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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
I’m not going to read through every comment here. I just have to say that you all who think Green Smoothies are the culprit for all of your health problems are completely insane. Use your reasoning and logic! Green foods are the absolute healthiest for you on the planet. So, is the problem that you can’t process them because you have a diseased body in one way or another? You got kidney stones from spinach and it was SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN that in fact, it was the spinach? I highly doubt it. Once again this is a case of focusing on the NEGATIVE rather than the positive benefits. There are much fewer anti-nutrients than there are beneficial nutrients, and you WORRY that the anti-nutrients are causing damage? WHAT ABOUT YOUR STRESS LEVEL AND WORRY? Are you eating a healthy, plant-based diet along with your green smoothies, or are your smoothies an excuse to eat junk all day long? Are you on any medications that can be interfered with by consuming ‘high’ level of oxilates? Consider all your options before you blame the greens. Science is not black and white, most all of the data is not conclusive enough because of the controls. (When in doubt, follow the money. Who paid for the study?) Food science is new and whole foods are much more complicated and complex than the known nutrients that they contain. USE YOUR BRAIN. SPINACH HATERS BEWARE.
Hi Momma’s out there! I just wanted to encourage you to not give up! I know after reading this I got angry, then cried, then felt like a helpless failure of a mom. After a couple days I picked myself back up again by the truth. We don’t have any control over how we die. Isn’t that what everybody is worried about here? The people here think that they are right…. and when that is challenged, it makes them feel like they are losing their false sense of control. Ok, so pull yourself up by your bootstraps and find another way. Don’t use green leaves that have high oxalates, use something else! There is plenty of other veggies to put in yours and your kids smoothies. Its not a fad for me and if its not for you then don’t listen to people that make you feel like you are doing something wrong. Among many other benefits, smoothies are helping my kids to love the taste of veggies when they can quite chew lettuce yet. If you are making Jamba Juice/ high oxalate smoothies everyday to replace meals then… well, just try and think how you can change them by what you’ve learned here.
You can do this and you are not a terrible mom! 🙂
Can anyone tell me how to opt out of receiving follow up comments? Thanks!
Sarah, where is the research to support this opinion? I have never heard of kidney stones resulting from plants or plant-based diets, which is usually from high meat or protein intake. Crazy to scare people into not eating what’s ultimately a healthier option. See “Food Matters,” a fantastic documentary. We’re all deficient in what green plants give us.
My dad had kidney stones and was told to avoid strawberries and spinach (two of his very favorite foods) as they are high in oxalates and lead to kidney stones. Growing up in Europe we didn’t have other greens like chard or kale but spinach was pretty popular.
Author of this article – please cite published, peer-reviewed studies which demonstrate the reality of the dangers you are describing. You can link them here in the comments if you wish.
Thanks.
Exactly.
this blogs post is full of shizzz they probably haven’t even had a vegetable in the entire live. so super shut up to your bull shizz
I have been blending and juicing daily for quite some time. I have never been healthier!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh well…. I’ve been alternating every morning between making Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie, and making a green smoothie made with a big hanful of spinach, 8 carrots, slices from 1/2 apple, and 2 big strawberries, and I’ve havent had any breakouts on my face for almost 2 weeks! Unless it’s life threatening, I will not stop consuming these.
oh geez…this article is so one sided…why dont you mention all the benefits of the green smoothie?
why dont we all go back to eating all the processed and genetically modified crap that is thrown our way or shall I say rammed down our throats!!…is that your answer to good health?
We’ve been having our green smoothies on a daily basis for a year now. Just recently, our annual check with our doctor revealed that our blood tests came back normal. No more anemia, no more high cholesterol… everything was normal! And we feel great!
Just because some people may not be able to process it well, does not mean we have to avoid it. Everything has to be in moderation but at the same time, you have to look at what you eat as a whole. Eat more local and organic food rather than conventional. Eat more raw/less-processed foods than the usual. Eat more plant-based foods than meat. No fast food. Read labels. It’s a lot of work but you are what you eat.
At the end of the day, you follow what your body tells you. To me, adding butter does not solve it.
This article is very one-sided. It may be true but I wish it presented the possible benefits as well.