The occurrence of urinary stones is related to various factors such as environment, metabolic abnormalities of the body and urinary system diseases. At present, there are several more mature treatment methods including minimally invasive surgery, and more than 90% of urinary stones can be treated well by minimally invasive surgery (e.g. extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopic lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, etc.). However, there is still a high recurrence rate after the stones are removed or expelled by surgery. According to statistics, the recurrence rate of urinary tract stones 5 years after treatment is about 40%, while the recurrence rate of 10 years is about 70%. In some patients, recurrence starts in a few months. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to recurrence prevention after treatment of urinary stones. Prevention of recurrence is an important part of the entire treatment process for urinary stones. Studies have shown that if patients do not receive effective prophylaxis, the lifetime recurrence rate approaches 100%; in contrast, those who receive prophylactic treatment have a recurrence rate of only 10-15%. Stone prevention also requires an approach based on the different components of the stone and the cause of its formation. Usually, radiography is a simple and empirical method to estimate the composition of stones. Stones can be divided into three categories according to their appearance on radiographs: (a) Positive stones: mainly calcium-containing stones (such as calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate), which can appear on radiographs as so-called “calcified spots”. (b) Negative stones: The majority of stones are uric acid stones, which do not show up on radiographs. There are also some cystine and cysteine stones. (c) Semi-negative stones: These are mainly magnesium ammonium phosphate stones, which are faintly visible on radiographs. Cystine stones can also appear as seminegative stones because they contain sulfur atoms that are semi-blocked by X-rays. Stones of different compositions have different causes, and X-ray examination can only roughly estimate stone composition. Moreover, in many patients we encounter clinically, a significant proportion of them are mixed stones, so how to accurately estimate the causes of stones in patients and guide postoperative prevention requires more precise results of stone composition analysis and targeted dietary guidance for patients. Currently, infrared spectroscopy is an ideal physical analysis method that is accurate, fast, and requires a stone specimen of only 1 mg (about the size of a sesame grain). After lithotripsy, surgery or self-lithotripsy, patients can collect stone specimens to be sent for identification by an automated stone infrared spectroscopy system (Xinhua Hospital currently has an advanced infrared spectroscopy analyzer, Tensor 27, from Bruker, Germany, which requires only a small sample of stones to accurately analyze the stone composition). Depending on the specific stone composition, dietary intervention in the patient’s urinary stone forming substance content, pH and stone formation environment is a better prevention method. This method is individually targeted for the prevention of stone patients and its effectiveness is significantly better than simply drinking more water. Moreover, because the method is relatively simple and easy to implement, it is ideal for self-prevention of stone patients in the general grassroots community and is worth promoting. For urinary stones of different composition, in addition to drinking plenty of water, the following individualized prevention and treatment measures should be applied: (1) calcium oxalate stones: avoid spinach, parsley, asparagus, strawberries, plums, strong tea, chocolate and various dried fruits (walnuts, chestnuts, peanuts, etc., the harder the texture, the more oxalic acid it contains). (2) Calcium phosphate stones: Alkaline drinks, such as various colas, should not be consumed. Limit salt to less than 5 grams per day and avoid MSG. Limit substantially the consumption of meat, eggs and other high-protein foods. (3) Uric acid stones: Avoid eating animal offal and alcohol; limit meat, fish and shrimp to no more than 100 grams per day; eat less mushrooms and beans. The purine content in eggs and milk is very low and can be consumed to supplement the protein required by the body. (4) magnesium ammonium phosphate stones: that is, infected stones, pay attention to personal hygiene, to prevent urinary tract infection. (5) Cystine stones: The recurrence rate is extremely high, and the consumption of meat, eggs, peanuts and legumes should be strictly limited. Rice should be the main food and more vegetables and fruits should be eaten. Follow the medical treatment for life with medication. In conclusion, the stone itself is the “fruit”, not the “cause”. Only by tracing the root cause, clarifying the composition of the stone, and treating the cause, can the stone recurrence be effectively controlled.