The wisdom of the drinking green smoothies has been attacked.
When one of my favorite health bloggers wrote How Green Smoothies Can Devastate Your Health, my head rang with questions.
Many of us, in an effort to get healthy or alkalinize, consume green smoothies regularly, while people who suffer from calcium-oxalate kidney stones are now afraid of eating green smoothies or greens because they’ve heard of dangers of getting too much oxalic acid.
Naturally I had to figure out if there was any truth to this for the greater majority of people, and what I found out was surprising.
Best thing is that I found out there are 7 low to very-low oxalate greens which I will share with you in a minute!
After hours of reading and comparing scientific findings pro and con, I’ve formed my opinion.
A Few Problems For the Very Few
When combined with calcium, oxalic acid produces calcium oxalate, which may form kidney and other types of stones. This occurs because calcium oxalate is relatively insoluble, so in some people it combines and hardens instead of harmlessly excreting as a waste product.
Individuals with kidney stones, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or vulvodynia – a condition causing vagina pain linked to oxalate deposits – are advised to restrict foods high in oxalic acid or oxalates.
I kept researching…and this is what I discovered…
The Murky Middle Ground
- Oxalic acid occurs naturally in plants, animals, and in humans.
- Less than 1% of people ever get kidney stones, but those people really do suffer. They occur when crystalline masses form in the urine, and in 80 percent, those crystals are based on oxalate combined with calcium. Most of the folk I’ve known had them 50 years before green smoothies were even a thing and ate bacon and eggs, grits and fried potatoes most of their lives.
- If you had to really avoid oxalic acid that would be difficult. Foods high in oxalate (100–900 mg per serving) are:
- Spinach,
- rhubarb,
- cola,
- wheat bran,
- pecans,
- tea,
- buckwheat,
- black pepper,
- beet greens,
- Swiss chard,
- endive,
- cocoa powder,
- sweet potatoes,
- peanuts (and PB),
- cooked green beans,
- turnip greens,
- chocolate,
- most nuts,
- most berries (strawberries),
- and dried beans
- Oxalic acid is only reduced 30-87% by steaming, cooking, or wilting the leaves of any of these vegetables for 5 to 8 minutes. Seems it won’t go away and is there for a reason? If worried, dump the leftover water, because oxalic acid leaches out of the leaves and into the surrounding liquid. (PubMed)
Let Wisdom Rule -New Findings:
1. Recently, it was thought that tea – due to its high oxalate content – increased kidney stone formation, but new research has shown it to have a preventive effect. It seems that green tea binds to calcium oxalate, creating flat crystals that break down more easily than other shapes.
2. All the foods high in antioxidants are also high in oxalic acid. Avoiding them is not necessary for most people and would be unwise.
3. Oxalic acid is mentioned as helpful in alternative cures or prevention of cancer according to Cancer Tutor:
- When cancer is diagnosed there is always a low level of oxalic acid in the blood.
- Every alternative cancer cure that is successful is filled with foods, herbs, grasses, and teas (such as Essiac tea) that are full of high amounts of oxalic acid.
- When radiation is given for cancer patients as a “just in case”, the number, time and power of each treatment will determine how completely oxalic acid in the blood is decomposed. The decomposition of the oxalic acid in the blood by radiation may so weaken the immune system so that one cannot fight off any viral or bacterial disease. Therefore, it is understandable that many cancer patients die from cancer related to viral pneumonia.” (source)
4. Oxalic acid is important for colon health. When we do not get enough from our diet, the body makes it from Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
5. Leafy greens are the backbone for any continuous full-body detox or cleanse. They are alkalizing, and an alkaline body is better at battling bad bacteria, yeast and keeping cravings at bay.
6. Parsley and cilantro (coriander) bind heavy metals like mercury so they can be extracted from your body. They are also alkalizing and full of chlorophyll.
7. While spinach may not give you superhuman strength to fight like Popeye, spinach does an excellent job fighting anemia. Cooking increases its iron content.
Even if you could avoid these foods you would not want to!
7 Greens With Low Oxalic Acid – So Have Your Green Smoothies!
Not all green leafy vegetables are high in oxalates.
There are a number of green vegetables that are lower in oxalates according to the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and may be subbed to a green smoothie without fear. They include:
- Broccoli
- Kale (read about it)
- Cabbage
- Romaine lettuce
- Bok choy
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Mild low-oxalate Romaine lettuce and bok choy are super-packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber
- Highly nutritious kale is perfect for a green smoothie with only 2% of the oxalic acid content of an equal serving of spinach
Bottom Line
God created our bodies to heal themselves when we take advantage of the whole foods He gave us as gifts. The key is the word ‘whole’!
The Bible tells us that true medicine is in leaves. The common name used for medicinal leaves is herbs. Ps.104:14 says that He has given us “herbs for the service of man”.
“And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” ~Genesis 1:29
Those desiring to stay healthy do not need to stop our routine green smoothie or avoid dark leafy greens just because they are high in oxalates. The vast majority of credentialed scientists and health experts agree unless foods high in oxalates are consumed to excess.
For those who do truly need to reduce oxalates, here is a great FB group to follow.
I would love to hear your thoughts pro or con.
Jacqueline
TGL,
Thank you for the idea of using ginger. I will try it in a smoothie tomorrow. Ginger is important in GI health and we take it before flying. I just found out that it is also good for inflammation and arthritis.
I love your comments:)
Jacqueline
Nancy
Hi Jacqueline,
I have been enjoying green smoothies for some time now. I just recently read where some of the raw leafy vegetables in the green smoothies have a high oxalate level and can be toxic. It can be a problem for people with candida or other fungal problems. I know you do your research and was wondering if you could elaborate on this. I sure would like to know because I do enjoy my raw greens this way.
Thanks in advance.
Blessings,
Nancy
Jacqueline
Hi, Nancy, I found this extremely interesting! And I am revising the post but not sure what my conclusions will be yet!
Blessings!
Laura
I need to eat a lot of greens since I am anemic. What I do is simply cook them. I don’t feel I have anything to worry about if they are cooked. I only eat spinach or kale raw once in a while in a salad.
Janet
Moderation in everything. We can also give ourselves new food sensitivities if we eat the same things too often. I add a few leaves of spinach, kale or chard to a smoothie a few times a week, but not the same greens every day and not two handfuls at a time. I have been quite surprised at how much I’ve liked raw greens this way. It’s like drinking concentrated “life”. I alternate with orange life, too, by juicing carrots/celery/cucumber/apple on alternate days.
Veronica
All of your post are very interesting and encouraging. As a young mom to a growing family I appreciate your insight and wisdom. Thank you.
Jacqueline
Veronica, thank you! So encouraging. I am thrilled that I have anything to offer…it’s all the dear Lord!
Blessings to you and your family!
jackie m
This is a great post! It gives me a lot to think about!
If you have lived long enough, been around the blog world long enough, even kept up with science, nutrition and medicine long enough you will find that what was once considered bad is now considered good….eggs? butter? coconut oil? to name a few.
But wonderful older woman I met as a high-school girl doing summer mission work back in 1971 said to me….”Eat foods as close to the way God made them as you can, Eat everything in moderation, including eating in moderation (meaning occasional feasting days are also good), and give Thanks to God and the hands that prepared the food and have faith that in all things God will bless and cause all things to work for our good.”
Simplistic I know, but it had a profound effect on my life and thinking, even though it has taken me years and years to actually assimilate this into my eating and life.
Sometimes I think that we find something good for us and go overboard with it…and well, it becomes too much of a good thing. And then there is the back-lash and we tend to go the other extreme and throw the baby out with the bath water.
I think that balance is important too. Greens, or whatever is the new hot button that is deemed good for us are good, but there are also other good foods too that we need as well. Remembering that it is important to keep things balanced, we need all the nutrients that a variety of foods have to help our body incorporate, process, and utilize all the things we eat.
Jacqueline
Jackie M, that is such a good word! I especially love and agree with, “Eat foods as close to the way God made them as you can, Eat everything in moderation, including eating in moderation.” She was a wise woman! Thank you for your thoughtful comment 🙂
Julie
I have a bladder disease called interstitial cystitis and the condition that often accompanies it – vulvodynia. I have had much success in following a low-oxalate, low-acid, gluten-free diet. My symptoms actually flared to the point that I sought a diagnosis during a time when I was trying to be super healthy by eating a lot of spinach, etc. All natural foods are unfortunately not healthy for all people. I am thankful for all of the research that has been done about this subject and for the willingness of others to share their journey to help others to heal.
Jennie M.
Hi Jacqueline!
What a blessing to “meet” you! I was led to your blog through this post about green smoothies (my husband and I started drinking smoothies for breakfast five years ago) but as I pored over your site I am determined to be a regular visitor. Although not much younger than you, I have gleaned a lot already just by reading some of your posts! Indeed, you have started to make a deposit in the life of this (not-so-young) woman!
Thank you for writing the way you do. I am all for being good stewards of our health and like you, I refuse to make any decisions based on fear! The way you write is an example of how we should all live in this day and age — we look at all the facts but then make our conclusions based on the TRUTH.
Just like what Jackie M. said, if we live based on the facts presented by the world, nutrition and science, then we will be tossed back and forth by the ever changing tide of man’s wisdom and opinion. No matter what’s the newest and hottest or what’s trending now, when in doubt — it is always worth it to go back to what the WORD says and by faith, live it out.
Thank you for being a “voice” that I will not be hesitant to follow!
Jacqueline
Aww..Jennie, If I have contributed anything it is by the grace of God. It is my pleasure to serve in any way I can. Most of what I write about I had to learn the hard way… 🙂 Thank you for your very kind, undeserved words, new friend 🙂
Blessings in Jesus!
Jeannette
This is very interesting! I have high oxalates right now, and am trying to follow a low-oxalate diet. I have symptoms of kidney stones, but no stones are visible on imaging. I had relied on turmeric for daily use, and was told I had to stop using it, as it is a high oxalate item. However, I couldn’t find any data to back this up. One problem is that a “serving” used on one chart is 3.5 oz of each food item. Nobody could eat 3.5 oz of Turmeric! So I did some math and decided that taking a capsule per day (with pepper and coconut oil) is probably fine. Without it, I feel miserable. I also have pain other areas that I thought had “healed.” So I have anecdotal evidence (at least for myself) that Turmeric really helps! But this info on oxalates is helpful too. Thank you for all you do!
Elaine
Hello,
I found your website quite by accident and was happy with it’s balance and pleasantly surprised to find it contained scripture too!!
Regarding kidney stones, I have passed kidney stones twice, worse than labor (which I’ve done 4x). After the ER visit I was sent to a urologist for follow up. He read the x-rays and gave me handouts for a low oxylate diet. I took one look at the diet and knew I’d be a cardiac patient in no time if I eliminated all the healthy foods on that list. He was not helpful. I was then sent to a nephrologist. She looked over my history and immediately took note of my supplementation of high doses of vitamin d (prescribed by my on/gym) and calcium. Vitamin d promotes calcium absorption. She believes my stone formation had more to do with those two nutrients than the oxylates. And of course, water intake is a key component. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, with many working parts. I often try to take a step back and consider all components of something before vilifying any one factor. Today I am mindful of high oxylate foods, but I do not eliminate them. I hope that helps someone out there looking to avoid kidney stone problems and still eat healthy.
Jacqueline
Thank you, Elaine! I so appreciate your sharing that! And welcome to DRAH! I’m glad it was a happy surprise!
~J