All,

If this has been discussed already, I am sorry - can some one please help me?

I am starting to drink more green smoothies starting this week... I usually eat just fresh fruit and vegetables and no greens mostly. But I am starting to drink more green smoothies and I am really enjoying

Cilantro smoothoes (with fruit) and
Kale smoothies (with fruit)

After I started drinking smoothies (I used to several months ago - but didn't know this info at that time) I read that greens have high oxalic acid and should not be eaten every day.

I was thinking of having a green smoothie daily - but now I am worried. Should I ? When I searched online it said spinach and parsley arevery high in oxalic acid and should NOT eat everyday.

Is this correct? If this had been discussed before - please forgive me, am sort of new to this particular topic, can some one please help me?

I could not find the oxalic acid content in cilantro? Is that high in oxalic or low?

Thanks for the help.

Take care
Anu Iyer



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2008 07:10PM by anuiyer7.

I can't find the information I was looking for on this topic--to show citations and all. But generally, I don't think it is really something that needs to be avoided. Those are incredibly healthy foods!

The dairy industry has really been pushing this oxalic acid issue to make dairy look beneficial and necessary--they say it inhibits absorption of minerals, so be careful! But the body has mechanisms to alter its absorbance in accordance with need. It's not a problem. Greens are one of the healthiest foods out there. No one here will disagree--they may feel fine without them, but they would never say you should avoid them if you enjoy them.

Were there other concerns about oxalic acid that you have read about?

High in cilantro and parsley, which is a relative. Don't worry though, you will not be able to each much of it. Maybe a few ounces or so. These are mainly garnishes.

Kale is low in oxalates, as are most of the other crucifers. You can eat a lot of it.

Spinach, chard, beet greens on the high side for oxalates, don't worry, you will not be able to each much of them, maybe 4-6 oz raw daily. They are still great for other things, including very high vitamin E content.

You can still eat these every day, but they may not be the best choices for the 1-2 lbs/day range. I still use lettuces as my main greens, they are mild and low in oxalates. Romaine mostly.

Yes, it's been discussed before.

Thansks all, I enjoy cilantro a lot (more than kale). I like kale also. I eat about 1/2 bunch of cilantro or kale per day in my smoothies.

What I read is that they said that some greens high in oxalic acid bind the calcium in bones and remove it from bones (something like that). I was scared to see that actually.

The ones that I enjoy the most are
1/2 bunch cilantro per day or
1/2 bunch kale per day Usually I try to alternate cilantro and kale.

If cilantro is high in oxalix acid, should I stay away , is 1/2 bunch a day too much?

Thanks
Anu Iyer

The oxalic acid doesn't actually make the bones leach calcium, it just inhibits absorption of the calcium you consume. But your body has lovely mechanisms for adjusting absorbance of minerals (since too much is dangerous), and will increase absorption of calcium if needed (such as here, where you are having a fair amount of oxalic acid).

I love cilantro and would eat a whole bunch most days if I could afford it.

Here's my previous post on this issue - [www.rawfoodsupport.com]

Thanks! Despite what I said (cilantro is yummy!), I agree that rotating greens is the best idea--to maximize nutrients and minimize toxins.

There's an article on Wikipedia about oxalic acid:

[en.wikipedia.org]

Here's a content table of some veggies:

[www.nal.usda.gov]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2008 09:49PM by EZ rider.