Do We Need to Stop Eating Plants?

This week I would like to share a recent article about oxalates from one of my teachers and mentors, Dr. Deanna Minich. Oxalates are a naturally occurring molecule found in plants and humans. They are not essential, and too much can lead to many health issues, such as kidney stones and joint pain.

So do we need to stop eating plants, to avoid oxalates? Here’s an excerpt from Dr. Minich’s article:

“Eating a nutritious diet should be as simple as consuming more colorful, plant-based foods, especially fruits and vegetables. But then certain “antinutrients” make headlines, with experts saying certain plant foods may not be as nutritious as once thought due to some of the chemicals in them restricting the bioavailability of key nutrients.

One of these purported antinutrients is oxalate. Due to its binding to certain minerals, especially calcium, it restricts our ability to absorb essential minerals when we consume the foods. Thus, oxalate has become one of the maligned substances in certain plant foods.

Does oxalate really reduce the nutrition enough to where you should restrict how much you consume? Let’s see what the literature has to say.

What Are Oxalates?

Oxalate, or oxalic acid, is a substance that can bind with minerals, including sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium. In the intestines, oxalate binds with calcium to create calcium oxalate, which is then excreted in the feces. This binding reduces how much calcium can be absorbed. Soluble oxalate (or free, unbound oxalate) can also be absorbed in the intestines and colon. Although high amounts (10 – 15 grams) are toxic, most exposures to oxalate are at lower amounts.

In addition to dietary oxalates, humans also create endogenous oxalates. Oxalate is the byproduct of the metabolism of three main molecules: ascorbate, glyoxylate (which comes from the breakdown of several different amino acids), and glycine. Most urinary oxalate comes from endogenous rather than dietary oxalate. Although oxalates often get a bad rap, some research is pointing to their use as a possible chelator (or binder of toxins for removal).

As briefly mentioned, oxalates are considered one of the “antinutrients” or substances that impede the absorption of nutrients from food. Oxalates specifically impact mineral absorption, including iron, calcium, and magnesium, which could reduce the bioavailability of these minerals in foods…”

You can continue reading the full article here: https://www.deannaminich.com/do-you-need-to-stop-eating-plants-because-of-oxalates.

Here’s a chart of foods with their oxalate levels, that may be helpful: 

Resources:

https://kidneystones.uchicago.edu/how-to-eat-a-low-oxalate-diet/