Removing Oxalates from leafy greens

[Veganed]

I am trying to add a certain type of leafy greens to my diet. I've tried spinach and kale so far. I found these to irritate my stomach, and after reading about oxalates I have switched to just kale, and have been boiling it. Although this has reduced the irritation, it is still there, and my other concern is how the oxalates, some of which must have not been removed, reduce mineral absorption.
Is there a more effective methods to reduce oxalates in leafy greens or any other strategies vegans can use to get the benefits of these vegetables without the disadvantages?

 

[Lou]

I am trying to add a certain type of leafy greens to my diet. I've tried spinach and kale so far. I found these to irritate my stomach, and after reading about oxalates I have switched to just kale, and have been boiling it. Although this has reduced the irritation, it is still there, and my other concern is how the oxalates, some of which must have not been removed, reduce mineral absorption.
Is there a more effective methods to reduce oxalates in leafy greens or any other strategies vegans can use to get the benefits of these vegetables without the disadvantages?

I did some research on this years ago. The two take aways that I remember is that oxalates are really nothing to lose sleep over. And cooked spinach is really good.

 

[Veganite]

I found these to irritate my stomach,

If they irritate your stomach then I am not sure what you can do. Are you absolutely sure it's because of the oxalates? There's many foods that contain oxalates.

I was once advised a long time ago to avoid foods high in oxalates, as I had a few episodes of kidney stones. Since going vegan I've ignored the urologist's advise and haven't had kidney stones in over 15 years. I'm with Lou on this one. Unless you are absolutely certain they're the cause of the irritation, I wouldn't lose sleep over oxalates. I always like to suggest medical advice. It hopefully takes the guesswork out of the equation.

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[Emma JC]

I agree with the medical advice suggestion as I would be surprised if it is the greens that are causing stomach irritation, it may be something else that you are eating?

There are lots of other great greens that you can try... bok choy, arugula, collard, swiss chard and even simple romaine.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Emma JC]

also, putting lemon juice on your greens, after steaming or even when raw will help you to absorb the nutrients and, who knows, maybe it will help to settle your stomach?

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[beforewisdom]

I would consult a health professional and see if there is an objective way ( like a medical test ) to see if it is the oxalate that is making your stomach upset.

If it is something else, you want to know that so you can fix the problem.

Frozen greens can be easier to digest.

 

[digitarian]

is a great starting point to understanding how to avoid oxalates. They're not only in spinach but in almonds and other foods too!

You know - kale does bother my stomach too - so I eat collards instead - they're really nice. It's practically the same species. I watched Gordon Ramsay on how to make a salad (I can't find the video - he was in a park - and it's on youtube) - and I agree with the lemon juice in being able to break down the greens, but feel that's only a part of the picture - you'd also want protein to heal any digestive tract damage and get nutrients in, along with sugar that neutralizes acids. Then you'd have fats - which also protect your body to some extent from anti-nutrients - especially balance the bitterness. Gordon Ramsay explained you should have every different flavors balancing out each other to make a complete meal.

He said to massage kale - which many say makes it easier to digest. You can also try baby kale or microgreens or sprouts even!

Then again - there just are plenty of great tasting greens that aren't full of oxalates - like lettuce - romaine's great, along with herbs. You also don't really have to eat greens in order to eat vegan - unlike what others might've said. I honestly prefer powders like spirulina and chlorophyll. I also eat dandelion (or its look-alikes) greens, which I feel are the healthiest.

 

[SuicideBlonde]

To get the proper iron from the leafy greens you need to add something with vitamin C, like tomatoes or peppers. I can't help with the stomach upset though.

 

[digitarian]

you can also juice veggies - it just will be stripped of fiber, but won't have anti-nutrients - at least in a way that'll impact the body. It's easier to digest food in liquid form.
I also heard certain types of chopping also leads to either better absorption or reduction of antinutrients (since cutting something exposes it to air - leading to chemical reactions like oxidizing - such as browning of apples and avocados - to making stuff go rancid - like flax seeds; or it may break down plant body parts in a way that's easier to eat) - I'm no expert to really know and say and it's been a while since I looked into it - but I heard chiffonade does this best - due to the diagonal cutting into the fibers.

 

[beforewisdom]

I heard about Hemsworth. He was drinking spinach juice. Spinach does have a lot of oxalate AND he was process his food by making it into a juice enabling himself to take in much more oxalate than he could of had by eating spinach in a varied diet.

 

[digitarian]

I heard about Hemsworth. He was drinking spinach juice. Spinach does have a lot of oxalate AND he was process his food by making it into a juice enabling himself to take in much more oxalate than he could of had by eating spinach in a varied diet.

according to what I read - it wasn't juicing - he was making smoothies. And he would add more to be 'healthier' is what I heard. I could be wrong of course. Do you have a source on what you wrote?

 

[beforewisdom]

Do you?

This is a casual conversation.

There were articles about it when the story came out.

You can probably web search them down.

 

[digitarian]

Do you?

This is a casual conversation.

There were articles about it when the story came out.

You can probably web search them down.

you wrote it - so only you would know, as like I said - all my sources were saying something different. Feel free to watch the video I posted.

 

[bEt]

I have been trying to learn about plant families. One big family is the mustards. Some mustards have a stronger mustard flavor, such as the curly greens labeled "mustard greens" at a supermarket near me. One of the more mild mustard family members in my experience is bok choy. At a local Asian market I discovered greens labeled "y u choy" ( the y and the u are one word but autocorrect won't let me write it). I have found that all greens loose a lot of their heat or bite when boiled and drained. Yes you probably loose some nutrients that way but if it helps your tummy it may be worth it.

Another plant family includes carrot, celery, parsnip, parsley and I think also dill, cilantro, fennel. A farmer told me that parsley is actually as good or better than spinach for antioxidants and phytonutrients. Makes sense to me, they are a dark leafy green if you want to call them that.

To my knowledge, lettuce, radichio, and dandelion and thistles, sunflowers, and tumbleweeds are in a plant order together.

The spinach family is most famous for oxalates. Spinach, chard, beets, and my favorite, a weed called lambsquarters (which often has less oxalates than some of its cultivated cousins)s, and I believe also sorrels are in that "order". The frozen spinach in the grocery freezer has been boiled and drained. A lot of older recipes tell you to boil and drain your spinach and even squeeze it dry before adding to, say, lasagna. Probably the boiling and draining cuts down on the oxalates if that's a concern for you.

If you want to think outside the box there are a couple of weeds in the carnation/pinks " order" that I enjoy. One is purslane, which does have oxalates so if the oxalates are truly an irritant for you, you would want to try smaller amounts. Another edible weed is chickweed, but it has saponins that can cause digestive upset when eaten in quantity.

Stinging nettle is edible. You have to be careful collecting it obviously (I use scissors and gloves and/or chopstics and a paper bag), but once boil they loose their sting.

One more consideration is to start with small amount of any new foods to give your body time to adjust.

All plants are very good sources of the trace mineral boron compared to animal based and a lot of people say we need enough boron to use our calcium.

 

[LoreD]

You might not have the problem with the green powders. I've used them, and they are fairly tasty mixed with juice or in a smoothie.


Here are the ingredients of one of the green powder drinks:

Amazing Grass Green Food Blend Organic Wheat Grass, Organic Barley Grass, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Spinach, Organic Spirulina, Organic Chlorella (cracked cell-wall) and Organic Broccoli	5.7 g	*
Amazing Grass Antioxidant Blend Organic Rose Hips, Organic Pineapple, Organic Carrot, Acerola Cherry, Green Tea, Organic Acai, Organic Beet, Raspberry and Organic Maca

 

[LoreD]

according to what I read - it wasn't juicing - he was making smoothies. And he would add more to be 'healthier' is what I heard. I could be wrong of course. Do you have a source on what you wrote?

I saw an interview with Liam Hemsworth where he said that he made green smoothies every morning with "6 large handfuls of spinach". Most people would agree that is an oxalate overload. He even said that he sometimes had more spinach smoothies later in the day.

Hemsworth’s ailment was what is known in medical circles as a calcium oxalate stone. The painful stone formed due to an excessively high level of oxalate – a chemical compound found in nuts, spinach, legumes and bran – in his diet. These were foods Hemsworth was consuming in epic proportions. By the time he was hospitalised, the actor’s morning smoothie alone consisted of five handfuls of spinach, almond milk, almond butter and vegan protein.

Home

www.menshealth.com.au

 

[LoreD]

I hadn't used the green powders in a while, since they are pretty expensive. I decided to give it a try again, and picked some up over at the health food store.

Boy, that was a shock to the system. I woke up at 5:30 this morning, and I wasn't hungry. Since I am retired, I usually don't get up before 9 am. I went out for a walk, and then didn't eat anything, except for my green juice, until lunchtime.

I don't seem to need my afternoon nap, either.