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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
Hi Sarah, I posted this yesterday, if you have a moment to answer I would appreciate it.
Someone mentioned a blog you wrote about whey protein powder and neuropathy (sp?) I couldn’t find it in the archives; can you please post a link for it?
Thanks,
Joyce
I know someone that had horrible kidney stones from eating lots of greens and blueberries. She was told that she should have been consuming lots of lemon too. Has anyone heard anything about lemon helping?
Wow! I just read this article and, as is so often my response to this blog, thought, “That’s really interesting. I didn’t know that. I’ll have to look into that further.” And then I saw there were were nearly 600 comments.
After reading them, my thought is, “I fear for the future of our world. The vast majority of these people are violent and insane. It’s a blog. It’s a WAPF-based blog. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. If you don’t agree, don’t follow it. Really?…shock, fear, horror, insults, calls for Sarah to be silenced? It’s a smoothie. Drink it if you want. Don’t don’t drink it if you don’t want. A smoothie will neither save nor destroy humanity. But this extreme reaction to a post suggesting drinking tons of raw spinach may not be super healthy makes me understand how we end up with riots, wars and holocausts. Really, you’d throw out the constitutional right to free speech just because you disagree with the speech? If someone disagrees with your speech, should you be silenced? Is that right? How did you all even find this blog when you clearly have no idea what it is about?”
hear, hear!
Common Sense Roolz!
Greens are good. END of story. This chick is wack.
The fact that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s had nothing to do with whether it was an animal sacrifice or not. Abel’s sacrifice was made in faith, Cain’s was not (Hebrews 11:4).
Surely its like another fad that some have taken to the extreme, there cant be anything wrong with having the odd smoothie when you feel alittle unwell, and need alittle boost of vitamens and minerals or simply when you just feel like it. There is nearly always something we can find with some food item that we ingest that is’nt good. The odd time that I have a glass of carrot juice or a smoothie, I always feel better; generally it is with the thought of providing fibre and reducing acid in the body but I always put 2 tablespoons of good quality Olive Oil with it. Would this help with the oxalate situation? I have a keen interest in health issues and my conclusion is ‘the closest to natural the better’ and while avoiding things that obviously upset you, a well balanced diet seems to be key.
Of course .. someone with common sense who actually read the post and didn’t knee jerk on that title! Hurray! 🙂 High oxalate veggies in moderation is of course a fine way to approach the situation!
Hahahaha…Is this a serious article? This has to be a joke. Wow.
Let me get this straight – green smoothies might be a problem for 20% of the population, so NO ONE SHOULD EVER EAT THEM? Not exactly solid logic, even if the claims here are true. But I did enjoy the hysteria.
The only good advice here is to find out what does work your body, and don’t jump on any fads without checking into it.
And it is more like 1.4% of the population, not 20%. Calculation above.
I juice 4-5 times a week: carrots, kale, turnip greens, chard, collard greens, jicama, daikon, cabbage, aloe vera (fresh cut) apple, beets, cauliflower, parsley, tomato, broccoli. No problems for me, and my girlfriend is losing weight and eliminating whereas before she suffered from constipation. We also eat tossed salads with the kitchen sink thrown in. The above essay is food for thought, but I think my previous diet was a bit veggie-poor so this seems to be a good way to get fresh goodies.
That’s a great combo of goodies for smoothie Don! I’ll have to try some of those!
I left soy off the list of foods that people with hyperoxularia may need to avoid. The list is pretty short though, and adding calcium-rich foods at the same time will help.
One caveat on the lists of foods: they are based on urinary excretion of oxalates and you may actually be better off with them out than in- but you need lots of water so they flow out and don’t form stones or attack other organs.
THANK YOU KAREN! for your words of rationality and wisdom!