While traveling, I would sometimes eat raw spinach right out of the bag similar to munching popped popcorn, With this habit, I noticed some increase in wrist pain and great toe pain. I would purchase a bag of baby spinach and munch away.
This did not occur however, if the spinach was lightly steamed. I did not notice any pain from spinach pasta or from apple-spinach juice. But perhaps it may have been related to whether the spinach was grown organically without excess nitrogen fertilizers?
Spinach is high in oxalic acid if nitrogen fertilizers are used in the farming methods, than spinach grown by these methods are even higher in oxalates or oxalic acid.
Why should spinach be avoided? Why is a low oxalate diet prescribed?
A low oxalate diet might be prescribed for recurrent kidney stones, for high uric acid, for gout symptoms, all symptoms that can occur with PKD. 80% of kidney stones are calcium oxalate stones. 30% of people with PKD get kidney stones. The most common kind of stone for PKD'rs is calcium stones.
Oxalic acid, uric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, all contribute to the body's acidity. When the body is acid or the urinary pH tests below 6.5, then the body has an increased risk of forming a kidney stone. What was the old time remedy for preventing kidney stones? It was Schol's solution or potassium citrate. This prevents calcium from binding with oxalate and prevents the formation of calcium oxalate stones.
Some researchers looked at restricting certain foods high in oxalics especially meats and limiting spinach, rhubarb, beets, chocolate, wheat bran, strawberries, peanuts. [Peanuts is a food that humans should avoid.]
There is no universal agreement on restricting these foods. It was discovered that the body's of individuals who produced kidney stones had a mechanism that forced the body to expel a high concentrate of oxalics from within the body and to excrete oxalic acid into the urine.
The Italians got into the study and demanded to know what diet would benefit them and prevent future bouts of kidney stones. They found that limiting meat and all proteins, drinking 2 liters of water in addition to any juice, or other liquids, limited recurrence of kidney stones. Their diet was high in fruits and vegetables and lower in proteins and high in water.
I have never had a kidney stone. I have had joint pain from increased oxalics. I have had joint pain from increased uric acid. I corrected this by drinking water and juicing. Some individuals cannot tolerate raw beets, spinach, or rhubarb.
I can easily eat steamed spinach, roasted beets, or pasta made with spinach and beets. I also can drink juices made from beets and spinach.
Any who are confused listen to your own individual body's messages. If it hurts you, then perhaps it is best to lay that food aside. Strawberries are a fruit which I do not eat. It is too acidic for me; whereas cranberries which are supposed to be acid forming I found them to be alkalizing when taken in small tablespoonfuls as a juice.
I have delicious saffron pasta that I made from Greens by Deborah Madison.
"it will be possible to produce low oxalate spinach at a low level of nitrogen fertilization as used in organic farming. "
"Dr. Norman Walker, who lived to be 119 yrs old, wrote juicing books stated spinach, kale . . in its raw form is very beneficial to ones health. He said it stimulates the peristaltic motion that moves food through the digestive tract."
Juicing spinach does stimulate peristaltic motion through the digestive tract without causing cramping. Especially if the spinach is juiced together with raw apples.
A few low oxalate foods:
avocado, apples and apple juice, bananas, cherries, cabbage, cauliflower, grapefruit, grapes, melons, nectarines, noodles, onions, peas, radishes, and yogurt.
Lemons, grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, or any citrus I find if I drink this juice first thing in the morning then wait about twenty minutes before having anything else this makes me feel better. This regime allows the enzymes contained within the citrus to be released and to provide a cleansing action to the body. If I were to drink lemonade or orange juice (especially frozen re-constituted as opposed to freshly squeezed) with my meals or following my meals, this gives me intense gas, bloating, and considerable discomfort from eating my food.
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Thursday, January 14, 2010 9:52 AM
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