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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
It isn’t 20% of all people who are sensitive to oxalates, it is 20% of those who produce oxalate kidney stones ( in turn 80% of those who form kidney stones according to even Shaw.) (http://www.ushealth.org/urology/oxalate/11252) Since 8.8% of Americans have a history of kidney stones, this translates to 1.4% of Americans who are vulnerable.
Some have an enzymatic deficiency called hyperoxaluria and those may possibly benefit from reducing dietary oxalate but it won’t cure their condition since you can produce oxalic acid even from Vitamin C. Some have enteric hyperoxalauria from more intake than their GI tract can deal with and may need to lower spinach, rhubarb, purslane, amaranth, quinoa, parsley, chives (not that you’d eat the quantity in the last two) and lambsquarters and probably late season nettles and horsetail. (Oxalicacidinfo.com) These would be the people with weak digestion and huge vegetable intakes- except note that vegetarians have lower rates of stones with large veggie intakes, so the dietary intake theory is speculative. Other individuals in this group may have too low calcium, calcium not taken with meals or too much dietary fat (not sure about the last one, from UW urology.) If you take some, preferably raw, milk or high calcium foods with your oxalate-rich foods, you can bind the oxalates.
A 24 hour urinary oxalate excretion test combined with information about calcium intake can diagnose whether you need to restrict oxalates or increase calcium or both.
Other strategies include high frequent Vitamin B6 which reduces oxalic acid formation and probiotic therapy with Oxalobacter bacteria. Note that we need oxalic acid in reasonable amounts as it helps move the bowels and prevents cancer, but some people get too much.
What about wheat grass shots? Thank you for all the great info and your reply.
That is why it is recommended to rotate the greens daily…so you won’t build up too much oxalic acid from any one type of green. I have been witness to literally dozens of people who consume these daily and noone has had any problem, so long as they rotate their greens. I personally have been on them for over a year and have had nothing but positive results. This article is not balanced or fair.
wow, I was really impressed with this post! I really had no idea. It’s amazing how we think something can be so great for our health, when it can actually do harm.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
What about juicing these leafy greens? Still high levels of oxolates??
Oxalic acid and alkaloid poisoning problems will come if you eat raw spinach consecutively over and over again, or any other type of green for that matter. If you simply get a wide variety of greens to put in your smoothies and constantly rotate them its impossible for you to have this problem. I never eat the same green 2 days in a row I am always switching the type of green and fruit every single day.
GREENS I USE
– Kale
– Dinosaur Kale
– Purple Kale
– Rainbow Chard
– Green Chard
– Dandelion Greens
– Parsley
– Cilantro
– Spinach
– Bok Choy
– Watercress
– Carrot Greens
– Collared Greens
Each one of these greens has a different and unique balance of vitamins and minerals which all add a piece to the puzzle of nutrition and our bodies. When you blend the greens your are breaking the nutritional cell walls which release more nutrients. When we chew our food the chances are most of us cannot chew our food to break these cell walls. What better more simplistic way to get this range of vitamins from all these different types of plants?
Green smoothies are designed to get health into your regime in a very simple and fast way so that you can get on with the rest of your life and not have to worry about it so much. Forget about your “identification with green smoothies” the reason why people talk about them so much and “praise” them is because the difficult battle with nutrition just became that much more SIMPLE AND EASY!! 🙂 Why wouldn’t you go on a rant about this to all your friends? There are people who are simply passionate about food and health and some people that just want something simple to add to their lives that will give them the vitality to carry on in other areas.
Green smoothies are the answer either way in my opinion.
Have A Wonderful Day!
This was an awesome resource as to what we can substitute for the higher level greens thank you so much for this TC!
Do you have any recipes for green smoothies I can try TC? I am really trying to get my family on a alkaline and healthy road and these smoothies are the easiest way I can get my little one to eat her veges.
@Amanda
Go to this website and sign up.
It is a free web app which has all sorts of different recipes for green smoothies.
The best thing I can recommend is usually only use 1 or 2 types of greens, usually just one but if you want to throw parsley, dandelions, and cilantro as a side green it works well. Then use 1 to 2 types of fruits, I usually put a tiny bit of juice in mine Ceres is a good brand, put ice as well to make them cold. Keep it simple, simplicity is the key to making them not taste bad and you dont want to cancel any of the vitamins out of one another
Juice that works well (the Ceres brand is really good and easy to find)
– Pear
– Guava
– Berry
– Mango
Sample 1 (All time favorite simple recipe)
Kale
Mangoes
Guava Juice
Water
Ice
Sample 2
Rainbow Chard
Carrot Greens
Cucumbers
Mangoes
Peaches
Guava Juice/Water/Ice
The last thing I can recommend is to get a book called
Green For Life 2nd Edition by Victoria Boutenko
This will give you a lot of information about greens and green smoothie nutrition.
Cheers
Hope that helps!!
TC you rock thank you so much!!!
Also if you’d like not to use juice, putting a banana or pear into your shake really sweetens things up and mask the chlorophyll very nicely
This is very interesting – I am a holistic chef and curious about using these ingredients in green juices? (Maybe you have an article on here- I’ve yet to look around). Also **is there any way to cleanse out excessive oxalates?**
Many thanks for your information!
Thank you for the information Sara. I am curious if you have any information on juicing and oxalates, specifically does juicing remove oxalates? I do not juice regulary, but the reason I ask is because for many people in critical states of health, juicing provides significant benefit. I have always believed that juicing was best for detoxification or providing large amounts of nutrients to the body in critical cases such as cancer, but a daily smoothie (I don’t advocate lots of kale, etc. either) was best for health maintanence…mostly because it is a great avenue for sneaking in the cod liver oil and other supplements. So my curiosity about oxalates has been struck and I am wondering if juicing removes them, otherwise I would think people would not see such great benefits from juicing. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
Just wondering if it’s worth substituting for lettuces since I thought lettuce has very little nutritional value…
Im curious why so many of you are fans of this page if you are clueless about the fats and cooked veggies thing. You’d think some of you birthed the freaking green veggies yourself with how you’re defending it. I’ve seen political and religious debates that were more peaceful than this. Crazy.