Blog

2

I am eating a VERY big salad daily. Relatives are concerned about the possibly high content of oxalates I am taking. The daily salad consists mainly of:

Lollo rosso/red cabbage

Romaine cabbage

Spinach

One small red beet

1-2 Small tomatoes

Sometimes an avocado

Usually some olive oil

And some balsimic vinegar

I am feeling great by having this habit. But I realised my oxalate intake is very high . How dangerous can this be, kidney-stones wise? And is it advisable to eat your greens cooked for better vitamins/mineral absorption? I have heard that by eating your greens raw, your body isn't able to break down the cellulose in it.

flag
3 
are you prone to kidney stones? I don't think you are consuming enough greens here to have issues unless you have a history that causes you to monitor your intake. – Kelly May 30 at 14:08
No, never had any issues with my kidneys. But well I eat a lot of greens :) – Asnepa May 30 at 16:29
1 
Should be fine. A mix of some raw and some cooked veg (not necessarily at one time) is probably ideal for most people. – Karen May 30 at 21:09

5 Answers

7

High oxalate foods are primarily a problem if you are one of the unlucky peeps to have wiped out the oxalobactor in your gut with antibiotics. I can't remember off the top of my head how many adults are affected by this, it is a significant percentage, but less than half of the population. If you have been on many rounds of antibiotics in your life perhaps exercise caution, but it you've already been doing this for a long time with no problems, you likely have the right bacteria to deal with it.

link|flag
I love how everything seems to trace back to symbiotic gut microbes. :) – Matt May 30 at 21:54
It is also kind of a bummer how few strains we are able to recolonize with supplements. Apparently, oxalobactor is major pain in the ass to reintroduce, and might be impossible through pill form. – Happy Now May 31 at 3:38
5

Cellulose, cooked or raw, is indigestible by humans. We aren't even particularly blessed with cellulose-digesting gut microbes. By cooking greens you are breaking down the cellular matrix making them easier to digest and the nutrients more bioavailable. You're likely to use fat as well, which aids in absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.

Oxalates are an anti-nutrient boogeyman that I don't think deserves so much disdain. Like phytates, they can bind minerals, and like phytates, are found in most plants. I think you'd be hard-pressed to eat enough greens (except maybe sorrel) to have issues.

link|flag
The problem is that I LOVE salads ... Do I miss much bioavailability by not cooking them and just eat greens raw? – Asnepa May 30 at 16:32
1

And if you have a leaky gut... then oxalates will travel out of your stomach into your blood system and can cause other medical issues (autoimmune related). Spinach and red beets are the biggest high oxalates offenders followed by tomatoes, the rest on your listed are low oxalates.

link|flag
0

I found good info here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48.

link|flag
From that page: "For the vast majority of individuals who have not experienced the specific problems described above, oxalate-containing foods should not be a health concern." – Karen May 30 at 21:08
0

I had some issues with high oxalate foods, cutting back spinach and replacing it with other greens is a good first step. Also, reducing carrots and beets seemed to help.

link|flag

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.