Oxalates

In searching information on green leafy vegetables, I was discouraged by certain sources from eating high calcium greens like spinach or collard greens.

How can that be?

Well, there's a naturally occuring substance found in plant foods called oxalates. It's an organic acid that the body makes, but is found in abundance in plants. And word on the street is that if you eat a high calcium, high oxalate food like spinach you're headed for trouble.

Why?

B/c if you combine calcium and oxalate together, you get a calcium oxalate which translates into kidney stones. And not only that, but the oxalate would prevent calcium from being absorbed in the body and instead be excreted into the urine.

The culprits listed are spinach, collard greens, parsley. And some add celery, strawberries, nuts, beets, sweet potatoes and some other vegetables. (Also on the list is oranges, instant coffee) Avoid these guys, we're warned by some, to avoid losing calcium and not get kidney stones.

Hmm, avoid these vegetables? There's a far more worse things to avoid to prevent calcium loss, ie. excess alcohol, sugar, etc. This didn't seem right to me.

Well, apparently it wasn't right to Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. In this comprehensive health book, she writes that this is a tactic to prevent people from using these sources for calcium.

I nearly fell off my chair. But I needed more sources. I didn't have to look far. At WhFoods.com, regarding oxalates, it's written, "Since intake of dietary oxalate accounts for only 10-15% of the oxalate that is found in the urine of individuals who form calcium oxalate stones, many researchers believe that dietary restriction cannot significantly reduce risk of stone formation."

Now, they do add that if a person suffers from rare conditions like hypercalciuria type II-it's where loads of calcium are being excreted from the urine then they should avoid these foods.

The Kidney Foundation writes that if you have suffered from kidney stones or have a family history, then restricting these foods can be helpful in preventing future stones. And this caution should be heeded and a doc consulted. No question.



The NY Times reported that kidney stones are on the rise. Whereas in the past,people would get them at age 40/50. Now people are getting them at much younger ages. Some hospitals are even opening up pediatric kidney stone clinics. Obesity, a high salt diet, and not drinking enough water are factors that lead to stones.

Dr. Leroy Nyberg, of the urology dept at the National Institute of Health in Maryland says that people who are inactive can accumulate calcium in the bloodstream, and regular exercise puts calcium back where it belongs-in the bones.

And, lastly, dietician Nina Singh writes that, yes, green leafy vegetables do have oxalates which can prevent calcium absorption. But instead of avoiding them, we should make sure to eat foods that help with absorption-like fish, eggs, and liver. The target, here, she writes is vitamin D.

Now it could be that maybe, just maybe, that well-rounded, healthy meals that includes a variety of vitamins and minerals, avoiding too much processed food, drinking water, and exercise are the keys to making sure that everything interacts and flows smoothly like "nature" intended, oxalates and all...

Now, to me THAT makes sense.

G-d bless!

Check it out yourself:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?pfriendly=1&tname=george&dbid=48

http://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/newsitemArchive.cfm?id=150

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/health/28kidn.html?incamp=article_popular

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kidney-stones-hitting-more-people-more-early/385865/0

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/48/128.cfm

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050704/asp/atleisure/story_4942521.asp

Dr. Christiane Northrup, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

The Calcium Element

Everyone knows the benefits of Calcium. If you want strong bones, if you want to prevent bone breakage/ fractures and osteoporosis-which is the thinning of the bones, then you're going to want to get calcium in your diet.
And surely, the American diet gets plenty of calcium through diary products ie. milk, cheese, etc. Yes, the diary companies make sure that we understand fully the importance of calcium. Look at the countless of "Got Milk" ads with numerous celebrities. You know lots of bucks goes into these advertisements.

It's so nice that these big dairy companies are so interested in my health....

I wonder why they don't inform people that osteoporosis is actually higher in countries that drink milk?
In Dr. Northrup's book, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, she explains how in China where less calcium is consumed, and among the African Bantu women, the incidences of osteoporosis are much less than in Western countries.
In fact, there was a study done with 7800 nurses that spanned over 12 years investigating the effects of milk. This study was published in June 1997 in the American Journal of Public Health.
The study revealed that the women who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were more likely to fracture a hip or forearm than those who drank less.

Well, that doesn't make sense!
Let's zip into the world of bones and understand what's going on...
First off bones are made of two primary components: a latticed protein which allows flexibity and calcium phosphate, a mineral salt that gives the bone strength.

In order for the bone to avoid breakage, it needs both to be flexible and strong. Calcium alone is not enough.


Ok, so milk is perfect! It's got the calcium and it's protein!
Another important fact: The body breaks down the milk protein (casein) in the body by pulling calcium out from the bones. Check out Food and Our Bones by Annmarie Colbin. So drinking more milk can actually be detrimental to bone health!

Fact is that we need more than just calcium to have good bone health. We need vitamin D, MAGNESIUM, protein sources other than milk, exercise, and other nutrients (like vitamin K, zinc). I bold magnesisum b/c it controls how much calcium goes into a cell. And too much calcium blocks the body from using magnesium-which is bad news.

Ok, so am I going to tell you to stop drinking milk?
One cup of skim milk has 300 mg of Ca. A cup of low fat cottage cheese has 150 mg.
Pretty impressive.
But did you know that one cup of collard greens have 300 mg? So does a can of sardines. A cup of cooked black beans has got 135 mg. And for those who are into sea vegetables, 1 cup wakame has a whopping 520. The list goes on.

The cool part is that these are awesome, natural sources of other vitamins, minerals, and proteins. And there's no pulling calcium out of your bones.

G-d is good.

Big companies are interested in their own survival. They could care less about me. We have to be aware of what's not being told to us, so we can make smart choices.

ps.
In the defense of milk, I have heard good stuff about fermented/ raw goat's milk which I hope to share w/ you in the future. I haven't tried it yet. Presently, I'm focusing on non-dairy sources of calcium.

G-d bless!