Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
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
Oxalate is water soluble. If you’re going to consume a high-oxalate diet drink plenty of water.
2 words. Hog! Wash!
PS: The lady above in the video cured herself of severe MS.
Yes, Dr. Terry Whal’s three-plates of veggies especially kale paleo diet did cure her of MS and is probably good for Parkinson’s, other neurological conditions and a wide variety of autoimmune diseases. People with thyroid sensitivity may need to steam cruciferous vegetables first. I recommend the video to my patients and my doctor has recommended it to me. She doesn’t have kidney stone issues and perhaps people who do need to choose different greens, or maybe not since the research isn’t clear about eating oxalates as opposed to manufacturing oxalic acid crystals.
“If you enjoy green leafy vegetables, enjoy them only on occasion in a salad or even better, cook them thoroughly in lots of butter and carefully drain and discard all the cooking water — never use it in soups and sauces!”??? That’s interesting. Watch this video & then tell me raw leafy green vegetables aren’t HUGELY important. I DO agree with moderation in all things, & “too cold” or “too hot” can be detrimental to your health, especially if consumed too often. And I don’t have a problem with cooking in small amounts of butter, but I do NOT agree with discarding the cooking water (which so many of the nutrients transferred too) & keeping green leafies to a minimum. I agree with several points in the article, but there are just certain things that don’t fit. Who’s ever heard of not eating a lot of greens??? That’s a new one to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KLjgBLwH3Wc
I’m curious about powdered drinks such as ormus greens that we have drank here before (makes it easier to take to work, etc) and were considering getting into again. I’m curious if the oxalates are stable enough to survive through that kind of dehydrating/cooking as well?
I’ve been a WAPF eater for almost 10 years. I just started green smoothies with an organic spring mix to bring more “raw” into my diet, thinking more along the lines of Pottinger’s group. I’m striving for weight loss, more energy, less constipation (even though I go every day). I can only do so many fermented veggies and I thought this might fill a void in my diet and provide a simple lunch. Could you suggest a healthy smoothie that is not kefir based? I already do plain dairy kefir in the morning. My green smoothie has the following: raw egg yolk, cold pressed coconut oil, raw milk, frozen berries, freshly squeezed orange juice, stevia, and two handfuls of spring mix baby greens.
Thanks!
raw greens are not good for us they are good for cows… people dont eat grass they cant digest it
So, what I think you’re getting at is that we end up consuming a lot more greens in a smoothie or juiced than we would likely eat in a salad causing our moderation sensor to be “off”. Normally, we might blend our greens in a salad and have smaller portions because, let’s be frank, they aren’t the tastiest thing. I’d say in relation to candida, the sugar is mainly the instigator. When we make smoothies (rather than a small juice or salad), we tend to add high sugar fruits. Might as well eat ice cream at that point. So a smoothie every once in a while isn’t bad but instead of juicing an entire head of kale or collard to put in it, maybe just have a leaf or two, and rather than add in a bunch of fruit to sweeten, possibly some lemon, celery and cucumber so we aren’t oxalated AND sugared out simultaneously which both feed candida. Am I getting this right?
ohhh great !!
When you link to the article at the bottom at the Weston Price foundation it says this ” Lettuces, by the way, are very low in oxalates. The biggest problem vegetarians face is eating a diet high in soy protein and spinach.” I’m going to stick with my daily salad for lunch, but be more aware of how large amounts of spinach & a few other foods can affect me. I suffer from Candida, so it was a very interesting read (especially the linked article).