Low oxalate diet: foods to eat and foods to avoid!

A low oxalate diet is advised for certain conditions. But research has shown that this diet does more harm than good to the dieter. Nonetheless, which foods to eat and which foods to avoid on this diet?

The low oxalate diet

The human body produces oxalate as oxalic acid. And certain foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and legumes also contain oxalates naturally. These oxalates enter the body via the gut. Calcium in the foods can bind to them and inhibit their absorption.

From the blood, the oxalates get excreted out in the urine. And when the urine is concentrated or less in amounts and urine oxalates are high, they can bind to the urinary calcium and form renal stones. In such cases, some doctors advise a low oxalate diet.

Additionally, some benefits of this diet have been observed in kids with autism. Moreover, this diet has shown some promise in management of vulvodynia which is chronic pain of the vulva.

Foods to eat

Based on the amount of oxalates in them, foods are grouped into the following four categories.

Very high: these foods have greater than 100 mg of oxalate per serving
High- In these foods, the amount of oxalate is in the range of 26 to 99 mg per serving.
Moderate- In these foods, oxalate content is 10 to 25 mg per serving
Low- In these foods, oxalate amount is a mere 5 to 9 mg per serving.

And on this diet, eat foods with low or moderate oxalate in them. These include:

Fruits- bananas, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, apricots, apples, and lemons.

Vegetables- cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, mustard greens, zucchini, peas, onions, mushrooms.

Starchy grains- white rice, oat bran and corn flour

Protein foods- eggs, fish, poultry, meat

Dairy foods- milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter

Herbs and spices- cumin, cilantro, dill, black pepper, cinnamon

Beverages- water, fruit juice, coffee

Foods to avoid

From the above four categories, foods that are high or very high in oxalate are to be omitted. Foods to avoid are as follows:

Fruits: such as kiwis, rhubarb, oranges, dates, raspberries, and tangerines

Vegetables: those with high oxalate in them are spinach, chard, beets, potatoes, yams, turnips, okra, and carrots

Legumes: these are fava beans, navy beans, kidney beans, etc.

Grains- such as brown rice, couscous, cornmeal, corn grits, bulgar, and millet.

Nuts: such as almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, and cashews

Seeds: seeds of pumpkin and sunflower are rich in oxalate.

Chocolate and cocoa

Soybean, tofu

Beverages: like chocolate milk, hot chocolate, tea, and tomato juice.

This restrictive diet can get unhealthy in the long run. Hence instead of using this diet, one can increase calcium in the diet or drink more water. Also limiting salt intake and avoiding vitamin C rich foods or supplements will also help. The vitamin C gets concerted into oxalate in the body.

Also, read Best foods for calcium oxalate kidney stones!

Soaking or cooking the natural foods that have high oxalate in them can reduce their amounts in them. And the foods can be safely consumed without any risks.