So, I know that people have had debates here concerning oxalate containing foods like most veggies ( spinach being the big hitter) and just about all other veggies, nuts etc. in some amounts. My question is this. I read an article somewhere ( it could have been a bogus article but it made me think nonetheless). In this article, someone blithely wrote that the oxalates in spinach is what prevents us from absorbing the iron in it. I thought " What?" Then, I thought to myself, this is a sloppy, irresponsible article because they don't mention percentages. Like what if only 50 % of the iron was not absorbed and the rest of it was available etc. So, then I thought to myself, okay, so what are the iron containing foods that do NOT contain oxalates and honestly, I feel like this is some weird labyrinth. It seems like ALL foods contain oxalates. Here is a list of those that do.

[www.ohf.org]

So, I recall a while back that Normal Walker ( the juice dude) stated that you don't have to worry about oxalates in raw juices ( like spinach). It was only the cooked stuff that harmed. But, still, no one seems to have any conclusive evidence and the camp is still divided.

Also, calcium inhibits iron absorption.

So, when I think of oxalates, I mostly think of spinach and parsley.

Then, when I saw this pdf file, I just thought " whatever ".... like, it was just over the top.


So, i guess my main question is this:

What foods do NOT contain oxalates that contain iron.

Also, I'm sure that SOME of the iron in oxalate containing foods is still absorbed, right?

So, I read a bunch of articles but most of them seemed to be extremely weak and inconclusive because no percentages were given or mcg, mg amounts of this and that and what was absorbed etc.

Then the calcium thing inhibiting iron is also a weird thing.

So, I guess my question to you is: other than saying " Cest la Vie", what are some excellent facts, figures, ideas that you could share with me, concerning this issue. I know i know... old issue that has been battered around but I never saw any answers that suited me.

thanks in advance



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2012 05:34AM by la_veronique.

This article is interesting.

[whfoods.org]


The part I am interested in the most, however is this sentence:

"In addition to the above observation, recent research studies have shown that intake of protein, calcium, and water influence calcium oxalate affect stone formation as much as, or more than intake of oxalate"

I know that when you up calcium intake, iron can be inhibited but what about protein and water intake. what is the correlation?

For those who have cogitated this issue and have come upon certain strategies, let me know.

Also, where could I find a list of oxalate containing foods that have the mg amount per serving etc.? A vegan list, preferably.

Thanks in advance.

From the article below,

[www.thevpfoundation.org]

I am quoting these sections because they are cryptic.


"Calcium oxalate crystals, in turn, contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Approximately 75% of all kidney stones are composed predominantly of calcium oxalate. For reasons not yet fully understood, women have a much lower incidence of kidney stones than men.

Hard water (which contains calcium and magnesium) is likely to exert a beneficial effect with respect to oxalate absorption because these minerals will tie up much of the oxalate consumed in the diet within the gastrointestinal tract, thereby decreasing oxalate absorption. Less oxalate absorption translates to less oxalate gaining access to various tissues within the body"

This makes little sense to me. If kidney stones are caused by calcium oxalates, then how is consuming more calcium a good thing? Does this make any sense to you at all? What information am I missing to make sense of this?

It's enough to make you wantto hang yourself

The golden autumn leaves, the tropic sky

The lightning bolt, the thunder from on high

...

La Veronique,

I've been trying to figure out the same. My daughter's favorite green is spinach but because of the oxalates concerns I've been trying to get her to use other greens. She only likes spinach and romaine.

Spinach is great. I also read that if vitamin C is present with the iron, then the iron is absorbed no worries....let your daughter eat the spinach as I'm sure that it has vitamin C in it.

I didn't read the article, but aren't kidney stones related to the gall bladder? I thought spinach was good for the gall bladder. Maybe they made a connection, that people who eat lots of spinach to try and strengthen their gall bladder have a higher incidence of kidney stones, concluding that it must be the spinach. Obviously, if this is the case, then they would be making quite a hasty conclusion. Perhaps the vitamin c level should be monitored as well.

It's odd that people with the diets lowest in healthy oxalate containing foods tend to have calcifications, isn't it, la_veronique? If all oxalate containing foods are "bad."

From the second link:

Quote

In addition to the above observation, recent research studies have shown that intake of protein, calcium, and water influence calcium oxalate affect stone formation as much as, or more than intake of oxalate.

It's funny how this is considered recent news; the old timer nephrologist my ailing father saw in the late 60s recommended cutting back on animal products and drinking more water to prevent calcifications in the kidneys, because even then it was known that the acidifying effect of animal protein increases the calcium content of urine, resulting in calcium oxalate stone formation. Curiously, though every website points out that because spinach, say, contains oxalates, it should be avoided by those suffering from kidney stones, I cannot find a single study correlating spinach[or rhubarb or chive or whatever]consumption to the formation of kidney stones. It's another one of those, "Eh, we'll extrapolate this out to apply to all A, B, and C and not bother proofing it" things. Science, where have you gone?

It is my understanding that the more mature the plant is the more oxalate compounds it has, which is why the 'baby' spinach and chards are more healthy.

vermontnl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is my understanding that the more mature the
> plant is the more oxalate compounds it has, which
> is why the 'baby' spinach and chards are more
> healthy.

Oh... that's very interesting. Case in point for baby greens then. Nice one.