Welcome friends. I’m glad you’re here. Do you eat a lot of vegetables to try and get healthy or get in shape. I know I do, but after my son’s doctor appointment, I started digging deeper into oxalates. Every so often I am introduced to an old concept in a new and different way. This helps me find that “ah ha” moment that leads me to conclude that maybe this is what I need to stay healthy, and I can share with you guys that moment so you too can stay healthy. I believe by finding out about oxalates, I have found that moment. So, I am going to share with you what oxalates are and if you should avoid them.
What are Oxalates?
The terms “oxalic acid” and “oxalate” are used interchangeably throughout the nutrition science field. Oxalic acid is an organic compound found in many plants, including leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. In plants, it’s usually bound to minerals, forming oxalate. Your body can produce oxalate on its own or obtain it from food. Vitamin C can also be converted into oxalate when it’s metabolized and once consumed, oxalate can form compounds, including calcium oxalate and iron oxalate. This will mostly occur in the colon, but it can also take place in the kidneys and other parts of the urinary tract.
Health Effects
Having high levels of oxalates could potentially affect patients with chronic ailments and these compounds are extremely misunderstood. When doctors think of oxalates, they typically only think of them in the context of kidney stone formation. However, they are involved in many more processes. Elevated oxalates can cause a variety of other health issues from kidney stones to joint pain, from structural challenges to styes, from chronic bladder pain to general chronic pain.
Diet and Lack of Nutrients
Dietary insufficiencies, such as low amounts of B6, B1, can contribute to hyperoxaluria. Inadequate nutrient consumption in the face of excessive non-nutrient foods (i.e., processed foods) is a major issue for people today. With people working more hours, being home less, and with a lack of education and guidance to healthier choices, people have become deficient in more vitamins and miners than just Vit. B6. This is a problem with the modern western diet in its entirety.
In addition to a vitamin and mineral deficiency, people that don’t digest fat well, could have oxalates build up in their system and bind to minerals in the GI tract, which increases absorption of dietary oxalates. This often happens with low bile flow, lack of a gallbladder, or poor digestion of fats.
Testing
Tests currently available to evaluate the oxalate levels in the body are urine tests that are essentially measuring “excretion.” The Organic Acids Urine Test (OATS) is one of the urine tests from Great Plains Laboratory that has 3 markers that can help your practitioner evaluate your oxalate levels. Slightly elevated levels may not be a concern, but levels that are 5-10x the normal range would reflect more than dietary absorption of oxalates.
What Foods Are High in Oxalates
Below is a list of high oxalate foods to possibly avoid or illuminate from your diet. But as always, these foods are also high in vitamins and minerals so your doctor might have you continue to eat them due to their benefits will outweigh their risk.
In conclusion, I hope this information helps you to either talk to your doctor or maybe just reduce these foods to avoid any future problems. As always, I hope with the information I provide here helps you live a happier, healthier, life. Please contact me if you ever need help with getting into shape or maybe you just have a question to ask me and I will be more than happy to help out any way I can.
Take care,
Darren
Harmony Shift 