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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
Vicky, you are a nutritionist and you believe that eating fat makes you fat? Wow. And, no offense but mainstream nutritionists have fallen prey to every “fad” and bad piece of nutrition advice to come down the pike in the last twenty years. Eggs are perfect example. For YEARS those in your field were freakish about not eating too many eggs per week because of the cholesterol and then OOPS, our bad, eggs are actually an almost perfect food and fine to eat and what’s more, consumed cholesterol has little to no lasting impact on blood cholesterol levels anyway. With all the latest info and studies that have come out in the last two years regarding the fallacy of the low-fat way of eating I”m actually kind of shocked that you posted what you did. Harvard School of Public Health just came out with the (I think) the latest, saying there was no evidence to support low-fat=health and we should but low-fat diets to bed for good.
Ug…enter…
1. If you drain the liquid what about the magnesium? Leafy greens are about as high as you can get in Magnesium based on my research. So do we supplement because we aren’t getting nearly any in our diet because we drain off the liquid for fear of oxalates?
2. The main issue I have personally found with green smoothies is that they don’t contain fats. When I (personally) began adding coconut oil my teeth and health improved.
3. You do realize that your article is basically saying greens are bad for you, correct? What would you suggest as an alternative?
4. Green smoothies are what get many people headed down the healthy path as they can see quick results, do you really want to turn people away from that?
Thank you for a great article. Nobody believes me when I am saying these things…… maybe they will believe it if somebody else does!
from what i’ve studied over the years, this writer failed to mention that one must have an ENOURMOUS amounts of greens everyday to have oxalate build-up. the 1-2 cups of raw greens in a smoothie, even more and daily, is not enough to cause harm. this article certainly did not consider to include the many, many studies that find greens to be the foundation of a good healthy diet.
This article is as bad and off base as the article on how to remove a tick. What’s next? Unreal the horrible advice given here. How much does the Price foundation pay you to say these things?
Thanks for the article! What about “green supplements” … the organic packets that contain all the nutrients of green leafy veggies? thanks!
I am not a fan of “green” powder supplements. They are highly processed after all … who knows what kind of nutrition is actually left in them? I would just eat some of the sacred traditional foods instead. I have a video plus written blog on these important foods for health.
How about the quantum greens mix that radiant life catalog website recommends?
Once my asthmatic & low immune system (at the time 3 yr. old) son was given a green smoothie daily (1/3 c), all his asthma symptoms went away. He hasn’t had any serious illness or an asthma attack in almost 3 years. I solely believe it was from the green smoothies. We don’t have them as much anymore but still feel they supply much needed nutrition. I feel that the broth/cod liver oil/traditional foods help the inside of the body in an important way but different from the smoothies. I feel fully balanced with both. I have wondered why my mom didn’t give me spinach in a smoothie or salad since I can’t stand cooked spinach with vinegar, yuck! I will try it cooked with butter. I doubt I will like it; I hope I’m wrong.
Alright, my internet let me finally get in. I have a few questions.
Are you kidding me?!?! Time to unlike this page!!!
No one if forced as far as I know to read Sarah’s blogs .
Im not sure that I can get into the article either. I think its just a ploy to get people to not get healthier so they can remain on pharms drugs etc. Mainstream is constantly turning a blind eye to natural things and natural remedies because that would mean money loss. If you do research from the beginning of time the healthiest people were the ones who had a very high diet of raw fruits and veggies, we need those most along with water and then other things are below that like grains, meats, etc Moderation I do think is important but I will not stop having a green smoothie a day just because someone is trying to tell me now that veggies are bad for you and should limit them to only once in awhile
I cannot believe you just suggested that Sarah is pro- pharma! You haven’t read any of her other posts!
Carrie- Apparently you have never read Sarah’s blog or have a clue as to the research she has at hand by Dr. Weston price. You just read the article and then went off on a rant of your own opinion that was completely unfounded. People are telling Sarah to do the research when in fact you have not done it yourself. Yes the article could have been a little more clear for those that have never read about or know what her blog is about or have never eaten traditionally. But to get all bent out of shape over her recommendation to eat in moderation and to be aware of the harm you are doing to your body by eating too much of this is just ridiculous. Keep eating the way you want. It’s your right to eat what you want. But if you ever are concerned then do some research on Weston Price and his findings and see what is seriously wrong with the way things are being done today and why we are having all of the issues, diseases, and mass use of pharmaceuticals that we are suddenly having. And to trust newer research that is led by the pharmaceutical companies? Wake up people! If you care about your health then take a better look at the way you prepare your foods. If not then carry on.