Page 46 - Spring2010

in AGXT are much more likely to suffer severe not many people eat a pound of black pepper every day. However, if you
reactions. They suffer peripheral neuropathy, like pepper-coated steaks, pepper may contribute to your oxalate load.
the disease of the peripheral nerves that causes- The same goes for parsley, it’s very high in oxalates but you don’t eat very
superficial and deep sensory loss; sensory ataxia, much of it.
which means not feeling a sense of balance; and Peanuts and peanut butter are problematic because some kids eat them
functional impairment. every single day. Peanut butter is not a poison, so eating it occasionally
isn’t going to bother you. The problems come when you make a few high-
OXALATES IN FOOD oxalate foods the staples in your diet.
People who are vegetarians really have to be Dr. Massey at Washington State University found that textured soy
aware of all the oxalates they take in. The biggest protein is very high in oxalates. There are 638 milligrams of oxalate per
culprit for all vegetarians is soy protein, and the 85-gram serving, which is about the size of one of these small soy burg-
second is spinach. Virtually everybody who eats ers and as much as you would find in a typical serving of spinach. The
a large spinach salad every day is going to suc- recommended amount of oxalate for people who have kidney stones is less
cumb to kidney stones. I’ve tested them over and than 30 mg a day. One soy burger contains twenty times the recommended
over again and the people who have the highest daily dose in just one single portion. This, I would say, is a major problem
oxalate values invariably tell me that a corner- for the soy producers. The soy cheese does not have nearly as much. It’s
stone of their daily diet is a large spinach salad. the textured soy protein, the soy burgers, the soy bacon that have such
If they add nuts to their salad and textured soy high levels. Some soy companies recommend that you pour textured soy
protein, both of which are very high in oxalates, protein on your breakfast cereal. You really don’t want to do that.
you’ve got a cocktail made to produce kidney How much oxalate is in the typical diet? There’s a very large range—
stones. Spinach is so high I would not recom- from 97 to 930 mg a day. To reduce kidney stones you should consume
mend eating it even cooked, as a main course. less than 30 to 50 mg a day.
Lettuces, by the way, are very low in oxalates.
The biggest problem vegetarians face is eating TREATMENT
a diet high in soy protein and spinach. Even though we can avoid the worst offenders—soy foods and spin-
Once after I gave a talk a physician came up ach—if you are enjoying a varied diet, it is difficult to reduce dietary
afterwards and told me that a few months earlier oxalate levels to near zero because they occur in so many foods—grains,
he had decided to get healthy. He decided to for- nuts, vegetables and fruits.
swear all the McDonald’s and the like. He was The most effective way to get rid of oxalates is the use of calcium
going to start eating healthy and eating healthy citrate. This supplement exerts a double potency action in eliminating
meant a very large spinach salad with lots of oxalate. The calcium part of calcium citrate binds to the oxalate and causes
pecans on it every day. Within two months he it to precipitate out in the stool so it will not be absorbed. But part of the
had kidney stones. oxalate escapes. The citrate is a second line of defense, which competes
Cooking does not destroy the oxalates; they directly with the oxalate for absorption.
are extremely stable. Cooking may reduce the For the treatment to be effective, the calcium citrate must be taken at
oxalates in foods as they precipitate into the the same time as the oxalate-containing food. If you have problems with
cooking water, and if you discard that water you any of conditions caused by oxalates—kidney stones, autism or vulvo-
are likely reducing the oxalates remaining in the dynia—then taking calcium citrate with each meal can be very effective.
food. If you drink that pot liquor, however, you If there is an adequate amount of calcium in the diet—if supplementing
will absorb the full amount. with calcium citrate, for example—it will combine with the oxalate in the
Peppercorns are very high in oxalates, but GI tract, precipitate out in the stool, and then be eliminated in the stool.

SUPER HIGH OxALATE FOODS

Spinach Lime peel Chocolate
Soy protein Rhubarb Instant coffee
Tofu Swiss chard Leeks
Peanuts Parsley Tea
Peanut butter Sweet potatoes Okra
Pecans Pokeweed Wheat germ
Lemon peel Black pepper
46 Wise Traditions SPRING 2010