Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
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
Here’s an interesting discussion where Chris Masterjohn talks about how consuming excess goitrogenic foods like cruciferous vegetables can lead to iodine deficiency and decreased thyroid function: http://chriskresser.com/chris-masterjohn-on-cholesterol-and-heart-disease-part-3
Hi Sarah –
Just wanted to say that I love your curly hair and your casual yet classy wardrobe. Oh, and I love your blog, too.
Blessings,
Mary
Agreed:)
I drink them, but not every day. I’ve switched from spinach and kale which suppress thyroid function to spring mix. I don’t see it as any different than having a salad, although I do remember reading in Jethro Kloss’ book “Back to Eden,” that you shouldn’t eat fruits and veggies at the same time. Yes, actually grass-fed butter is VERY good for you, and may help you LOSE weight because of all the CLA it contains. Thanks for this post, this was interesting and helpful to me.
My parents are “vegans” and they drink those green smoothies every morning…at first it was beneficial to get off of the overly processed foods…but after a couple of years they have started having health problems..my Mom is having thyroid problems…but it just seems to make them do the vegan thing more. Of course, every time they come to my house…I always have lots of good meats and good fats for them to eat…my Dad especially wolfs it down( he cannot resist!!)….they are starving themselves and they will not listen to anything about this. They have been given by their “doctor” the “China Study” and think that all things animal is terrible! I back you 100%…and I happen to like your hair and wardrobe too! 🙂 hang in there and keep the good and informative blogs coming!!!! Love ya lots!!!
Print some of the articles from Denise Minger’s blog, that completely invalidate The China Study, for them to read.
Thanks Jen,
I will check that out…
I so agree Beth!
Hi Linda…and Jen…and whoever else loves Sarah and all the work she has done to help us stay informed. If people don’t like what she says…..THEY SHOULD NOT READ HER BLOG!!! I ,for one, trust what she says because I agree with her sources and she does soooo much of the leg work for us Moms and Women (& men too) who don’t have the time to do it for ourselves!!! I mean …just look at her…..she’s in great shape…great hair and I have found her information to be very credible. People have just gone crazy over this their stupid green smoothies …..sooooo go a your green smoothies and leave us alone…..when you need help with your health problems that flare up as a result….Sarah is, I am certain, quite gracious enough to help you with the right information to get you healthy again…..Keep up the great work Sarah!!! We love you!!!!
“If you enjoy green leafy vegetables, enjoy them only on occasion in a salad or even better, cook them thoroughly in lots of butter…”
REALLY!?!?! wow…because cooking a perfectly nutritious vegetable in a ton of butter is healthy…
Grass-fed butter is an extremely nutrient dense food. Eating fats, REAL fats like butter, lard, tallow, olive oil, and coconut oil does NOT make you fat. Seriously, when are people going to get with the times, and let the fat fear mongering go?
Eating all the “good fats” won’t make you fat or unhealthy you say? Please provide your source for this. I don’t disagree that a small amount of good fats is benefitial to our health, but not large or unlimited quantities…
I never said “large or unlimited quantities” of saturated fat wouldn’t make you fat. That’s just common sense. I was referring to the fear of eating saturated fats in general. They are REAL food, and every cell membrane in our body is comprised of saturated fat, among other things. We need saturated fat in our diets. What we don’t need is highly processed (heat and chemical treated), genetically modified, rancid vegetable oils, which is what the mainstream considers healthy. Now those will do major damage to your body and your heart. By the way, saturated fat is NOT bad for your heart either.
If you’re interested in why saturated fat will not make you fat, then research it. The information is out there. This is not a professional debate, it is a blog comment, and I don’t have time to go look up all the research I’ve done.
I apologize if the last sentence of my reply seems rude. I didn’t mean it that way. I have a husband, a 4 year old, and 18 month old, and it’s dinner time. I just really don’t have time to look it up now.
Jennifer Brooks hit the nail on the head!!
I’m sorry, but I may unlike this page if this is the kind of articles you post, and I’m not trying to be a jerk but this is the kind of thing that makes me angry… People taking this as gospel need to do a bit more research instead of just believing everything on a particular blog… I mean, going so far as to say that green smoothies are DEVASTATING TO YOUR HEALTH?!?! Give me a BREAK!!!! This is the most ridiculous phrase I’ve heard… out of ALL the things to watch out for in the fitness/health industry, green smoothies is what you pick?!?
One of the biggest risk factors for getting fibromygalia is having your gallbladder removed. And one of the biggest factors in having gallbladder inflammation and gallstones is celiac disease and/or gluten intolerance.
I don’t know how oxalates play into this, for me. I do have stones (gallstones and likely kidney stones too) myself (working on dissolving them), and don’t drink green smoothies. I do have spinach about every other day. But some stones start out as parasites. Heavy metals are one cause of your body not getting rid of parasites on its own.
Supplements that can help dissolve both kidney stones and gallstones: chanca piedra and hydrangea. A person probably need to take these with high potency digestive enzymes and probiotics.
I’ve also heard that nettles, marshmallow root and joe pye weed are good for removing kidney stones.
Bile salts are needed if someone has had their gallbladder removed.
I am one of those people that didn’t know better when the doctor said I had to have my gallbladder removed. This feels like a bomb just dropped on my head when you said that now I have to worry about fibromyalgia!!! There really is very little information out there for people who’ve lost their gallbladders (and yes… 13 years after I found out I have a gluten intolerance!). Beth, I’ve tried Bile salts but didn’t feel any differently… not sure if they are necessary or not as the body still produces bile and I read that if you stick to a regular eating schedule, your body actually can send bile during those times anyways.
This is so confusing! I have been on a REAL food diet for 2 years now….most of the time on full GAPS. I just recently began adding a quart of green smoothies to my day and feel incredible. My digestion is so much better than when I eat traditional cooked foods. It’s frustrating because I’ve been so diligent in eating the WAPF way but am finding more relief in my health issues by adding a large green smoothie every day. Your comment about “green smoothies can be deceiving at first as a person will probably initially feel great after adopting this habit particularly if he or she is coming off a highly processed, nutrient poor diet.” I haven’t had processed food in over 2 years so this doesn’t apply to me. How can I feel so much improvement if it’s bad for me?
Jenny, you could still have the fresh juices and smoothies using vegetables, but just replace the high oxalate, goitrogenic greens with veggies such as carrot, zucchini, lettuce, celery, cucumber.
I take that back about oxalates in carrots and celery. Apparently they are high. Here’s a chart, click on veggies:
http://www.lowoxalate.info/recipes.html
Carrots are medium, and even almost low if cooked awhile, while yes, celery is very high.
absolute Hogwash right here! And look at all the Frightened people here now! You should be ashamed of yourself! Drinking lots of water completely eliminates any chance of having any stones, where did you get your Degree? Maybe should Warn people to stay away from that school.
Same as I thought…and found that she has NO degree in nutrition! PLEASE………..
agreed! She’s NOT A SCIENTIST, not educated in nutrition.. she’s at best inspired and ignorant. She read Dr. Price’s book yay. have HIM write these articles or at least get and editor! fail.
THANK G-D she’s not a scientist! Fukushima, anyone?
Not true. i have drunk no less than 1 gallon of fresh/purified water per day for over 35 years (since I learned about fluoride) and I have stones everywhere, in every joint and in kidneys.
??