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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
Its funny, all the green smoothie types often scoff at my healthy high fat diet. Sigh. Great article!
Good to know.
A reader just sent me the funniest comment via email … ‘it seems from the nasty comments on your post today that many folks out there have oxalate crystals embedded in their brains!’
LOL
That _is_ funny!
I admire your perseverance! Blogging (especially about nutrition) is definitely not for sensitive types like myself. LOL
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HIlarious!!!!
Wow, your unprofessionalism, on top of everything else, just makes this whole thing more shocking. (and doesn’t earn you any more respect or credit in my opinion).
Did any of you critics READ this article?
“Green smoothies are all the rage these days with many people consuming them EVERY DAY or at least several times a week… 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 kale, spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, celery, broccoli, and parsley.”
We are talking excessive amounts here! Drinking them everyday or several times a week! not once or twice a week! Large amounts? you don’t know what large is? we have all seen the you tubes on how to make green smoothies and I myself have been to a seminar where the presenter proudly displayed how no one could eat this huge salad bowl of greens that she stuffed into one green smoothie! for one person to consume daily! That is indeed a large amount!
What are people who don’t believe in butter doing on this blog? just lurking to promote your low fat agenda? Do you know anything about WAPF? What are you expecting to find on a chapter head’s blog? Come on people let’s have some common courtesy here!
Thanks Sarah, I have read bits and pieces about the problems with a high green smoothie diet before and I appreciate the reminder. (And I don’t need to have a big list of credentials behind my name to be literate and educated about REAL nutrition. We have enough people in this world with lists of credentials to lead us astray and cause many of the health problems our nation now faces!)
Sally– Amen Sister!!! Thanks for saying what we are all thinking! ;D
Bravo Sally, Bravo Sarah. The issue will green smoothies was something I experienced myself. The amount of greens, concentrated – especially that spinach – is a problem.
Growing up, my Italian grandmother would make spinach boiled and drained, then sauteed in butter and plenty of garlic. We loved it and wanted it every day, but I remember her telling us not to each spinach everyday, it wasn’t good to do that. That was 50 years ago.
Amen. 🙂
Well said!
I don’t know if that is entirely fair to say we should know what large is. Yes I know what HUGE is, but that is a different matter. I’m someone who is not a healthy eater, I don’t enjoy eating healthy. I don’t enjoy drinking green smoothies either. But I will, I can drink one down and be done with it as opposed to sitting over a salad or plate of fruits and veggies. I don’t want to over do it, but I can’t seem to find what a healthy amount is, I just see words like large and moderate. That tells me absolutely nothing. If I blend I leave of collards a day, is that too much? What about 2 or 3? I’m not saying this to be antagonistic, I’m really asking the question. I want to know what that middle ground is that lets me at least get some good nutrition without going too far the other direction. But all I can seem to find are negative instructions that use vague terms and amounts. Someone out there, please just tell us all what is a safe and healthy amount and frequency of veggies and fruits. As it stands, it seems I’m doomed whether I’m eating smoothies or macdonalds.
I’m sorry, but you are just a tad gullible/sensationalist about this new info. I am quite a nutrition buff myself, and being aware of how this stuff works, it isn’t that the greens (or other good stuff that has Oxalate in it) are the issue, so much as that they are getting into the wrong spot because of leaky gut syndrome. The Oxalate is usually just harmlessly metabolized by the gut flora, or passes out of the body in the stool. Look it up at http://www.lowoxatate.info.com In the same way we cause allergies to harmless good foods for ourselves. We need to fix the problem, not blame the good foods for our issues. Gluten makes the holes in the gut, and pasturized dairy is an issue, but other then preparing our grains, nuts and seeds traditionally, and using raw dairy so we can have the enzymes alive that help us digest it, we really should feel free to eat raw and healthy live food. This kind of propaganda is the same foolishness people wanted to say in the past about the horrors of nuts, avocados, eggs, butter. . .check your info, and when it goes against all common sense, don’t trust it.
To all the people wanting scientific “proof”, with nutrition you’ll find one doctor with a study stating one thing, and another doctor stating something diametrically opposed by another study. I use my gut to determine what’s right for me, and WAPF all the way. Thanks Sarah.
Love this blogpost, Sarah – and the knee-jerk reactions! It’s hilarious. We are all so conditioned by the Food Pyramid and admonishment to eat 5 per day fruits/veggies that we never consider if this is how we evolved to eat. Fruits and veggies grow seasonally. Here in the northern Midwest, we have 4 months to eat fresh plant foods. The rest of the year, fruits and veggies are only available canned or fermented or transported from thousands of miles away during which time vitamins are tremendously degraded. All plant foods contain phytochemicals which protect them from herbivory, including oxalic acid, phytic acid, and goitrogens. And sadly, these compounds are toxic in high amounts. That’s reality. Deal with it.
Yes, I am rather amused at how emotionally attached people get to their health fads. That’s the American way .. if leafy greens in moderation are good for you, then let’s eat a barrel of them every single day blended up in a smoothie! Foolish line of thinking.
If that is your line of reasoning, how do you explain people who heal themselves of cancer on the Gerson therapy? They drink enormous amounts of green juices and eat many whole foods. Doesn’t seem like a foolish line of thinking to me if it works!!
Gerson’s therapy was for people who HAVE CANCER. Not healthy people looking to be healthier. I am surprised no one has pointed this out, as several people have tried the same line of reasoning.
All “alkalising” does is break down elements in the body (that’s called “catabolic” for those of you looking for jargon), allowing them to be excreted. We call that detoxing, but the word is so over used that I am not sure we are all talking about the same thing. Every day each body clears wastes. That’s “detoxing” too, but doesn’t need green smoothies to work, it happens by itself.
In general, people who are sick (except cancer, I’ll get to that) need a building, “anabolic”, diet. One that heals. Like GAPS or a WAPF diet. Meat, broth, fats, cooked veg (much easier to assimilate) and so on, provide the raw materials to rebuild a weak body. Does breaking that sick body down further make any sense?
The only reason a catabolic approach can be used to treat cancer is because cancer is, by definition, out of control GROWTH. You have to break that down to cure cancer (there are other elements, such as the theory that cancer is fungal in origin, and those aspects may also respond to an alkaline diet). I still don’t see how a therapeutic diet specific to cancer is a good idea for healthy people (or people with different issues, other than cancers). That’s a bit like cutting off a body part prophylactically. Oh, wait. Some people do that (tonsils, adenoids, breasts). Forget it: we aren’t even thinking clearly, how can we intellectually decide that a fad should trump the Wisdom of the Grandmothers?
If you are “amused” at the reactions of your article, than I am sorry to say you are less of a writer of improving people’s wellbeing than I orginally thought.
sarah you are exaggerating. most people blend a handful to two of spinach in their smoothies. if that. not even a serving!! definitely not enough to cause a problem. i have candida and my issues were only helped by adapting a plant based diet. which i’m sure is why a lot of people are responding with passion. because they have been helped not hurt as you suggest.
You said the Magic words right there Charlene, “high amounts”. Thank You! Now I would tell you, that I would go to Vegas right now and bet my house you don’t have a clue what is HIGH AMOUNTS and what is not! Maybe three truckloads a week of greens is too much eh? LOL
Eating seasonally is how my grandmother (and parents even) ate. Grains, root vegetables, sauerkraut, dried fruit and cheese was winter fare, fresh produce, milk and eggs was summer fare. Meats and broths were year round. I think this rotation of what was seasonally available is a part of traditional eating that can be overlooked.
Shameful sensationalism
I’m petrified at doing for my body what is supposed to be good for it only to find out years later that I’ve totally messed myself (and my children ) up. Thank you for this article – I knew those quick fixes seemed too good to be true.
Stick to the wisdom of Traditional Cultures and what they ate and you will not be led astray by health fads such as green smoothie nonsense.
I understand your frustration as I felt the same way about whole grains. . .but don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions yet on this one, as I explained just now further down.
Sarah is so right about following the path of traditional diets, before I set out on that course, I was following the current thoughts on healthy diets which then led to health problems. But following traditional diets I was able to displace soda with Kombucha, and while never caring for vegetables growing up – I get excited about root veggies and leafy greens in butter, and I now if I have a craving, it’s for whole foods, which I don’t mind that kind of craving. So, now I listen and trust my body and so far, it’s been one satisfying journey.
First of all, I enjoy this blog very much and often refer others to it. However, I have to disagree with the dramatic nature of this one. As someone who makes green smoothies quite frequently, as well as juices vegetables, I must say the improvement in my health has been great (and no, I was not on a highly processed diet by any means prior to introducing them).
I am wondering why you fail to mention rotating the greens? I know that each leafy green contains it’s own particular type and cocktail of ingredients and that rotating which ones you use are important for keeping variety in the body and therefore minimizing the build up of oxalates. I certainly don’t agree that cooking greens in butter is a better alternative, though I don’t think you should totally eliminate that either. I think the idea should be to keep variety of foods and of cooking methods. i think there has been an over emphasis on certain greens (for some reason everyone juices kale), but we should instead emphasize using ALL kinds of greens and making sure that’s not our only source of vegetable intake. What about the chlorophyl from leafy greens? I have to agree with another comment that most Americans are lacking in the leafy greens category- greens of any kind!-and we should not be discouraging leafy green intake with dramatic blog posts, bust instead encouraging people to research and learn about their food and their bodies by being in their own kitchen and not rigidly following one specific type of diet or another.