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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
Saibah, please know that I appreciate and am intrigued by your story, and wonder what is different in your body and in the about 4,000 women or so in the Vulvar Pain Foundation who found reducing oxalate was the solution to their vulvodynia. I am not at all doubting your story, but am wondering why your experience is so different from theirs.
One reason may be that you have different flora that are more adapted to a high oxalate diet, and detoxify the oxalate you are eating for you….microbes like oxalobacter formigenes. Lack of this microbe has been one of the repeated findings in cystic fibrosis. Many of them that develop oxalate problems with that diease have lacked oxalate degrading flora in their stool. I’m still working on getting this test that shows the oxalate degrading capacity of the flora to get picked up by a commerical lab.
Saibah, I’m not at all against green smoothies, but they don’t have to be high in oxalate. It is simply a matter of which veggies you put into the blender. There are many low oxalate green foods and other fruits and veggies to make a quite healthy low oxalate drink.
Oxalate trafficking in the body is tied to transporters that regulate many things intestinal. The pancreas releases enzymes to help digestion, but its function is known to be somewhat compromised in conditions where oxalate is known to be a problem, like cystic fibrosis and celiac sprue, for example. The release from the pancreas of digestive enzymes involves transporters that might be negatively affected by oxalate being too high in that organ.
For that reason, maybe just substituting lower oxalate veggies in your smoothie might make it where you would no longer need the digestive enzymes any more.
One way to tell if your body is storing oxalate is to cut its levels back, and see if the body starts to detoxify.
I don’t recommend suddenly going to low oxalate for someone who has been very high in oxalate, as the results of that can be an overly rapid detoxification which can be miserable, Because our project has helped almost 5,000 people with this detox process, we have learned that people should only slowly reduce oxalate to eliminate the negative symptoms that occur as tissues release oxalate that has been stored. This typically starts happening a few days into reducing oxalate.
If there has been no absorption and storage of oxalate, then reducing the oxalate in the diet may not produce changes. Some people make oxalate endogenously (in their own cells), and they may not have the detox reaction because they have that different source of oxalate that is still there. Whether you are making your own oxalate or not can be determined by lab testing by the detection of two markers.
Hi Susan,
Actually maybe the other reason why I didn’t or don’t experience any problems on a high oxalate diet is maybe because I do use a lot of spirulina and chlorella too which have been known to reduce high oxalates also while I was transitioning to the raw food vegan diet I was doing colonics to help clean the colon which can have a high amount of backed up fecal matter from over the years which can hinder any progress one is looking for. I strongly believe that a clean colon only promotes good health as long as it is maintained and taken care of while eating healthy foods that are high in enzymes. I also use a lot of raw coconut oil which I use as an antifungal, it works miracles for vulvydina. I used to use it topically and also injest it. I also use Oil of Oregano another powerful anti fungal which I add to my green juices just to maintain and keep candida albicans in check. I also take a vegan probiotic to maintain healthy intestinal and vaginal flora.
I did an experiment where I ate some animal products( dairy, meat) and immediately my system was in chaos, it flared up by getting immediately acidic and I got the vulvydina plus a yeast infection and swollen gums plus I was feeling lethargic and in pain. I immediately went on a juice fast and also had a colonic while also ingesting noni juice.
I strongly believe in eating a diet high in alkaline foods especially the green leafy veggies because they are truly medicine for me. I believe that the high oxalates would not affect anyone who is vegan but would for a person who continues to eat animal products while ingesting raw greens.
That reminds me… GREEN SMOOTHIE TIME!!
A very rare amount of people have this. This might also be that they aren’t 100% raw vegan, but eat a S.A.D. diet otherwise. A friend of mine who has/had fibromialigia went raw vegan for a few months and had great relief. I had hypothyroid (low thyroid) and when I went raw, with most of my meals consisting of green smoothies or salads, my thyroid levels are back to normal and I lost weight. I am now off meds 🙂 Please think before you read!
Hi Kim, I totally agree with you. I actually even did a green juice fast this weekend to detox 🙂
So if I switch the spinach for romaine lettuce, my smoothies will still be okay?
I’m really curious about whether these cautionary tales apply to green juicing with celery and cucumbers and carrots? I feel this keeps me so regular – it’s gotta be good.
Finally! Some one with nutritional good sense dares to bring up the truth about the ubiquitous green smoothie. Thank you!
I spent about 20 minutes reading all of the comments on here after I shared your post yesterday. Amazing how heated people can get! I wanted to commend you for being brave and sharing information that some people were unable to open their minds to receive. I never took you as saying green smoothies are all bad, or that eating copious amounts of fast food is a better choice. I thought you used sound rationale to bring another perspective to one of the “latest crazes”. Thank you. I don’t believe, for me, green smoothies are a problem, but also don’t do them daily, and rotate the ingredients. (Mine often tend to be more purple anyways <3 ) I appreciate, however, that you have presented a perspective that will have value for some, and could be that "aha" moment in their quest for vitality, connecting some dots they had never considered. I certainly now have this perspective in my brain should I ever be concerned about oxalates. I'm always here to support anyone thinking critically about health. Shame on anyone who commented in a way that invalidates the considerable time and energy you have invested sharing your own critical thinking and passion for health. I truly doubt many of the less-than-respectful commentators spend NEAR the time or energy exploring vast amount of information, from multiple respectable sources, as you do to generate the posts you so graciously share with us. Again, thank you! Keep up the good work, you are an inspiration! (That doesn't mean I'm going to stop drinking green smoothies….haha)
I was diagnosed with candidiasis and after trying all kinds of conventional medications including antifungals which didn’t work, the only thing that works for me now for the past two straight years is becoming a raw food vegan and my main focus is juicing green leafy vegetables and green smoothies. Please do your research before you start blasting the green smoothies.
Forgot to mention that I also used to suffer from vulvodynia before I started the raw vegan lifestyle and since then I have never experienced vaginal pain and vaginal dryness since I started on my raw vegan path actually sex is great and has never been better. I used to also have terrible body odor and that is in the past now. Green leafy juices and smoothies are my main medicine because they purify the blood while alkalizing the body and preventing viruses including bacterial and fungal infections. I also take a vegan probiotic and enzymes to help with digestion 🙂
Thank you!! Most people will believe anything they read! Can we say gullible?!
Saibah and Kim – why the need to supplement with digestive enzymes and probiotics?
As you attack others for the way they choose to eat you discredit why they have moved on from veganism – I messed up my gut over time doing the raw diet. I did feel great for awhile, but then got sick. Now I have to steam most any veggie I eat, except for lettuce….and yep, digestive enzymes are now required. I’m unable to break down the cellulose in the raw veggies and fruits.
People have searched out what is best for them, many have moved from the low fat , vegan based diet to wapf for a reason, and not because they are gullible, but because they have researched and found what nutrients are lacking in thier sick bodies. Believe me, it was a 180 for me…i researched traditional foods for a year before diving in…I hadn’t had butter in years, it was definitely a strong vegan mindset I had to push past. This was after a holistic nutritionist told me by body was sadly lacking in nutrients found only in animal products.
Please, you do not know eveyone’s nutritional story who follow this blog and others like it, we are people looking to restore and maintain health, just like you. Can we just agree to disagree on the way that is done for each individual and drop the attacks and ugly tone?
Sarah,
When an Aspergillus infection makes enough oxalate to cause a rise in systemic levels of oxalate, the infection has already taken over most of the lung and is generally fatal. I have scoured the literature and have found absolutely NO evidence that candida makes even measurable amounts of oxalate. Dr. Shaw heard me lecture in Spain and saw a slide where I showed that candida (and now I know some bacteria) may metabolize arabinose to form d-erythroascorbic acid, which is a look-alke compound to vitamin C. At about the same rate as vitamin C, it can be converted into oxalate. It provides no more threat than that. Even so, oxalate is known to insert itself into carboxylase enzymes and impair their activity. When these enzymes are broken because of a genetic glitch, it impairs the immune defense against yeast and it is often seen that these patients may develop problems with candida. So the arrow of causality is much more likely going the other direction, that oxalate increasing in the body may spur on candida infections. The experience of people in the Vulvar Pain Foundation and those in our Autism Oxalate Project at ARI is consistent with this view, as many lose their tendency towards yeast infections as they reduce oxalate in the diet. People can get more information at http://www.lowoxalate.info and its associated yahoogroup, [email protected]. Also, some of your readers may be interested in reading an article on oxalate in autism that was published in the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology that you can read about here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911305. I’m one of the authors.
I think this is so controversial because people still don’t view food as medicine. Food _is_ medicine. What you eat matters and if you’re eating the wrong things (like taking the wrong medication or eating GMO and processed foods) you will not be well. Listen to your body and don’t just jump on fad solutions because “Hey, it’s natural. It can’t be bad, right?” Lots of things found in nature are not good for us or are only good in moderation. Think about what you’re eating and keep a journal if you have to so you may note symptoms.
Thanks to THHE and thanks to those who have an open mind.
Articles like this only further confuse people who already don’t get enough healthy food in their diets. Green smoothies have had a healing and positive impact on my health but we are not created from molds. We must discover and live our own truths…