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6 Tips to Reduce Oxalates in Your Diet
Paula Gallagher on
Lately, I have been getting calls about oxalates and whether they should be avoided. The answer is... it depends. Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds found in many plant-based foods, such as spinach, beets, rhubarb, nuts and chocolate. They are also produced by the human body as a waste product of metabolism.
In small amounts, oxalates are generally not harmful to most people. However, for some individuals, consuming high levels of oxalates can lead to a condition called hyperoxaluria, which is characterized by the formation of calcium oxalate crystals in the urine or kidneys. When these crystals accumulate in the kidneys, they can lead to the development of kidney stones. Another problem of oxalates is that they can bind to certain nutrients and prevent them from being readily absorbed, which can cause depletion and then other health issues such as joint pain, inflammation and digestive problems.
Should You Avoid Oxalates?
While oxalates included as a part of a balanced diet aren’t going to be problematic for most people, certain populations may benefit from avoiding or minimizing their intake.
People with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones
First, people with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones or kidney disease may want to watch their oxalate intake. People who suffer from hyperoxaluria, a genetic condition that leads to too much oxalate in their urine, should also moderate their consumption of high oxalate foods. If their concentration of urinary oxalates becomes too high, people with hyperoxaluria are at risk for calcium oxalate kidney stones.
People with mineral deficiencies
Individuals who are at a higher risk for nutritional deficiencies (particularly minerals) may want to minimize oxalate intake. Because oxalates bind to minerals, if you’re deficient in calcium, zinc or magnesium already, consistently eating a lot of high oxalate foods can worsen your deficiency. This is more of a concern with calcium deficiency, as adequate calcium intake helps with the excretion of oxalates. As for iron, research suggests that oxalate intake doesn’t really seem to impact iron uptake from diet.
People with hyperparathyroid disease
People who have hyperparathyroid disease may also want to avoid a diet rich in oxalates. Hyperparathyroid disease is a condition in which there’s too much parathyroid hormone (PTH) production. Having too much PTH can lead to a loss of calcium. And a diet high in oxalates, which can bind to calcium, can make already low levels of this critical nutrient even lower.
People with gut malabsorption issues
Individuals with gut malabsorption issues – like short bowel, malabsorptive bowel disease, or Celiac disease – may benefit from a lower oxalate diet. In many cases, too few bacteria may be present in their digestive tract to degrade oxalates sufficiently. This can also be an issue for people who have undergone bariatric surgery for obesity in which alteration of the gastrointestinal system may impact the absorption of certain nutrients.
How to Reduce Oxalates
If you fall into a category that requires more awareness of oxalate-containing foods in your diet, or just want to exercise caution, here are some tips to reduce dietary oxalates.
1. Reduce oxalate intake: Limiting high-oxalate foods in the diet may help reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. Foods to avoid or limit include spinach, rhubarb, beets, nuts, chocolate, and certain types of berries.
2. Increase fluid intake: Drinking plenty of water and other fluids can help flush out excess oxalate from the body and reduce the risk of kidney stone formation.
3. Supplement with calcium: Consuming calcium along with oxalate-rich foods can help prevent oxalate from being absorbed into the body and may reduce the risk of kidney stone formation.
4. Increase magnesium: You ideally want to consume foods that are high in magnesium in some proximity to your intake of high oxalate foods. Magnesium can also help reduce oxalate absorption when taken at around the same time. These effects disappear if your intake of magnesium and oxalate differ by 12 hours or more. You can take a magnesium supplement or potentially increase your intake of magnesium-rich foods, like whole grains, legumes, low-oxalate nuts, seeds and greens.
5. Cook oxalate-rich foods before eating them: By the time most foods high in oxalates get to our plates, they may no longer contain enough to cause problems. Research suggests that boiling and steaming can significantly reduce oxalate content. One study found that boiling reduced oxalates in raw vegetables by 30-87%, and steaming reduced them by 5-53%. Roasting, grilling or baking, however, may have little to no effect on oxalates.
6. Soak, sprout or ferment oxalate-rich foods before cooking them: One study found that soaking pulses (the edible seeds of plants in the legume family) before cooking significantly reduced oxalate levels. The researchers found that approximately 24-72% of total oxalates in pulses appeared to be soluble, meaning their concentrations dissolved in water. Another study found that the fermentation of kimchi, using silverbeet (also known as chard), led to a significant reduction in oxalate content. Furthermore, there was a 72.3% reduction in the amount of calcium bound to insoluble oxalate in the kimchi. Sprouting may also reduce oxalate content by up to 80% in red kidney beans. (However, it’s important to always cook kidney beans well, even if you sprout them, because they contain a type of lectin called phytohaemagglutinin that can be toxic. Fortunately, cooking destroys this and other harmful lectins.)
Please note that people with hyperoxaluria may be at increased risk for kidney damage, so regular monitoring of kidney function may be recommended.
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