🧂 High-Sodium Legumes — Kidney Stone Risk Guide

Legumes occupy a middle ground: they are a valuable plant protein, but several carry moderate oxalate, and the form changes the number significantly. A half-cup of cooked chickpeas or lentils sits in the low-to-moderate range, while whole soybeans measure higher; tofu, by contrast, is one of the lowest-oxalate protein sources in the database. Because legumes matter for plant-based diets, the stone-aware approach is portion control plus preparation: boiling and discarding the cooking water helps, and pairing beans with a calcium-rich food at the same meal is the standard safeguard.

Sodium is the hidden dial in stone prevention: excess sodium makes the kidneys excrete more calcium, and urinary calcium is a primary stone ingredient. The general target is under 2,300 mg of sodium per day, and processed and packaged foods are where sodium hides — not the saltshaker. For stone patients who also track oxalate, the two columns interact: a food can be low in oxalate but risky through sodium, which is why the full picture matters rather than a single nutrient.

Among the 4 legumes foods shown here, the list is ranked by oxalate per serving so the safest options are immediately visible — scan the top of the grid for daily staples and treat the lower entries as portion foods.