This issue has come up before, in fact I am pretty sure I've brought it up myself in the past, about the oxalates in spinach, beet greens, and chard interfering with mineral uptake. Apparently it isn't true.

[www.nature.com]

So don't worry. Eat what you like for your greens.

Cool, because spinach tastes good! Let's everyone go make spinach dip now! Recipes?

does this mean the recommendation to switch between different types of greens because of OA buildup is mute as well? because i really prefer spinach in my smoothies, but i keep switching around...

I don't like spinach very much, except at a local vegan place, Horizons, where they have a spinach salad with a creamy dressing and avocados and corn. Yum. Not totally raw, but it's delicious and what I used to get when I would go (probably still is, if I go).

Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming of food (must be my fruit, low-cal fast). Anyway, I like kale better for some reason. I think spinach is good cooked, though. Conventional spinach = not as tasty!

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

I still think it's better to switch around and get variety. The point is not to worry about nutrient uptake, it's all good. Your body may tell you when to stop, or when to switch. I try to get a little of all of them but I end up mostly with lettuces as the main ones.

Sorry Arugula, this article you referred to is about absorption of iron only. Oxalic acid has traditionally been linked to impaired absorption of calcium, not of iron. The article does not say anything about calcium.

They both have 2 electrons in their outermost shell and would be expected to behave similarly in contact with oxalic acid.

Yes, that's why excess intake of one (iron or calcium) inhibits absorption of the other. Excess dairy-induced iron deficiency anemia is extremely common in children in the US.

Neither one easily disassociates from the oxalate forms. But the point of the article is that there is so much present in spinach that you will still get some out of it.

Rost, another reason why too much dairy is not good for Fe uptake is that there isn't much Fe in it to begin with compared to other (minimally processed) foods and that can be a problem with diets high in dairy calories, such as some SAD-like vegetarian diets.

And kids will fill up on milk and not eat. I just saw a 15 month old that went through a gallon in a few days, his parents had no idea why he wouldn't eat much food. They get it for free from the government Not *that* much though, the parents buy extra.

Oh, the horror of that white calf food in most of America's shopping carts. The worst part is the suffering of the dairy cows and calves involved.

And the irony is that so few babies in the US get their own mother's breastmilk!

That's good to hear, Arugula. Makes me wonder why other studies told another tale. I think some studies are tweaked to be conclusive of what they want to prove, depending on who is funding it.

My hemoglobin is perfect 13.5, and I haven't eaten a land creature in about 20 years. There are plenty of other sources of iron, including greens.

Everyone take care. We are going to Canada for a long vacation & to visit relatives. I hope it there will be an abundance of raw, organic food.

mmm spinach. remember where you couldn't get any? my friend and i were going to print up tshirts that said "I miss spinach." heh.

rawrrr, where are you going in canada? it's a humoungous country (i think it's the biggest in the world now that the ussr is no longer), what you can get depends on where you are. there are lots of canadians on this site, give a shout out with a new post and you'll get lots of replies.

Mmm.... drinking spinach right now!

2 handfulls... along with
15 strawberries
1 banana
a few chunks of pineapple
water

DELISH!

For those of you that need a source of inexpensive spinach, my dh just got a bag at Costco (washed, baby spinach, bagged) 2.5 lbs for just $4.95. Woo!


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

Just Vancouver, Coco. Most of my relatives are from Nova Scotia & Quebec. We may be going that way. too. I'm French Canadian. Where are you?

Take care, everyone.

ooh, vancouver is easy! you can visit my friend ralph at eternal abundance on commercial drive, he is a toronto local and started up an organic grocer in bc a few years ago. there is often a raw cafe running there as well. they are near a health food store with lots of raw prepared foods too. if you google vancouver raw you will find a few groups and restaurants.
i think there's some stuff in montreal but again, google and see if you find any groups. get in touch with them for the quebec lowdown.
i have no idea about NS, that one might be tricky. i would bring a cooler of fruit and veg, nuts and seeds, if you can.

je suis franglaise aussi, i am from toronto, i was in Nelson BC for 4 years but moved back last year to be near my family. we're close to windsor now (across the river from detroit), it's really hard to get anything here but it's farm land so summer is a ridiculously gorgeous profusion of fresh everything under the sun. it's lovely.

Coco, merci, mon ami affectueux vert.

Thank you, my green loving friend.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2008 05:58PM by Rawrrr!.