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Green smoothies are all the rage these days. Many people are drinking them every day or at least several times a week in an attempt to get healthy and “alkalize” the body.
Whenever I visit the cafe of my local healthfood store, there are usually several people in gym clothes lined up to order a green smoothie to sip after their workout.
Green smoothies are made by blending large amounts of raw leafy green vegetables with fruit to soften and sweeten the taste. Typical vegetables included in green smoothies are cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, collard greens, maca (usually as a supplemental powder) as well as others like spinach, swiss chard, celery, and parsley.
Is the green smoothie fad a truly healthy habit over the long term? Or, could regular consumption of these seemingly healthy drinks contribute to serious health problems over time?
Raw Leafy Greens Contain High Oxalate Levels
Frequent consumption of large quantities of raw, leafy green vegetables blended up as green smoothies can be deceiving at first. This is because green drinks facilitate an initial detoxification process that makes a person feel great. This is especially true when coming off a highly processed, nutrient poor diet.
While very nutritious, the vegetables used in green smoothies are almost without exception high oxalate foods. Over time, a high oxalate diet can contribute to some very serious health problems particularly if you are one of the 20% of people (1 in 5) that have a genetic tendency to produce oxalates or if you suffer from candida or other fungal challenge. In those cases, a high oxalate diet can deal a devastating blow to health.
Oxalate Toxicity Not a New Problem
The effects of oxalate toxicity have plagued humankind since ancient times. For example, scientists discovered an oxalate kidney stone about the size of a golf ball in a 2000 year old mummy from Chile using x-ray analysis.
Build-up of shards of oxalate crystals can occur almost anywhere in the body. Whatever tissue contains them, pain or worse is the result.
75-90% of kidney stones are oxalate related with 10-15% of Americans afflicted at some point during their lives. As the star shaped crystalline stones pass from the kidney, they cause pressure and pain in the bladder and urethra and can actually tear up the walls of the urinary tract.
Oxalate Stones from Excessive Green Smoothies
Oxalate stones can show up in any body tissue including the brain and even the heart.
Crystals comprised of oxalates resemble shards of glass. They can become lodged in the heart causing tiny tears and damage to this vital muscle. With every single contraction, more damage is caused as the heart pumps life giving blood to the rest of the body.
Oxalate crystals which end up in the thyroid can cause thyroid disease by damaging thyroid tissue.
A frequent location for oxalates to end up is skeletal muscle which will cause pain with even normal movement and make exercise nearly impossible. Dr. William Shaw, Director of The Great Plains Laboratory for Health, Nutrition and Metabolism who has studied oxalates extensively, is convinced that oxalate toxicity is a factor in fibromyalgia the pain of which can absolutely devastate a person’s life (1).
Vulvodynia – Painful Sex
Cases of women experiencing painful sex are on the rise with oxalates a possible culprit.
Vulvodynia is a condition causing pain in and around the vagina. It is linked to oxalates deposited in this delicate reproductive tissue. Oxalate crystals are very acidic and they cause irritation, burning, and stinging sensations for affected women. An accompanying feeling of rawness is typically experienced during sexual relations.
Oxalates Are Fungal in Origin
A surprising finding is that oxalates are produced in large amounts by fungus. Large stones have been found in the sinuses and lungs of people suffering from systemic fungal infections such as candida or Aspergillus.
Therefore, anyone who suffers from any sort of candida overgrowth or other fungal challenge like fungus nails or dandruff would be wise to be very concerned about oxalate intake via the diet.
Consumption of green smoothies would not in any way contribute to improvement of health in these situations. The majority of people today suffer from gut imbalance and candida (yeast) issues caused by antibiotic and prescription drug use including the Pill. This renders a high oxalate diet which includes frequent green smoothies an unwise practice for virtually everyone.
Does Cooking Destroy Oxalates?
What about cooking the greens first? Would this reduce the risk of oxalate overload and make consuming greens safer?
Not really, because oxalates are extremely stable. While cooking high oxalate foods and discarding the cooking water does reduce the level of anti-nutrients, it remains quite high.
Green smoothies are usually consumed frequently by those who swear by them. As such, a light steaming of the veggies first would not make a significant difference over the long term if they are consumed regularly. If you consume green smoothies only occasionally, however, a light steaming is a good idea. This practice adds a degree of safety to the process. Other tips for preparing safe smoothies are contained in this linked article.
Healthier Alternatives to Green Smoothies
The best course of action for health, then, is to opt out of the green smoothie diet fad. This is especially important if you have any sort of gut imbalance or candida issues.
If you enjoy green leafy vegetables, be smart about it. Don’t overdo like so many in the health community are doing with the best of intentions. Enjoy green drinks in moderation in salads. Or, cook them and carefully drain and discard leafy green cooking water. Never use it in soups and sauces!
Be sure to serve cooked leafy greens with a healthy fats like butter or coconut oil. Avoid margarine or any factory fats synthesized with rancid and/or GMO vegetable oils like Smart Balance. Using natural fats will facilitate maximum absorption of minerals.
Another option is to drink raw cultured vegetable juice or eat raw cultured vegetables. Not only will you get enhanced nutrition from the culturing process which adds enzymes and nutrients, but you will also get a beneficial and therapeutic dose of probiotics to help balance gut function and improve digestion. It also suppresses fungal overgrowth like candida.
Wheatgrass an Excellent Alternative!
Another option is to do shots of fresh, green wheatgrass juice.
Wheatgrass juice is very low in oxalic acid.
Here is a link to my favorite green juice recipe using wheatgrass and ginger. It is safe to drink regularly, daily if you like, instead of green smoothies. It is also an excellent drink for gently detoxing before pregnancy. The ginger assists with morning sickness issues too if you are already pregnant.
What to do if a Green Smoothie Diet Has Already Harmed Your Health
Are you already are suffering from some of the ailments described in this article? Do you suspect a high oxalate diet which includes green smoothies or a daily spinach salad may be the cause? If so, stop this practice immediately and consult with a holistic physician. You will likely need professional assistance to guide you on the road to recovery. Ridding your body of oxalate crystals that are potentially irritating one or more of your body tissues is no simple task! It is not advisable to attempt this protocol on your own.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist, author, Get Your FATS Straight
References and Additional Information
The Role of Oxalates in Autism and Chronic Disorders, William Shaw PhD
Top 4 Cleansing Myths to Watch Out For
So which leafy greens should I be concerned about? Spinach, kale, chard and what else?
Boy girlfriend, you really know how to shake up the world!!! LOL
opps, this was meant for Sarah – not you Deanna!!!
The body is designed to maintain a very narrow pH range in the blood, and will distribute acidic or alkaline products wherever it needs to in order to maintain that blood pH. I personally believe that this is a case of everything in moderation. If someone is already eating an alkalinizing diet, then these large smoothies daily could be overkill. But I believe that for the majority of Americans who line up for a veggie drink *maybe* once a day and eat a SAD 80% of the time, they are helpful. Moderation. Balance.
Here is what Victoria Boutenko says in her book, Green Smoothie Revolution, in answer to the question “should I avoid eating spinach because it has oxalic acid?”: “The oxalic acid in food is considered harmful because it can combine with calcium and may leach the body of this important mineral. For some reason, everyone knows about the oxalic acid in spinach, but they are not aware of the oxalic acid content in many other commonly eaten foods such as grains, beans, and especially coffee and tea. While spinach is loaded with calcium, which minimizes the loss of this mineral from your body, coffee has none. I would be more concerned about the oxalic acid content in coffee and other products than in spinach. At the same time, even thought the oxalic acid content in spinach is minute, if you do not rotate your greens and use only spinach for many weeks, you may accumulate oxalic acid and experience symptoms of poisoning. Remember, rotate your greens!” Hope that helps someone!
Would dandelion root and milk thistle be a problem? I take these as supplements for liver support right now.
I eat and juice dandelion greens when I want to beat back fungal issues. Same with wheatgrass. Both are amazing super foods from my personal experiences anyway..
Hi Sarah, I have to admit that I was pretty puzzled by your post. I love your blog and have followed it for quite awhile now. So, I did some reading this morning and was really surprised to find that most of the foods which contain high levels of oxalate are foods that many weston a pricers would advocate people to eat. However, in this article, I noticed that most of the people who have problems with their oxalate levels are also people whose health issues are rooted in a “leaky gut”. They also have a large amount of gut inflammation and not enough good intestinal flora which usually take care of our oxalates levels in our bodies. So, this has just encouraged me to keep drinking my water kefir, dairy kefir, yogurt, and buttermilk! Yay for fermented foods and they’re fabulous ability to keep our bodies balanced and healthy!
http://www.lowoxalate.info/
here is another article I found on the subject. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48
@Rhonda Oxalates are reduced by cooking .. I’ve done more research on the subject since that earlier article from a couple years ago and have realized that oxalates are not reduced by a light steaming as much as thought. BUT, if you consume them in moderation you are fine of course!
@Rhonda Oxalates are reduced by cooking .. I’ve done more research on the subject since that earlier article from a couple years ago and have realized that oxalates are not reduced by a light steaming as much as thought. BUT, if you consume them in moderation you are fine of course!
It surprises me that someone who supports a whole-foods diet doesn’t understand “WHOLE” foods and the fact that when nature grows a WHOLE edible plant, it provides a WHOLE solution, just like how an apple that contains a lot of fructose also contains a lot of fiber and other nutrients that slow down the uptake of that sugar so that the effect on blood sugar when you eat a WHOLE apple is very minimal. It’s like a little miracle food. Leafy greens are no different.
It’s really interesting to me that you choose to make leafy greens the villain instead of going after soda, sugar and salt, which are the BIGGEST oxalate culprits, which DO cause kidney stones, because they aren’t naturally accompanied by oxalate-negators. Calcium is so plentiful and highly absorbable in raw greens, and calcium binds to excess oxalates to render them harmless and easily removed by the body. Green foods are vital and should be eaten daily. AND there is even some evidence that says blending oxalate-rich foods by breaking open the cell wall (thus making all the nutrients more bioavailable) actually neutralizes oxalates.
Cooking spinach will increase the effects of oxalates in our bodies. It doesn’t mean you should never cook your spinach, oxalates are fine in moderation…
Have you ever personally experienced someone to have “oxalate shards in their heart” and it was proven to be caused by leafy greens? I’ve never heard of too many vegetables causing health problems, as long as their diet is balanced. And the people who are eating “too many” vegetables? Where are they? I can’t find them anywhere!
Too many greens is NOT our problem, people. Our problem is that people aren’t getting ENOUGH veggies… so one green smoothie a day allows us to get an extra 3-5 servings of veggies, which for most people will be all or 90% of the veggies they eat, sadly.
I would love to see some scientific evidence, if you have some. Because I have searched and have yet to find any regarding oxalates specifically from spinach. Yes, they contain oxalates, but also oxalate-negators.
AMEN!!! I’m SO tired of people NOT contributing proper info about nutrition in the country. SHE is now part of the problem.
I am confused.. I have read on numerous nutrition websites about the benefits of eating leafy greens on a daily basis. I practically have a large mixed salad everyday (with nuts, cheese, olives, beans, sprouts, chicken thrown in) either for my lunch or in addition to my dinner. I am rarely, if ever, sick, look young for my age and my skin looks and feels great. I also eat lots of cooked veggies with dinner and in the morning I have a powdered green shake with my oatmeal (not to be confused with a raw green smoothie). Should I be eliminating my daily big salads or reducing them in case they are causing more harm then good and have more “cooked” veggies?? I have never heard the advice of eating less leafy green salads…