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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
Don’t forget to read the disclaimer page( from this site before you go skipping the green smoothie. As with anything, moderation is the key.
Hello fellow seekers of health! I have a suggestion. Take a deep breath, exhale, and consider how blessed you are to have this dietary concern. So many people around the world don’t have enough to eat. And so many people around the world don’t have the choices we have. Thousands of children in this country have never even seen a collard green or tasted a fresh raspberry. Enjoy your food and beware dietary fanaticism.
I believe in moderation in everything but this article has me raising an eyebrow. I came from a small island where fruits, vegetable and meat are basically the breakdown of every meal and many of my elders lived long lives with very few of the symptoms you mentioned. I’ve also been raised on dark green vegetables and fruits and i only starting to experience health issues when i moved to the U.S and my diet changed to SAD. i think reactions to oxalates will probably be determined by genetics and sensitivity, so in a way the author isn’t too off mark. i do drink green smoothies (8 ounces 4 – 5 times a week made of kale, strawberries, and mangoes). but in moderation. if i miss a day or two its not the end of the world.
Allie,
There is ample research on the benefits of pradaxa over warfarin (I suggest you use “uptodate.com” for the ample literature on this topic). This is not to say that pradaxa does not have it’s own side effects (I never said pradaxa was “safe”- I said it was “safer” than warfarin). I am sorry that you have had issues with the drug, but the fact is that the drug is far less likely to lead to hemorrhagic stroke than warfarin. You have to weigh the benefits and risks of any drug you take- i.e., I would much rather take a drug that I believe causes me to be dizzy than to take a drug that puts me at high risk for hemorrhagic stroke and it’s sequelae- coma, death, paraplegia.
Let’s not get too far off topic though. This article is about the harmful effects of green smoothies. My post was primarily meant to point out that I believe green vegetables of any sort to be healthy. By searching google, you can find people posting about the harmful effects of literally any food out there. I just think it’s a little ridiculous and hope that people don’t actually give up greens because of stuff like this. I will refrain from further posts as I feel there is no persuading anyone otherwise on this forum.
cardiologist,
“Now, the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Pradaxa led all other medications in 2011 for number of deaths reported to the FDA. In an article published June 6, 2012, the paper cites a report from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices’ QuarterWatch program, which tracks reports to the FDA’s MedWatch.
The Inquirer noted that Pradaxa exceeded all other medications in the categories of total adverse reports (3,781), deaths (542), hemorrhage (2,367), acute renal failure (291), and stroke (644). In contrast, there were only 731 reports of hemorrhage and 72 deaths associated with Coumadin.” PRWeb
Maybe Pradaxa is less dangerous, rather than safer.
“I would much rather take a drug that I believe causes me to be dizzy than to take a drug that puts me at high risk for hemorrhagic stroke and it’s sequelae- coma, death, paraplegia.”
Again, this response is the typical answer I was told by the nurse who lied to me. Please, for the sake of your patients, don’t respond to them in this way, it’s condescending.
“dizzy” – I could not function during the day. I could not work and was told I had to take 150 mg. morning and evening, when being at just about zero risk for stroke. 150 mg. at night would suffice considering the blood thinning effects lasted in the body for 85 hours.
“high risk” – Again, CHAD score, 0. Afib lasted under 36 hours. virtually, no risk.
Here are some “safe and safer” alternatives that several afibbers are running to, due to the danger of the blood thinning drugs.
Butcher’s Broom, Horse Chestnut and Ginger Root act as blood thinners, while Rutin (from buckwheat) keeps platelets from sticking together and forming clots.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/substance/nattokinase
http://www.ctds.info/natthinners.html
As far as green smoothies – they are not for every person who may have issues with oxalates or people who need less vitamin K. I took this post to be a wake up call to those who may be having this problem, nothing more.
Those spouting moderation – what is moderation? every other day? once a week? once a month? bi-monthly?
BTW- I do eat greens, as do most who follow this blog.
This article is absolutely nuts. I am a cardiologist and do transesophageal echos and all sorts of other imaging to look at people’s hearts in detail each and every day. I have NEVER seen someone with “oxalate shards lodged in their heart,” as the author references to in this article. Where are you getting this information? I absolutely agree that oxalate stones may be an issue with high oxalate foods, but kidney stones are VERY rarely life threatening and can be managed and eliminated through a multitude of ways. You’re telling people to eliminate spinach- one of the most nutritious and best foods available for reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and on and on and on, so that they simply may avoid getting a little kidney stone? I say, bring on the kidney stones. Next fact, it’s spelled lichen sclerosis, not “litchen sclerosis.” I know this is subtle, but it’s just further damaging your credibility. And lichen sclerosis is almost always caused by either autoimmunity or infection in perimenapausal women (definitely not oxalate). Lastly, yes, green vegetables are high in vitamin K and subsequently may reverse the effects of coumadin (warfarin), since warfarin is a vitamin K antagonist. But, we monitor PT/INR in patients on coumadin and attempt to keep it between 2 and 3. Eating leafy greens will simply lower your INR and potentially create the need to increase your dosage of warfarin. Yes, warfarin is a dangerous drug and I see elderly people all the time falling and hitting their head and having hemorrhagic strokes because they’re on warfarin, but the fact is that the dosage of warfarin is not what causes this- it’s the patient’s INR. The lower the INR, the lower the risk of hemorrhage and the higher the risk of ischemic stroke if a patient with atrial fib were to throw an emoblism. And besides, how many people here are actually on warfarin? In the next 5-10 years, we’re going to be using other, safer drugs to manage anticoagulation (like pradaxa) that aren’t affected by vitamin K rich foods sources anyway.
Sorry for the rant, but I cannot stand for an obviously uninformed person counseling people to not eat spinach and other green vegetables that are “high in oxalate.” If everyone ate plenty of green vegetables each and every day, it would likely put me out of business. And I’m ok with that if it means even a few lives saved and their quality of life improved. Please pay no attention to this article.
Pradaxa a safer drug? I think not. It caused severe dizziness in me when I had to take it for an episode of atrial fib brought on by the vagus nerve being assaulted from severe vomiting due to food poisoning. I was told by the doctor the dizziness was not caused by the Pradaxa. Funny how I would get dizzy about 20 minutes after I took it and the dizziness went away when I took myself off of the drug. All I wanted to do was take it at night while I slept so that the side effect would not keep me from being functional during waking hours. The nurse lied to me saying that the effects of the drug stayed in the body for 12hours and I needed to take it morning and evening. I called the pharmacist and asked how long 150 mg. lasted in the body and he told me 85 hours. She worked me over telling me I was putting myself and family at risk for a stroke and would change their lives forever and was being incredible selfish in not taking the full dosage day and night. Many lies, fear mongering for me to submit and take the drug that I knew was causing me problems. My CHAD score is 0, of course, I had to research this fact for myself.
My gut has not been the same since the little time I was on Pradaxa. This has been well over a year and I’m still trying to restore my gut, which by the way could not handle (digest) raw veggies, so steaming them is the only way I could eat them until my gut is healed.
Depending on the study, there has been up to 500 deaths in the first year alone for users of pradaxa. Since you a the cardiologist, I’ll let you digg to find the “outside the big pharma box” info for yourself. It is a 1-800- BAD-DRUG.
So, for me this post about oxalates found in greens and the possibility of the overuse of green smoothies “may” be harmful for “some” people is benign to the claims you make.
Coumadin is bad. Pradaxa is bad. “coumadin nurses” have to monitor people because these drugs are so harmful to the human body.
With all due respect, for the benefit of your patients, think/research/practice outside the box and speak truth about the drugs you prescribe on a daily basis. Give the facts and let the patient make their own decision based on those facts. Pradaxa is not safe.
i dont know much about this stuff but i have read many artilces about health stuff and saw many videos or programs but still i only drink Green tea and it works and i think this is the best drink for health. and i also suggest you to drink green tea, do excercise, walking. you can see the difference quickly. your article is nice and it really helps people to think why are they doing.
thanks
Alan Green
@Beautifully human: I am pretty sure that modern man did not invent red meat. I believe the same Creator who put the grass and trees on earth put the animals there, too, and mankind has neen eating them for millennia. God did not, however endow us with blenders an juicers with which to drastically alter the structure of and availability of the elements of a leaf.
And after a lifetime of eating the modern, highly processed diet, and sedentary lifestyle, that person’s organs are no longer highly functioning where absorbing the nutrients of “all the right foods” is very poor. Doing this to at least get out of a sickened state has benefits that outweigh the “risk” by a landslide. No one is saying “have smoothies for life”.
They are saying having these vegetables in this manner have made life flipping differences to people who were already up a creek, stranded by doctors and all of the other fickle flip-flop health advice out there.
Sarah, I think that you should delete this article. The lack of scientific studies behind it is alarming. Right or wrong, what you are saying is unsupported. As the first article that comes up on Google, you are influencing people – and influencing their health. Something so precious should not be treated lightly. People deserve evidence, not generalisations. Then they can make their own judgments.
who came up with vegetables can devastate our health its funny my Doctor tell me to add them all the time how can the things GOD put here for us Devastate our health I would think Sugar, Redmeat and GMO would Devastate our health not Veggies