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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 disagree with this article. What about people who eat salad every day?
The idea is that one kind of food and one food only is a bad idea. A salad everyday does not mean just a salad. People tend to eat salad with other food. You would agree that just eating a salad everyday without variation would be bad?
If you eat a salad with iceberg lettuce, spinach, cheese, and a bit of chicken every day without anything else thats not good.
Its not saying anything is unhealthy as a general rule even high oxalate greens….I keep wondering if people are reading a different article than I am.
Completely missed the point of Green Smoothies.
A very negative view of something very healthy.
Processed food, crisps, burgers……. You eat what you want and I will continue to eat healthy food, whxih will include green smoothies.
I think what the author of this article is saying that consuming a LOT of green leafy vegetables MAY not be good for SOME people, especially those suffering from a candida yeast or fungal overgrowth. I had a yeast overgrowth for years and had to make some dietary changes which drastically improved my health. I starting eating almonds, lots of them, not knowing that they are very high in oxalates, as well as a lot of other healthy foods, almost all high in oxalates. Even though I started out feeling better I soon started experiencing a lot of pain, and further research led me to the pain-oxalate connection. I am now on a low oxalate diet and the pain level has gone down. So good for you if you do not have issues that require you to be on a low oxalate diet…this is not the case for everyone. But it certainly can have benefits for a lot of people, including those with autism.
Karen, the same exact thing happened to me! I was eating almonds by the handful, along with lots of spinach and a few other high oxalate foods –AND– eating less calcium on my gluten and dairy free diet. The pain seriously interfered with my life and my doctor’s only advice was putting me on low dose estrogen for the rest of my life. Fortunately I looked into things on my own and discovered the oxalate connection. After avoiding just the foods that are high and very high in oxalate for two days, my pain cleared up. I am since completely off the estrogen (thank goodness!!), eating low and medium oxalate foods (which is seriously easy enough to do!), taking calcium citrate with each meal, and completely back to normal!!
i do not see any references in this article. you need proof to base your facts on.
This information is rather misleading, there has been not a single case of health issues related to the consumption of green leafy vegetables, just the entire opposite, in fact there is an article wich clear us out so many myths about oxalic acid and how this in fact is good for us, almost every single one of the natural remedies or plants that are recogn to have anti-cancer properties are oxalic acid rich. You can check this information here!
Its misleading that you can have too many oxalates? Considering the fact that you can have too much of anything including water…I think you can have too many oxalates.
If your stomach bursts from eating 20 pounds of spinach…I think that’s too many oxalates. Its doubtful that its healthy to eat over a certain amount. You can have too much of anything.
But to post such an article about Green drinks as if its as bad as eating a hamburger and ff i find outrageous!!!!!!! I rather have kidney stones then heart disease
@Ken btw my name is spelled Jonathan….its a pet peeve…its not Johnathan no biggy…anyway
Why don’t you try and read my links and watch the video on the link about saturated fat? Saturated fat is not as bad as you think it is. The body needs saturated fat. The basis for saturated fats being called evil is flawed.
There is plenty of good information if you would just read it instead of ignoring. Dr. Steven Gundry is an expert on fat. That podcast explains much of the issue with fats. There are indeed people that get inflammation from animal fats besides fish and seafood. That set of people is small.
It is an issue with the saturated fat and how it reacts with their systems, but the saturated fat from vegetable sources such as coconut oil or red palm oil are fine for them. Also since fish contains little saturated fat it is also fine for them.
@Ken
This article mentions some ways of eating greens besides eating them raw and mentions the fact that some people can have issues while eating too many greens raw.
It is not saying that green drinks are as bad as eating hamburgers….That is a stretch. Its saying you can overdo green smoothies. You can overdo pretty much anything including water which everyone of course needs, but if you drink too much too fast you will die.
Its sad but people keep seeming to want to make this article mean something it doesn’t….the author is not saying that vegetables are worse than junk food or that you shouldn’t have green smoothies at all or anything of the sort. They are saying people shouldn’t just drink green smoothies and nothing else. They are saying green smoothies and just green smoothies can be an issue.
There have been some explanations for why this can lead to problems. Much of it because really high Oxalate greens are used while not using other greens at all.
Just try eating just Spinach and nothing else in green smoothies for a weeks on end….the result won’t be good. That doesn’t mean that I’m saying a Spinach smoothie is bad…just that too much of something can be bad.
I have had a green smoothie, just about every day for twenty years….Prior to ingesting green smoothies, I had weak kidneys…I had cancer, I had achy joints….Now I have strong kidneys, no cancer and no more achy joints….You cannot have too many greens…The closest substance on earth to human blood, which makes human tissue, muscle and bone is the Blood of plants…chlorophyll…There is only one molecule difference and that is magnesium…which we need for healing. In WW II in Italy when they ran out of human blood they would give intravenous drips of GREEN JUICE….The more green I eat and drink, the better I feel….No one, not anyone believes my age…I hike, run, do intense yoga and still have an active career and I can outdo most women 1/2 my age. Green Smoothies ARE NOT HARMFUL…
@Catherine
I think people are being way too defensive with this article…no one is saying vegetables are bad for you. No one is saying Green Smoothies are bad and you should never drink one.
Again no one said Green Smoothies are necessarily bad. They said that too much of a good thing can be a problem. This is true for everything including water….you said you had 1 green smoothie every day for twenty years?….Perhaps more some days?
Did you ever eat anything else? I’m guessing the answer is yes. The problem isn’t in Green smoothies but green smoothies with only one type of vegetable all the time while eating nothing else.
I guess it could be made up….but I’m guessing if people are talking about health issues related to consuming too many greens that its certainly possible. Perhaps it doesn’t happen much, but that doesn’t mean its impossible…its possible to drink too much water and water is one of the most important things for us to have good health.
So it only makes sense that there is an amount of greens which is too much.
I guess people are too caught up in their own defensive reflex that they aren’t reading what I’m saying…because no one has said anything about it.
So what your saying is Olive oil is good for you? i suggest you watch Dr. Caldwell B Esselstyn youtube video or read his studies…… Again we can either keep cutting people open, which doesn’t cure them…or we can stop heart disease in it’s tracks. People can decide, but remember moderation kills because the disease will continue progress. His studies shows just weeks after stopping all animal and oils the vessel open dramatically and the profusion flow of blood is shocking.