidneystonesurvivor #kidneystonetreatment #preventkidneystones

My friends OFTEN ask me how in the WORLD I get hate mail as a dietitian. Here is just a preview of the nasty comments I got on ONE post last week that went viral. Just sharing SCIENCE based nutrition. Nothing snarky. Just stating facts clearly supposed by the evidence I cited in the post itself. I get something like this every single day. It truly is a scary time for science and nutrition educators out there. Voices like these commenters are getting louder and louder- making it harder for creators dedicated to actual evidence, responsible and ethical science communications to break through. Here are some things YOU can do: ✅ Make sure to UNFOLLOW accounts spreading fear and misinformation - even if you are following them just to see what the other side is saying. This just helps them grow. Some red flags include fear-mongering Indian ingredients or entire food groups, selling tons of supplements or frequent use of the words “toxic”, “cleanse” or “poison”. ✅ DO NOT interact with their content. This also just helps them spread their fear and misinformation. ✅ Follow responsible science and health educators. INTERACT with and SHARE their content. ✅ Check on friends you have working in healthcare- online or otherwise. 😀 Some of my fav science-based and fact checking accounts these days are: @drjessicaknurick @rubin_allergy @dr_idz @dr.noc @this.is.mallory Stay safe out there! #science #sciencebasednutrition #evidencebasedmedicine #evidencebasednutrition #dietitian #registereddietitian #registereddietitiannutritionist

Don't get me wrong - I am (obviously!) a BIG fan of dietitians. We are required to learn how food can help many common conditions like diabetes, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, liver disease and SO SO much more.⁠ ⁠ BUT, unfortunately, kidney stones are not on that list of requirements. This means there are VERY FEW dietitians who are trained in kidney stone prevention AT ALL.⁠ ⁠ THIS is EXACTLY why I do what I do. I create ENDLESS content to help people learn about science-based strategies to prevent kidney stones - and even have created a kidney stone certification program for dietitians to learn about kidney stones.⁠ ⁠ My vision is that EVERY single person with kidney stones get the help and personalized care they deserve to stay out of the ER and the terrible PAIN. 😶‍🌫️⁠ ⁠ 👉🏻Comment WEBINAR to register for my FREE webinar that walks you through the exact steps I use to help people stop kidney stones EVERY single day! ⁠ ⁠ #kidneystones #kidneystonediet #kidneystone #preventkidneystones #stopkidneystones #kidneystonessuck #registereddietitian #rdn #dietitian⁠

Have you heard this one? It is fairly common advice to drink coke because this can "dissolve" kidney stones. This myth comes from the fact that if you put a penny (or, in theory, a kidney stone) directly in coke, it will dissolve. ⁠ ⁠ HOWEVER, when you eat or drink something, this is NOT the same as putting your kidney stone directly in something. Everything you consume has to be metabolized and processed by your body. Only (some!) of the end products end up in your urine.⁠ ⁠ What does the science say about coke?⁠ ⁠ Coke actually makes kidney stones worse. Sugary drinks in general - including ALL regular sodas and most fruit juices increase the risk of kidney stones.⁠ ⁠ SO, please ignore those people who recommend drinking coke to dissolve a kidney stone. This is just simply not true, and might even make the problem worse!⁠ ⁠ #soda #pop #cola #kidneystone #kidneystones #calciumoxalate #calciumstones #science

There is SO much outdated, or just blatantly WRONG kidney stone advice out there. Spend 2 minutes in any kidney stone support group and you’ll find TONS of people adamant that they know what has stopped their kidney stones. The problem with this well-intentioned advice is: A) it is VERY hard to know what actually is impacting your kidney stones since they fork over the course of months to years - so it is super hard to pinpoint exactly what is working or not for YOU (this is where a urine test comes in!) B) What works for one person very well not work for you. Every kidney stone is different. Every person is different. Even people with the exact same type of stone are making them for completely different reasons - so how in the world could there be universal advice or diet for kidney stones? ➡️ Make sure to stick with me @the.kidney.dietitian for endless evidenced based and personalized kidney stone prevention! #kidneystones #kidneystone #kidneystonediet #kidneystoneprevention #evidencebasednutrition #backedbyscience

You know I sound like a broken record when I say that kidney friendly nutrition is different for everyone. This IS true. The details of a kidney friendly diet really come down to YOUR labs, medical history and current eating habits.⁠ ⁠ BUT, if you are here and just getting started. Or, waiting for your appointment with a dietitian. Here are some wonderful tips to get you started. These things are good to focus on for 99% of people with kidney stones or kidney disease.⁠ ⁠ Keepin' it simple here, folks!⁠ ⁠ If you want a more PERSONALIZED, EFFECTIVE approach, make sure to ➡️comment WEBINAR ⬅️to register for my FREE class - where I break down the 3 steps I use to come up plans to ACTUALLY help people prevent kidney stones!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #kidneystones #preventkidneystones #kidneystonediet #kidneystone #stopkidneystones

This trend was just TOO good to not jump on! 🤣 Kidney stone nutrition is NOT one-size-fits-all. There is no single “kidney stone diet”. What worked for one person (even with the same type of kidney stone) may not work for you (and could actually make things worse!). Kidney stone nutrition truly doesn’t have to be so hard! You can eat ALL foods- just learn how to eat them in a healthy well balanced diet overall PERSONALIZED to you and the reasons YOU make kidney stones! #kidneystones #kidneystone #kidneystonediet #kidneystoneprevention #funnyreelsvideo #sciencematters #nutritionisascience

Yep. I just had to go here. Despite RKF Jr. and MAHA continually celebrating swapping out "seed oils" for beef tallow or other animal fats like butter at popular restaurant chains - the science remains stable.⁠ ⁠ Plant-based oils are associated with IMPROVED health outcomes - especially when they are (ironically) used in place of animal fats like BEEF TALLOW 🤦‍♀️⁠ ⁠ Swapping out "seed oils" (which is a term not even used in research, by the way) for other fats in things like chips doesn't make that chip ANY healthier. It is a) still a processed food packed with sodium and lacking in things like fiber, vitamins and minerals and b) if anything, will make them LESS healthy since "seed oils" by and large show FAVORABLE health outcomes.⁠ ⁠ Please keep this in mind next time you are stressed at the grocery store, poring over ingredient lists for "toxic" ingredients. Chips are chips at the end of the day. If you are craving chips - by all means EAT THE CHIPS YOU WANT and move on with your day. Chips can absolutely fit in an overall healthy dietary PATTERN - and stressing (and paying more!) for the "healthier" alternative won't do a thing for your health.⁠ ⁠ Let's stick with science and what we know ACTUALLY works - shall we? After all, that is the literal POINT of science...⁠ ⁠ PMID: 40048719⁠ PMID: 32020162⁠ PMID: 30971107⁠ PMID: 36163070⁠ ⁠ #maha #makeamericahealthyagain #seedoil #seedoils #canolaoil #beeftallow #tallow

Thank you SO very much @keenstoryteller and @womenshealthmag for featuring me in this great article about the importance of vitamin K and green leafy veggies for heart health!⁠ ⁠ Check out the full article: https://www.womansworld.com/wellness/heart-health/leafy-greens-heart-health⁠ ⁠ #mediadietitian #vitamink #heartattack #hearthealth #hearthealthy #womenshealth

Did you know bread is one of the BIGGEST sources of salt in the US diet. Crazy, huh!?⁠ ⁠ Most slices of commercial bread have around 200mg sodium. Not a TON, but when we think about how much bread we eat, this can really add up. Especially if you add SUPER salty lunchmeat, some pickles and other salty sandwich toppings to it.⁠ ⁠ Here are my top tips to find an overall healthy, low sodium bread. ⁠ ⁠ Learn more about low sodium bread - including my product recommendations - at the blog! ⁠ ⁠ 🖥️https://www.thekidneydietitian.org/low-sodium-bread/

🚨 ALERT! 🚨 Comment “STOP STONES” register for my FREE class where I’ll be walking you through the EXACT steps to my PERSONALIZED method to prevent kidney stones! … because we ALL know that kidney stones are not the same… and YOU are unique. Kidney stone nutrition is NOT one-size-fits-all… 🌈 The BEST part?! My approach is NOT based on super restrictive diets. My students are eating ALL of their fav foods (yes! Even 🍫… and yummy healthy veggies!) and STILL preventing stones! Many are also improving things like cholesterol, blood sugar - and just FEELING BETTER!) Why wait for your next stone? 🤩 COMMENT “STOP STONES” to register for my FREE class! #kidneystones #kidneystone #kidneystonediet #kidneystoneprevention #preventkidneystones #kidneyhealth