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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
“Be sure to serve cooked leafy greens with a healthy, traditional fat like butter”
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
How can anyone take this article seriously?!
The same way someone will take a comment starting with LOLOLOLOL etc seriously if it supports their side. Butter doesn’t make you fat. Neither does a fat just because it’s saturated. Those too, are the results of flawed studies that happened to catch on.
Touché! 🙂
Butter was not my main issue – I found more humour in the belief that COOKED veg is healthier…
Sadly I feel the need to preface this with the fact that I eat plenty of animal product and not just one type of “greens”, knowing it’ll still fall on deaf ears.
Not everything that “catches on” is a fad. I’m against fads. I’m also against writing off good ideas because they “got too popular” with certain circles, even if those in certain circles rubbed me the wrong way for whatever reason.
Some things catch on when enough people share what works for them when nothing else did over the years. I’m not talking about weight loss, I’m talking about healing what was left up a creek by every single avenue taken, suggested, or forcibly steered.
I didn’t start eating celery (oh no, nitrates!) and broccoli-slaw (oh no, iodine!) because some hip nutritionist in Portlandia told me to. I started eating it because the one time I had nothing better to snack on yet another day I felt like I was hit by a bus where nothing ever improves that situation for more than a few minutes, I was left wondering how the hell these two items managed to make more improvement in that state than anything else. I was slumped down in my chair giving up my weekend, not showing off to a yoga instructor or whatever fantasy people have about this stuff. Those two things alone, are a chore to choke down (in the morning, when I needed them), especially as my kidneys were not functioning properly. This little tiny revelation was a base that I have worked off of, and I now rarely feel like I’ve been beaten to a pulp every morning I get up and try to face the day.
Please, TELL me I’m a fad. Please tell me I should’ve kept going to my family doctor and living my life like a train-wreck even though I did my best to eat healthy and balanced (and no, not what the Food Pyramid taught me in 2nd grade).
Tell us we’re all fads. At least something actually works. This is not fun stuff to have to worry about, or figure out, or talk about to strangers on the internet at 3 in the morning. If it didn’t actually work, the internet, the NUMBER ONE place to complain in public about all that sh!tty things in life that DIDN’T work for us as promised, would be filled of comments reflecting that. You wouldn’t have to look hard. What is it full of? It’s full of people who went years up a creek after getting nowhere, no matter how many doctors they threw their money at. There are good doctors that are out there are ALWAYS willing to re-evaluate new information and correct their stance and realize when they’re wrong about something and work on it.
And Candida? Lay off the wheat, grains and sugars. Lay off the beans and bread and other baked yummies. Eat some Greek yogurt and honey. Nothing VeGaN about that (I eat meat, eggs cheese, and other good fats), but I sure as hell never got it from kale.
Thnks … i like thsi Article !
Healthy Home Economist is an imbecile plain and simple. I think this blog proves that any idiot who wants to go to Best buy or walmart and buy a laptop can write a blog, post it, and call it truth – doesnt mean it is knowledge. Do your research carefully people! Any crack pot with a computer can give themselves a blog name and post something! This is illustrated here with “Healthy Home Economist”
btw, The ONE research is not peer reviewed. A fact requires consensus among scientists. Unfortunately through your own ignorance and fear you created more baseless fear among the gullible and deterred them from looking after their health. Always fact-check get this ‘health’ article off the net.
“Autism and Chronic Disorders” sorry can’t make a generalized statement and apply findings in a small group to a whole population.
I call bullshit I the article!
Meh; I have been enjoying green smoothies for four years now. No issues, no problems. You could have as easily said “Leaving Your House Everyday Can Devastate Your Health.”