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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
Interesting discussion… And I got some great links to blogs new to me. She got a zillion hits to show potential advertisers for next to no effort. As for the damage this sensational garbage post will do for readers who don’t have time to read the comments… We’re just encouraging more like it, I’m afraid.
Boy! Do people love their smoothies! I like to chew most of my foods! It satisfies because it is the designed way of nourishment. I personally don’t think it’s too healthy to consume too much through liquids. It’ never fills me up! Just my 2 cents worth. It would probably be more healthier to only consume “water”as our liquids…then again I love kombucha. LOL what A nerve this has touched! We are living in the “smoothie age”‘!
Though the oxalate discussion is a very common “medical” discussion, I would say from anecdotal evidence (large high volume chiropractic wellness practice), that most people who experience oxalate production have issues. These issues have shown up as poor pH (highly acidic) which might be the thing that drives them to attempts to alkalize through greens. We have found great results by focusing on pH with other methods first, then increasing greens. And the oxalate production is minimized.
We have had those who also have serious dysbiosis (poor balance of gut bacteria) also produce high oxalates. So we work on that first, and viola, no problem with oxalates.
So to say that the foods that are known as the healthiest foods on the planet by WAY more experienced health coaches than any other food group out there, is a bit premature without looking beyond. Sadly, this is simply bad advice.
PS: how are these raw vegans still alive? lmbo!
Raw Vegans are known to live a VERY long life, and look incredibly young, even at ages that push 100. Research it.
Nice to see more information out here on oxalates. Nasty stuff. I still have my green smoothies, but in moderation and they dont include high oxalate greens like spinach or chard. Im a fan of arugula, cress, dino kale and other lower oxalate greens.
I agree with this article. I actually over dosed on oxalates…I was drinking green smoothies everyday, and one day juiced 16 ounces of beets and their greens. Less than 30 minutes later (while driving my kids to school) I started to vomit uncontrollably, followed by severe headaches, stomach aches, and shaking. It was the worst thing ever! I felt like I had a bad case of the flu for an entire day (at one point I almost called 911 as I thought I was going to die – it was that bad). After some research and investigation and consulting w/ my chiro I figured it was the oxalates. This doesn’t mean greens are bad for you! It means that they should be consumed in moderation, like everything else. A lot of medicinal herbs are poisonous in large amounts, but healing in moderation. Same theory…moderation.
Thank you for this! lol I can now go on with my life much happier after reading your comment…after reading the article. I’m living a very healthy life (according to my own research) with no issues and had a small bout of paranoia after reading this article. But knowing that I live a fairly balanced life (no preservatives, GMO stuff, soy, pastured dairy, land meats etc and staying active, hydrated, grounded and with a positive attitude with life in general…things “I” personally consider healthy) I will keep doing what my body responds well to:) If my health is currently rated as “perfectly healthy” according to my dr. evaluations I have no reason to dramatically alter my life and reduce that highly nutritious foods I’m consuming.
But still I think it’s great that people address things they find important to get people interested in researching new topics to expand our knowledge on unknown things…as it did for me.
Very interestin! It really makes sense to me now. My mother in-law has fibromyalgea and has suffered over 20 years of this. I remember her telling me how she would lose handfuls of hair when she ate any of the high oxalate vegetables. Even though she tried cooking them and eating them with butter and so on. I totally believed her and wondered why that was so.
I never noticed much of a problem myself but i figured it was because i wasn’t as sick as she was. Thank u for the post Sarah! Keep up the good work! You are very encouraging to me ! After all I feel like we have something in common: the responsibility of keeping those we love happy and healthy.
What are the best vegetables to eat that are healthy?