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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 have to kindly disagree with this post. And only one source listed? Seriously? These are some big claims you are making and you aren’t backing them up with any real knowledge.
Your blog is great and has some very helpful things for people looking to get healthy but is not only misleading, its simply not true.
And my personal experience is this. I have so many kidney stones in one of my kidneys the doctors would like to remove it. It only functions at 5% and is full of stones. I’ve been on daily green smoothies for 18 months now and haven’t had a single issue with my kidney stones. I drink 40+ ounces per day of raw, organic greens! In addition to kidney issues, I had thyroid issues related to endocrine and adrenal failure. 31 symptoms in all, I was a mess. Green smoothies have turned my life around and 30 of the 31 symptoms are GONE.
Please do some research!
Kindly,
Kristen
I have personally experienced the ill effects of high oxalate foods. I was diagnosed with celiac disease 3 years ago. So I began eating almonds, peanut butter, spinach, etc. A year later I began having extreme pain in my lower back. A CT scan diagnosed me with bilateral medullary nephrocalcinosis. This is not kidney stones. This is actual deposits of calcium into the cells of my kidneys. Basically turning them to stone. There is no way to reverse the build up, you have to find out the cause and elimated it and stop causing damage to the kidneys. My nephrologist did a 24 hour urine and, low and behold, my oxalate levels were through the roof! So, not only have I had to give up gluten for the celiac, I have to avoid high oxalate foods for the rest of my life. The good news is that ct scans have shown that the damage to my kidneys has not progressed.
I have consumed a plant base diet (90% + raw) for almost 10 years now. My daily staple would be either a green juice or green smoothie with attention to rotating greens regularly.
I truly believed I was consuming the most nourishing food for my body, however my health was deteriorating. Few of the symptoms I was experiencing were, exhaustion, lack of ability to focus or recall a conversation, extremely dry skin, eczema, zero tolerance to the cold, acne and I could go on.
Lucky for me a friend of mine who also was living a very clean plant base diet with an
emphasis on green juices happened to be struggling with similiar health issues. This friend was not blinkered like I and dared to explore nutrition from different sources.
What she found is greens are NOT health generating, they contain high amounts of PUFAS which are toxic and highly inflammatory (no such thing as moderation when it comes to poisons/toxens).
Took me a little while to come to grips with why and how so many “educated” health authors/gurus could be so wrong….naive.
I have experimented with removing greens and following a diet that is anti inflammatory, the result I have achieved is mind blowing and educational….the symptoms I have puzzled over and struggled with for years have disappeared almost over night.
I encourage people to do their own research ask questions and more questions and be careful not to follow what has clearly been the flavour of the month for sometime now.
Could it be that people have notice success with greens smoothies because the green smoothie meal is replacing a more toxic meal in the hierarchy of food choices? If this is the case it would leave one capped with what they will achieve with health or worse one could ultimately experience degeneration in their health.
If you are interested in fully researching this yourself check out everything you can from Ray Peat, this gentleman is a genius, a true educator!!
Green soup. Green eggs and ham. We do get our greens. Thanks for worrying about us.
. 🙂
So, is anyone else sick of hearing about how great and educated ‘most people who follow this blog’ are? The truth is that this post has far exceeded the reach of your traditional readers, so quit defending this post in that manner! Many people reading this particular post need to change how they eat and adding veggies is a good idea for anyone. So if you want your ‘reading this blog club’ to be exclusively you who think the same, quit posting this on your damn Facebook pages and we won’t be inclined to read it and put in our 2 cents!
Scott- you clicked on fb to read the post. You choose to comment. You are also choosing to be fairly rude to people you have never met. Certainly you are more of a gentleman than this.
BTW – we eat veggies and I have yet to see it on my FB feed, maybe you need to hide or unsubscribe some friends.
Sarah, it’s interesting that you post an article about the “devastating” effects of green smoothies. Yeah, it might be a fad for now, but for people who don’t get any leafy greens or vegetables in their diet, it’s a great introduction to this food group. Instead of bashing on green smoothies, maybe you can redirect people to think a little more critically about what they’re putting into their bodies. The fact that people might be ingesting something a little better than a MacDonald’s Cheeseburger or Cheetos is a positive thing. Don’t get me wrong, skepticism is critical when discussing our health and the foods we eat, but it’s important to balance the skepticism out with education. What I disagree with is that you polarize people into believing one extreme without really providing optional perspectives. Shame on you!
Dan – most, if not all people who follow this blog do not do the McDonald’s, fast food, processed food diet. Personally, I came out of the vegan low-fat, vegetarian lifestyle. I became sick while eating this way and was told by a nutritionist that I needed animal protein. Grass fed, pastured, clean, & organic. I’m still in the process of learning and healing. My gut cannot handle raw veggies any longer, so this blog as well as others have taught me about fermenting to make them easier to digest. It also has taught me about soaking my grains and nuts for the same reason. I have learned about kefir and kombucha to help in restoring my gut.
This is a real foods blog. We are aware of the bad SAD diet in the western world. Pretty sure no one would be following this blog if they are happy in their choice of the SAD American diet.
oh and if you could expand on your point this would be great…
and I would encourage people who believe greens are the way to go, to do the same and look at the science behind this. Most of the information come from Norman Walker’s books written and published in the 70’s and which contain no scientific research, i’ll call the research emprirical at best.
I would also encourage people to keep an open mind and do their own research starting off by studying the anatomy and physiology of the human body. QUESTION everything you come across!
I think it is very important for each person visiting this particular page to make informed decisions with regards to taking the information presented on this page on board as it pertains to his or her health. Please consider the sources, the studies and outcomes of those studies. Conclusions, you can draw yourself. Be carefully scrutinise the evidence before drawing conclusions. Here are the footnote references for those studies Kat refered to in the above link:
Onderstepoort J Vet Res 1989 Jun;56(2):145-6.
Nature 1994 Apr 21;368(6473):683-4.
Comment in: Nature 1994 Aug 11; 370(6489):408. Aust Vet J 1992 Jul;69(7):165-7.
Indian J Med Res 1991 Oct;94:378-83.
In Vivo 1998 Nov-Dec;12(6):675-89.
Ann Nutr Metab 1991;35(5):253-60.
Life Sci 1997;60(19):1635-41.
Food Chem Toxicol 1999 May;37(5):481-91.
Int J Food Sci Nutr 1998 Sep;49(5):343-52.
Med Oncol Tumor Pharmacother 1990;7(2-3):69-85.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1980 Aug;77(8):4961-5.
Br J Rheumatol 1994 Aug;33(8):790-1.
Nutr Cancer 1988;11(4):251-7.
J Toxicol Sci 1984 Feb;9(1):77-86.
Chung Hua Chung Liu Tsa Chih 1985 Mar;7(2):103-5
Proc Nutr Soc 1977 Sep;36(2):51A
Am J Clin Nutr 1995 Sep;62(3):506-11.
J Environ Sci Health B 1999 Jul;34(4):681-708.
BJU Int 2000 Jan;85(1):107-13.