LISTS – AND LISTS
I know you are all looking for THE list. Here is one from a reliable source I have have downloaded on my site to a separate document so it opens with one click.
The reliable source, as it turns out, needed some updating. Dr Ross Holmes, professor, School of Medicine, University of Alabama, was kind enough to review the work of Dr. Michael Liebman who is a professor of Human Nutrition and Food Option at University of Wyoming and determine which food entries on the Harvard list needed changing. We cannot change the original but we have updated our lists accordingly and annotated updates with *** marks. So the lists here are the most recently edited available at present.Fred Coe and I have updates and annotated the list for those with a tendency to perfectionism: Updated table of oxalate foods. Set it at 50% for easier reading. Get yourself acquainted with the lists. They will tell you much of what you need to know. A lot of it will even surprise you. You are not as restricted as you think you are or as you have been told.
A more dramatic list is the 177 high oxalate foods we distilled out of the big list. Here are culprits! Not on this list? Probably not very high in oxalate so far as we know – with perhaps a few exceptions. Note that quantity is critical. For example black pepper is high in oxalate but the amounts used are small enough that total oxalate intake from it is negligible.
Eating a low oxalate diet can be overwhelming and difficult to incorporate into your daily life. I just released a course called The Kidney Stone Prevention Course to help you understand how to implement your physician’s prescribed treatment plans.
LET’S DIVIDE AND CONQUER
FOODS TO WORRY ABOUT
A List of Concerning Foods
We have created two graphs for this article. Of the 177 foods on our master list, many are of concern but can be used in your diet if you control the portion size and how often you use them. There are 30 of them that are worrisome enough to deserve special attention.
Here are the 30. The graph shows mg of oxalate in a common portion. The details of the portions are in the complete list. The foods have in common that all contain at least 40 mg/serving. All other foods for which we have reliable data have less oxalate per serving.
Your budget is about 100 mg/day.
What does this graph mean? Does it mean you can never have chocolate, or a baked potato?
No.
It means if you want to use your whole budget on a treat, do it, but keep track and make sure you do not overspend in any meal or in any one day. Have your baked potato, but maybe share half with your partner. Or, have some hot chocolate but make it with milk because calcium helps reduce oxalate absorption. Eat your cashew nuts, but pay attention to how many. If one handful leads to ten, you cannot have them.
FOODS TO AVOID
The graph to the left is of the very few dangerously high oxalate foods.
There are only six foods, but spinach, being worst of all, has two entries. Be careful of this plot because of its range. It begins at 100 mg/portion and rises to 755 mg/portion in only 7 steps, so the distance from miso soup to spinach is about a 7 fold increase.
Rhubarb and spinach are so high you just cannot eat them. Rice bran is something few will miss, the same for buckwheat groats.
People like almonds but have a hard time controlling portion size. If you can keep it to 11 almonds a day – the portion size that gives 122 mg of oxalate, alright. Otherwise stay away from them.
If you have to eat any of these foods, caution is hardly a strong enough word.
Are you sure you need to eat them?
Why?
WHAT ARE WE SAYING?
We are saying that oxalate is common in foods, and that you have to be careful, but care is a scarce resource. How much care can you give every bite? The graphs say if you eat moderately high oxalate foods – the first graph – be careful.
Watch portions.
If you are eating one of the six dangerously high oxalate foods, stop eating it.
It is too hard to be careful with those six foods. They have too much oxalate for most of you to handle. So, just say no.
WHY BELIEVE OUR DATA?
These data arose from a major effort at the Harvard School of Public Health. A world class expert has curated it twice. Harvard can be wrong and so can Ross Holmes, but both will tend to be wrong less often than the average persons who attempt to put complex data into the public domain. We have always appreciated comments, and if anyone has a peer reviewed publication with different food oxalate levels than ours, we will read the paper and see if it warrants our making a change.
Medical research is endlessly argumentative, and food oxalate is no exception. A recent paper contrasts findings from 6 websites and 2 applications and finds some wide variations. Of the sites, the Harvard site – used here as our reference, and the Wake Forest site – which is a legacy of an outstanding investigative group have most standing with me. Leaf through the comparisons between them in the 4 charts and in the large table at the very end. On the whole differences are modest. The hyperoxaluria and oxalosis list from the paper has been withdrawn from their site.
DO YOU NEED A LIST?
Sure, a list is nice. But we helping you here. Lists can run on to hundreds of foods. The picture is meant for focus. Here are the ones to focus on.
Many of you leave the doctor’s office thinking you will never be able to eat a fruit or vegetable again. If that wasn’t bad enough chocolate and nuts are gone, too. Some of this sadly is true, most of it is not. I am here to bring you good news: Almost everything, high oxalate or not, can be incorporated into your diet safely.
Do you need a low oxalate diet? You may if your stones contain calcium oxalate crystals and your urine oxalate is high enough to pose risk.
If you do need a low oxalate diet, what is your goal? Less than 100 mg of diet oxalate is good; less than 50 mg is ideal.
If you want to read some of the science about urine oxalate and risk of stones and about how we get to the diet oxalate goals, it is summarized at the end of this article.
Here we assume you do need to lower the oxalate in your diet.
CALCIUM FIRST
Low calcium diets can raise urine oxalate, and the solution may be as simple as a proper calcium intake. There is every reason for stone formers to eat 1000 mg of calcium daily to protect their bones. The common hypercalciuria of calcium stone formers puts bones at special risk when diet calcium is low.
Before changing your whole life around, ask yourself if you are avoiding calcium foods. If so, add them back and ask your doctor to check your urine oxalate again. It may fall enough that a low oxalate diet is not necessary.
If low calcium intake is not your problem, and you need a low oxalate diet, here is my take on how to do it.
WHAT IS THE DIET OXALATE GOAL?
Typical diets contain upward of 200 – 300 mg of oxalate. For stone prevention, a reasonable goal is below 100 mg of oxalate daily. An ideal would be about 50 mg daily if that can be accomplished.
To get there, consider the oxalate contents in common serving portions of all of the foods, and make up a plan for yourself.
FRUITS
FRESH
Everyone who comes to me is very unhappy thinking they can never have a berry again. This is Baloney. The only berry that is very high in oxalate is raspberries (look at the list). On the other hand, people do not realize avocado, oranges, dates, and even grapefruit and kiwi are very high and need caution.
This doesn’t mean you can never have these healthy treats. If you incorporate any of these high oxalate fruits into your morning yogurt you can reduce some of the effects of the oxalate content.
Also look at your portion sizes. You really cannot eat a lot at any one time. Dates are not a good bargain: One date is 24 mg!
CANNED OR DRIED
Canned pineapple is a problem.
Dried fruits have to be a worry because the water is taken out, so a ‘portion’ of dried fruit can be gigantic in oxalate content. Figs, pineapple and prunes are standouts. Just think: 1/2 cup of dried pineapple is 30 mg – not a lot of fruit for a lot of oxalate. If you want dried fruit, think about apples, apricots, and cranberry as lower oxalate options.
VEGETABLES
Spinach and rhubarb are standouts; stay away.
Other vegetables you need to be aware of are tomato sauce, turnips, okra, and yams (sweet potatoes) along with beans of different sorts.
I am not in the business of taking healthy foods away from people. But in the cases above you really must limit; there is just too much oxalate and these foods do not pair well with high calcium foods the way fruits can be mixed right into your yogurt or cereal and milk.
Many of you have been told to stay away from all green leafy vegetables. This is not true. Look at the list. There are plenty of salad options still available for you including kale. Even though tomato sauce is high in oxalate (see below) that is because of concentration. A whole medium tomato is only 7 mg and who eats more than one at a time?
Many of the salad vegetables are so low in oxalate they are freebies. Eat what you want.
POTATOES
These are Trouble! I put them into their own separate group even though they are vegetables.
From french fries to baked potatoes they are very high oxalate items. One ounce of potato chips has 21 mg of oxalate and who eats one ounce? Not I. Baked potatoes are terrible. One comes in at just under 100 mg of oxalate. Mixing sour cream into the potato will not help much; one tablespoon of sour cream contains only 14 mg of calcium. One ounce of cheddar cheese contains 200 mg of calcium, which could help, but it increases calories, salt and fat. But all in all, why struggle so hard? Potatoes are not ideal for stone formers.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
They have no oxalate. They are your main source of calcium. Use them. They can add a lot of salt – cheeses – and can be caloric. But they reduce oxalate absorption and preserve your bones.
For a stone former who has to watch salt intake, increase calcium intake, and lower oxalate intake, here is how to do that. You cannot have as much cheese as you want because of the salt. So portion sizes are very important. Yogurt, milk, even ice cream are good bargains – modest sodium and high calcium. These are a great place to add in a wee bit of chocolate – high oxalate foods – for those of you who cannot live without these high oxalate treats.
BREADS AND GRAINS
Some of the basic ingredients to make these foods are very high. White flour and brown rice flour are high in oxalate so everything you make from them will be high.
BREADS
Even so, as far as kidney stones go, breads are mainly alright because of portion size: not that much flour so one slice is 5-8 mg. French toast and New York style bagels top the list at 13 mg for two slices and 40 mg for one bagel – as much as anyone will eat of either food.
PASTA RICE AND GRAINS
Spaghetti, one cup cooked is 11 mg and most of us eat more than one cup.
Buckwheat groats, one cup cooked is 133 mg – I don’t see many of you saying ‘darn it’ or taking to your bed, but beware. Millet and bulger, wheat berries, rice bran, corn grits, and corn meal, these are widely used and are high. If you are using these, be thoughtful.
Here are some low oxalate options in this category: White rice, hummus, corn flour, corn bran, flax seed, and oat bran are popular and safe.
MEAT PRODUCTS
Since oxalate is only found in plant foods, all the meats are safe. Fish, too.
For our vegetarian friends, tofu and veggie burgers are very high.
NUTS AND SEEDS
These are just dangerous for two reasons.
Obviously they are very high in oxalate.
Secondly, I don’t know anybody who just has a few nuts at a time.
Just like chips no one eats one – the whole jar is more like it.
But, for one cup of pumpkin sunflower or flax seeds the highest is only 17 mg of oxalate and none for flax. For those of you who love foods in this category seeds are the better choice and they can be sprinkled on yogurt and ice cream.
SWEET STUFF
I have good news for my chocolate lovers. I know most of you have been sent home with a list and chocolate is high on it. But if you look at the numbers nuts are a lot worse than chocolate. Chocolate can be mixed in with dairy products, too, so as to reduce oxalate absorption.
Even so I do want to point out that half a brownie is on the high side, and who eats one half?
You can still satisfy your sugar craving but pay attention to your portion size.
Keep in mind, however, that sugar loads increase urine calcium loss which increases stone risk, so there are two reasons why this food group can be a problem.
But even without chocolate, you eat a lot of flour when you eat a piece of cake, so cake can be a problem – about 15 mg per piece, like french toast. Pies are half the risk because of their fillings – unless they are chocolate pies!
CRACKERS AND CHIPS
The big enemy here is potato chips. A one ounce serving contains a whopping 21 mg of oxalate. I repeat: A one ounce serving.
Your best bet in this category if you’re looking for something crunchy is corn chips – one ounce is 7 mg, popcorn – one cup is 5 mg, and pretzels, one ounce is 5 mg.
Crackers are OK mainly because they are small and the amount of flour is not that much.
BEVERAGES
PLANT SOURCES
Hot chocolate is the clear loser at 65 mg per cup; carrot juice is the runner up at 27 mg per one cup. Lemonade, tea, tomato juices, rice dream and the like are better but still high. The are 15 – 18 mg per serving. Lemonade – frozen concentrate – is 16 mg per 8 ounces so be careful about this as a source of citrate.
Soy milk, for those of you who prefer it, is not a good option. It is very high at 20 mg per cup. We have no data from standard sources for rice milk, cashew milk, and coconut milk; almonds are high in oxalate so the almond milk product will certainly be high.
Tea is so commonly used, here are the details. If you brew your own tea it is high in oxalate. The longer you steep your tea, the more oxalate it will have in it. If you use a sweetened instant iced tea one cup has 0 mg of oxalate.
Here are some juices that are low in oxalate and better substitutes: Apple juice, apricot juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, grape juice. For all the lemonade drinkers, diet lemonade is low in oxalate.
Here is something very important: Coffee is oxalate free – almost, 1 mg for a cup (2 mg/cup for decaf). We already told you that coffee drinkers have a reduced stone risk, so lets debunk the coffee myth here: Drink it as you wish.
DAIRY SOURCES
Everything is good except chocolate milk. Even that is only 7 mg a cup for a sweet treat here and there.
ALCOHOL
What tops the list in this category is a can of beer: 4 mg of oxalate. All the rest are low and, frankly, the oxalate in a can of beer comes with a lot of fluid. This is not the problem area for stone formers.
WATER
If I didn’t say this to you I could not sleep well tonight. Water is the clear winner in this whole category. It is free of calories, sugar, and oxalate. Please use it as your main beverage and supplement with the items above.
SPREADS AND SAUCES
Chocolate, miso, peanut butter, and tahini are all high.
SOUPS
Miso soups is extremely high – 111 mg/cup. Lentil soup is high, and so is clam chowder – the potatoes.
BREAKFAST FOODS
This is a dangerous meal if you are a cereal lover. Many cereals are high in oxalate. I am afraid you need to look them up in the list by brand. Unfortunately the healthier cereals are highest in oxalate because they contain more plant based ingredients. Probably having milk in your cereal is wise, but we have no data to show.
Eating a low oxalate diet can be overwhelming and difficult to incorporate into your daily life. I just released a course called The Kidney Stone Prevention Course to help you understand how to implement your physician’s prescribed treatment plans.
HOW DO WE MANAGE ALL THIS?
The first thing you need to do is to learn and remember what are the highest oxalate foods and beverages. Without this in mind it is impossible to shop and cook intelligently. Here is a short list of the highest oxalate foods all in one place.
BREAKFAST
For those of you who love cereal because it is quick and easy check out the list and see if the one you love is high in oxalate. If it is, choose the next best one with lower oxalate. Put milk in the cereal.
Alternatives to cereal that are also quick and easy: Yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit. The only fruits to worry about are raspberries because no one puts oranges on their yogurt. Bananas, peaches, blueberries and strawberries are perfect toppings.
More trouble, but no oxalate, eggs any way at all. Boil a batch on Sunday and have them for the week for breakfast, and snacks, too.
Your breakfast coffee is free and so is your water. For juices use orange, apple, pineapple, grapefruit – all great. If you want tea, don’t steep more than a minute and consider adding milk to it. Green tea is better than black.
LUNCH
Typically you are grabbing a salad or a sandwich for lunch, so what now? Many clients tell me they no longer eat salads because their physicians told them to stop all green leafy vegetables.
I’m bringing salads back to you.
Arugula, iceberg, romaine lettuces, and kale, are fine as your base. Stay away from spinach. Here are good toppings. Cauliflower, corn, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, peas, scallions, squash and zucchini are all fine. Tomatoes are fine, too; it is only the sauce that is high. Broccoli and green pepper are moderately high so watch the portion size.
Sandwiches will cost you between 12 and 16 mg of oxalate depending on the bread you are using – 2 slices. This doesn’t mean you can never have a sandwich, it just means you have to keep track of how much. You can have 50 to 100 mg daily. What goes inside between the two slices of bread is usually cheeses and meats which are oxalate free. So sandwiches are not something to be afraid of.
SUPPER
Beef, chicken and fish are all fine, and those the main courses for most of us. You will run into problems if you are a pasta or potato eater. If you are you need to limit the amount of times you have these foods each week and also the quantity each time you use them. Substitutes are a problem: White rice is a nice substitute for potatoes but there are few others. It is more veggies that have to fill in – very healthy but not as much fun.
Here is a recipe for cauliflower – ‘mashed potatoes’ you will like and even think, sometimes, is the real thing. There are many versions on the web, choose the one that makes you happy but be careful about the ingredients.
There is also quinoa which is not on our lists, but may well be high. A recent scientific article on this plant does not give oxalate contents which suggests they are not reliably known.
I have recently put together a private FB page called THE Kidney Stone Diet. It is a group that helps educate you on your physician prescribed treatment plans. As you can imagine, oxalate comes up in many posts. I moderate it to keep it clinically sound. Come on over and join the discussion!
URINE OXALATE AND RISK OF KIDNEY STONES
I promised you some science – here it is for those interested. It concerns only highlights from the food – urine oxalate research recently performed and seemingly germane to the problem of how stone formers should control oxalate intake.
The most useful data about urine oxalate we have so far is from three cohorts studied by Dr. Gary Curhan. Two are cohorts of nurses one a cohort of physicians. These people have kept track of many aspects of diet and health for decades, and among their records are onset of kidney stones.
As he did for urine calcium, Curhan measured urine oxalate in properly selected subgroups from each cohort, including people who did and did not begin forming stones. From these samples he could calculate the relative risk of new onset of stones in relation to 24 hour urine oxalate excretion.
The two nurse cohorts are red, the physicians – all men – are blue. The dotted line at 1 is the risk threshold: Above that line, risk is present.
The top of each crosshatched bar shows the mean relative risk for each of the five urine oxalate ranges. Clearly the mean goes up as urine oxalate goes up.
But the mean relative risk has a range of uncertainty around it. The bottom of the solid portion of each bar is the lower 95th percentile for that range of uncertainty. When that bottom lies above 1, risk is very likely to be present.
For both the women and men groups, that point is reached between 25 and 30 mg of urine oxalate a day. Therefore one wants to try to get urine oxalate below 30 mg daily and even lower, below 25 mg daily if possible. The average urine oxalate excretion among the women in this study was close – 26 and 28 mg/day for those who did not form stones and just a bit higher for those who did – 28 and 30 mg per day. The men are a problem: 39 and 41 mg/day for those who did not and those who did form stones.
This is not diet oxalate, it is urine oxalate. Urine oxalate is how much the body makes and how much is absorbed from foods. Mostly, we can control only the second part – how much is in the food.
HOW MUCH DIET OXALATE DAILY
All dietary advice depends on having a reasonable goal in mind for oxalate intake. My goal of 50 – 100 mg of oxalate from food daily is not unreasonable given the research that has been done in normal people and stone formers.
Holmes and colleagues found a urine excretion of oxalate of about 10 mg/gm urine creatinine in normal 
people eating a synthetic oxalate free high calcium diet (graph at left). As diet oxalate increased, urine oxalate rose from 0 to 10 mg/2500 kcal/d, urine oxalate rose steeply from 10 to 14 mg/gm urine creatinine. It rose more slowly, from 14 to barely 15 mg/gm urine creatinine as diet oxalate was increased to 50 mg/2500 kcal/d, and more or less at the same slope thereafter so that an increase from 50 mg/2500 kcal/d up to 250 mg/2500 kcal/d increased urine oxalate only from 14 to 18. The closed symbols are whole food the open symbols synthetic diets.
From this work the percent oxalate absorption could be calculated as around 10 – 15% and the contribution of diet oxalate to urine oxalate excretion as around 25 – 40% when intake of oxalate was between 50 and 350 mg/2500 kcal. Therefore one can consider a whole food 1000 mg calcium 50 mg oxalate as a usable low oxalate diet, and a 150 – 250 mg oxalate diet as relatively high.
The balance between diet calcium and diet oxalate does not matter greatly if diet calcium is high. Among normal men and women eating 1000 mg/day of calcium and 750 mg/day of food oxalate, 24 hour urine calcium was about 110 mg/day and oxalate about 44 mg/day.
If the calcium oxalate balance is altered so calcium intake is 400 mg and 20 mg of oxalate at breakfast and lunch, and 200 mg of calcium and 710 mg of oxalate at dinner, as compared with simply 333 mg of calcium and 250 mg of oxalate in all 3 daily meals, urine oxalate is lower after the high calcium low oxalate meals, but only slightly higher after the high oxalate low calcium evening meal than when calcium and oxalate intakes were balanced. This means that when diet calcium is at least 1000 mg daily the balance of calcium to oxalate within any one meal is not likely to affect stone risk.
Seiner and colleagues make clear that stone formers are different from normal people. They divided male and female stone formers into 2 groups of 93 people each, one with urine oxalate above 0.5 mmol (~50 mg) of urine oxalate daily and the other with urine oxalate below 0.4 mmol (~40 mg) daily. They found virtually identical calcium and oxalate intakes: 845 vs. 812 calcium and 101 vs. 130 mg daily of oxalate respectively in the lower and higher urine oxalate groups. But the below 0.4 mmol group excreted only 27 mg of oxalate daily on average, whereas the high oxalate group excreted 64 mg daily. In other words diet was not responsible for the higher urine oxalate excretion, suggesting a difference of oxalate absorption. Those prone to high oxalate excretion seem, therefore, to most need diet modification.
Knight and colleagues found a wide range of oxalate absorption among 38 calcium oxalate stone formers eating a self choice diet. Urine oxalate excretion (vertical axis) varied with percent of diet oxalate absorbed (horizontal axis). The mean absorption centered around 5%; a few outliers absorbed over 15% up to 25%. This supports what Seiner found – some stone formers will have urine oxalate levels very responsive to diet oxalate and sans a research protocol we will not know. This is another good reason to keep diet oxalate low – 50 to 100 mg if possible.
PROTEIN AND GELATIN
Diet protein intake does not affect urine oxalate excretion. In 11 normal people fed a 1000 mg calcium, 51 mg oxalate, 3000 mg sodium fixed diet, varying protein intake from 0.6 to 1.6 gm/kg/day – a very wide range – did not alter urine oxalate appreciably (mean values were 23, 23, and 25 mg daily for the three protein intakes) even though oxalate precursors like glycolate rose markedly (25, 22, and 46, mg daily).
Jello is a source of hydroxyproline which converts to glycolate and oxalate, and oral loading with gelatin can raise urine oxalate. Ten normal people eating a 1000 mg calcium, 150 mg oxalate diet (typical normal level) were fed supplemental gelatin as one quarter of daily protein intake. Urine oxalate was 24 mg daily vs. 17 mg daily when the same diet was supplemented with whey protein – containing little hydroxyproline – as a control. So lots of jello is not an ideal plan for stone formers.
Where does this leave us about how much oxalate is alright for a day. If diet calcium is high, as it should be, at about 1000 mg, then one should try to limit diet oxalate below 100 mg daily. Perhaps this is most important in those patients whose baseline oxalate excretions are higher – in the range of above 40 mg daily.
Eating a low oxalate diet can be overwhelming and difficult to incorporate into your daily life.
For those who need special help, I run an online course: The Kidney Stone Prevention Course to help you understand how to implement your physician’s prescribed treatment plans.
How can I incorporate more calcium into my diet when I’m lactose intolerant? Thank you for all the great info!
Hi Netasha,
You can eat coconut yoghurts or lactose free yoghurts. Check the label and see how much calcium they offer. The brand SO DELICIOUS has a dairy free coconut yoghurt that has a substantial amount of calcium in it.
You can also drink lactose free milk. You can get enough with these few products!
Best, Jill
Hello. I have to take one or two lactaid pills when eating dairy. What is your opinion on this? Does the lactaid pill stop the calcium from binding in which case I am not getting the benefits from the calcium in regards to stone formation? Thank you, Jackie
According to their site: “Lactaid contains lactase, a natural enzyme that helps break down lactose – the sugar found in dairy foods…” This to me sounds like the Lactaid only absorbs the sugars in dairy, not the calcium.
I am having trouble finding any RCT that shows low oxalate diets work to prevent stone formation?
I couldnt find any that examined the independent effect of altering dietary calcium, purine, oxalate, or potassium. on stone formation
one study suggests DASH diet might just work better!
Hi David, there is no trial of DASH diet, just epidemiological correlations. Regards, Fred Coe
May be no “highly scientific” trials but the epidemiological data is quite impressive.
In my family, my great-grandmother did the (original) DASH diet for 30 years to keep company to her husband (a cardiac patient).
She died at 98 (her affairs settled, family around her and in NO Pain whatsoever) after she decided it was “her time to go”.
No disease was found on autopsy. Her death certificate quotes the following cause of death: “old age”.
Hi Cis, This is an attempt to answer both comments. If you do not make stones, I have no reason why you need to avoid any foods. For someone without any disease the new US diet recommendations are probably most advisable. It calls for 1200 mg of calcium, no more than 2300 mg of sodium, lots of potassium – from fruits and veggies, and low intake of refined sugars. A lot of work went into those recommendations. There are no data showing that high diet calcium of the sort proposed will foster vascular disease. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi David, There is no RCT of oxalate per se. If you read my article on treatment of idiopathic calcium stone formers, you will find the details of the one proper diet trial. In that trial high calcium diet was used to lower urine oxalate, which it did, and low sodium intake was used to keep urine calcium from rising. The result was a lower stone rate vs. a control diet much like that common in the US right now. Potassium citrate has been used in multiple trials which are detailed in the same paper, and links in that paper go to even more detailed analyses that include the primary data. Regards, Fred Coe
This article is worrying.
I am not a “stone maker” (that I know of). I don’t particularly like spinach, so that’s fine. But my serum calcium levels are low and calcium intake also probably low (dairy intolerance) and I eat TONS of dark chocolate, often lentils and beans. If I measured the amount of oxalates in my diet, I would get such an extremely high number you have not even considered it.
What is the evidence that a high calcium consumption PREVENTS kidney stones? One of my acquired relatives eats tons of cheese and meat plus some pasta and often ends up in hospital with kidney stones. If a high calcium intake was really protective, surely he would be fine? I almost feel as if it should be the opposite (e high calcium leading to high stone formation).
I seem to remember there are different types of stones (containing different substances), so the low oxalate diet may only help SOME of these not being formed.
A high calcium diet may have other side effects, such as calcification of arteries, brain and soft tissue (not a nice prospect). It is important to take steps to avoid these if increasing calcium in one’s diet.
The two doctors here have said (over and over) that the advice they are giving here is based on data and their success with their patients. Now, you can choose to disbelieve them, but I don’t see anything here that should be “worrying.” They are trying to help those who are affected by oxalate in their diet. Also, the calcification of arteries is usually something that happens with high doses of calcium supplements and not in normal intake of dietary calcium. You seem very defensive and combative. Again, I think these doctors are merely trying to help.
Hi Doctor Coe,
Stumbled across this site, it’s been a treasure trove of information. Just had my first 7.5 mm oxalate calcium stone laser blasted, so now I’m digging for information. Man, there are SO many contradictions around on this topic. One I ran across mentioned instant coffee (Like Taster’s Choice) was high, but there’s no mention of instant here. (That I’ve seen so far). Any idea on where that would fall?
I’m thinking of the charts and data I’ve found here will be the best all around guide for this stuff. It’s pretty overwhelming, to say the least. It was depressing to see that most of the food that makes up my daily meals are high on the list, so this is going to take some time getting used to eliminating a lot of them. But, I’ve eaten anything I’ve wanted for 59 years now, so I guess it’s time to pay the proverbial piper. I sure don’t want to deal with stones ever again, it’s miserable, to say the least.
Thanks for the time and effort you’ve put into this, it was great to have run across a site with so much in depth info.
Hi Steve, Glad the site is helpful. Just because the stone says oxalate do not believe high urine oxalate is your problem or that diet oxalate is your answer. Be sure you get an organized evaluation. Usually if urine oxalate is high the first step is to raise diet calcium, which will lower it. Take a look at a proper diet. Regards, Fred Coe
What is the oxalate content wheat dextrin (benefiber)?
Hi Andre,
It has not been studied, but given the very small amounts in serving size I would not worry too much about it. The main thing is to get your calcium needs met (this will help lower urine oxalate) and stay away from spinach and almond products. Foods that have not been studied eat in normal portion size and get calcium needs met. I have much to do on oxalate in my website and YouTube channel. kidneystonediet.com/resource-list
Nurse Jill
Dr. Coe,
I have had kidney stones since I was 19 and have passed many. Thank you for the updated information on this site. I have avoided high oxalate foods for several years now. I try to avoid glueton as I feel better when I keep my consumption low. What information do you have, or know of, for oxalate content in alternate flours? Almond flour or other nut flours are often used in recipes I come across, but I have assumed since nuts are high in oxalates, the flours are as well. However, I have noticed that oranges are higher, but orange juice is not. Should I not be making this assumption? Potentially coconut flour, oat flour or flax seed meal/flour are ones that I think are ok. Your thoughts on this?
Hi Jamey, I am sorry you have had so many stones, but you may be asking the wrong questions. Are your stones mainly calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate? Is your urine oxalate really high? The best course is to get a full evaluation – here is a good plan. If indeed your stones are mainly calcium oxalate and your urine oxalate is high the best initial step to lower the oxalate may well be to increase diet calcium. Check out the article and think about what might be best. Bring it up with your physician. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Jamey, I am sorry you have had so many stones, but you may be asking the wrong questions. Are your stones mainly calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate? Is your urine oxalate really high? The best course is to get a full evaluation – here is a good plan. If indeed your stones are mainly calcium oxalate and your urine oxalate is high the best initial step to lower the oxalate may well be to increase diet calcium. Check out the article and think about what might be best. Bring it up with your physician. Regards, Fred Coe
Hello, What do you suggest as a good protein substitute for tofu? I am vegan. Thank you.
Hi there,
Why not try some coconut yoghurt or coconut milk? Can you get it with some cereals that are fortified with protein? If your oxalate is NOT high than you can try some other nut alternative milks.
LMK-
Jill
We have an orange tree in our yard and enjoy fresh orange juice in season. However, I noticed on your list that an orange (1 fruit) is “very high” in Oxalate Category with an Oxalate Value 29mg. One cup of orange juice is “Low” with only 2 mg. Can you explain the huge difference in values? I would think they should be almost identical.
Thank you for your comprehensive list.
Hi Stan, Oxalate is in the rind, the juice more or less tries to exclude that part. Regards, Fred Coe
Is the oxalate in the orange peel or the white pith?
I avoid eating either.
Thank you for your advice. The site is wonderful.
Hi Sarah,
As best we know it is the peel. Thanks for writing-
Jill
i have calcium oxalate stone..
I can Drive beer.. and eat agg and chicken
and one most important thing I’m using Optimum Nutrition | Creatine Powder . stop using Creatine?? yes/ No
Thank You
Hi Sumit, I have no information about creatine and stones, so I cannot say. Regards, Fred Coe
I am getting conflicting information about what is good to eat and what is not good to eat. It is contradicting to what was said above. For instance – above it says you can have blueberries but in another article I was reading it is in a list of high Oxalate. Then above they are saying Avocados are only good in so many servings but the other website says you can have as many avacados, bananas, you want. Which website do I follow. Low Oxalate Diet | Patient Education | Materials | UPMC- Pittsburgh, PA
Hi Karen,
We use the list that is in the article you just read. It is from Harvard. I don’t look at any other list and I tell patients not to either to avoid being confused. I trust this list because I have been working with patients from it for 15 years and the patients I work with cease making stones for the most part. Warmly, Jill
Hi, I have been asked to reduce oxalate due to kidney stones. I thought I was on the right track after having a stone removed in the spring 2016, but I have just found out that I have another stone. I also have interstitial cystitis, so my food list with both diets combined is rather narrow. Do you think the following items are ok: corn starch (need it for baking), instant organic oatmeal (ingredients include organic rolled oats, organic dehydrated cane juice solids, organic flaxseed, sea salt), and unsalted popcorn. Also…is it damaging to eat animal protein daily if the portion size is low? Thank you so much for the help!
Hi Michele, I am sure Jill Harris can answer about the foods. Are you sure your urine oxalate is high? Are your stones calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate – so oxalate would not matter. If your urine oxalate was high have you already determined the extent to which a proper high calcium diet would reduce it? Before making your food life difficult, check out all of these issues. Low oxalate diet is added on when stones are calcium oxalate, urine oxalate is high enough to pose at least some risk, diet calcium has been raised to the US normal level of 1000 to 1200 mg, and urine oxalate remains high enough to pose significant risk. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Michele-
As long as you eat the above foods in normal portion sizes you will be fine. Have you done a 24 hour urine collection?
Let us know-
Jill
I have a question on the lists that are provided within the article: spinach is listed as very high with a value of656mg (ok I get that ) but also on that very high list are refried beans at 16 mg, red kidney beans at 15mg and yams at 40mg!!?!? so why are foods that have 15mg -40 mg listed as being very high when the spinach level is 656 mg? I don’t see how they correlate???? Please help me understand
Hi Jackie, I apologize for the semantics. We ran out of adjectives. We should have said astronomical for spinach and very high for the yams. Lazy speech. But we meant all are high enough to be careful. Regards, Fred Coe
Dr Coe
My issue is not stones but oxylate deposition in my kidneys ( as diagnosed from a biopsy). My kidney problems began following the removal of almost all of my small intestine, only about 12″ remain. I’ve tried to stick to low oxylate foods as well as the diet recommended for short guy syndrome but my creatinine level continues to rise.
Do you think there could be a link between short gut and oxylate deposition, and do you have any recommendations for the deposition as opposed to stones?
Thank you.
Hi Bill, I do not think, I know. You have extremely high urine oxalate levels from the short small bowel and are depositing oxalate in your kidneys not merely as stones but higher up in the proximal tubule which is producing kidney damage. Your physicians know all this, of course, and are doing what they can. Bring to them the idea of perhaps parenteral nutrition that might ameliorate matters, and also this publication – not yet on this site – by us about primary hyperoxaluria, which you do not have, but that creates similar tissue oxalate problems. Whatever they can do to stop the process they should do – and probably already are doing – as one can progressively lose kidney function – as they certainly know. Regards, Fred Coe
Dr Coe
I am on TPN (2.5l for 12 hours a night) and doctors are carefully controlling such things as potassium via weekly blood draws. I appreciate your honesty about not knowing. There isn’t much overlap between low oxalate diet and SBS diet. All the good foods , ones I love, are high in oxalate!
Suffering………
Dr Coe
One thing I should have said is that my physician’s greatest concern is the speed with which this happened. Was stable with a Creatinine of about 2.4 for 5 months since the small intestine resection, then jumped to 5.6 in the course of one week! My nephrologist, and the specialist Short Bowel clinic at UC San Francisco have not seen this happen so fast.
Don’t know if that tells you anything additional.
Bill
Hi Bill, I am sorry to hear about that. But if it is oxalate, not too surprising. You are at a fine institution and they know as much as anyone. Protection of the renal proximal tubule from oxalate, if that is the issue here, depends a lot on avoiding sodium retention. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Bill, It is surely the oxalate as a major issue. Be sure your physicians take a look at the article I linked for you. Many are not as yet aware of this corner of kidney pathophysiology. Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you for the helpful info. I recently passed a stone with a combination of calcium oxalate and struvite. This doctor only says that the percentage of struvite is substantially smaller than the calcium oxalate. Should I try to try to eat more calcium (I have had a very low amount of calcium in my diet over the past several decades) and take a potassium citrate supplement (if so, how much, 100mg/day, etc.)? I am terrified of passing another stone. There are many 1mm tiny ones in both sides, doc says.
Hi David, For the calcium oxalate portion of the stone you want the proper kidney stone diet and meds if needed. The struvite is made exclusively by bacteria and your surgeon needs to figure out if you are still colonized and what to do about that. Any struvite was made by bacteria so the amount is not too important. That you have many tiny stones suggests growth on plaque. Regards, Fred Coe
I have a history of stones about every 4 years. Since my last episode in November of 2016, we did a 24 hour collection and come to find my Oxalate is high and my Calcium low. I’ve never been a dairy person so that can explain the low levels. I’ve struggled with weight the past 10 years but i’m on pace to be on the positive side. I’ve lost 30 lbs in the past 6 months and been doing Juicing and Smoothies at least once a day. I dislike taking medication and have now been put on an oral medication for 6 months and then do another collection.
So my questions are 1) By increasing my dairy intake and being on the prescription, along with a healthy diet, can this help both levels? and 2) While having my drinks, any recommended fruits ( since i cant have much of apples, strawberries, raspberry’s, orange, black/blue-berries) not on the list?
Hi Eli, Very low calcium diets surely raise urine oxalate, and juicing with high oxalate fruits will make it worse. I am not sure what prescription would be helpful in your situation, but higher diet calcium surely is important as is eating the fruits intact and not as a juice that concentrates everything so much. Fred Coe
Thanks for this article.
I was diagnosed prediabetic so I changed my diet to lower the carbs. To replace the calories from carbs I’ve been eating more protein, but also pistachios, almonds, pecans, and walnuts, along with avocados. I only eat one serving of each every day, but all these are high in oxalate, as are the oranges and several other things I eat daily.
This morning, after about 4 weeks on this diet, I woke up and in my first trip to the bathroom my urine had small orange and shiny crystals in it. I had a calcium oxalic acid stone exactly 10 years ago and have limited my nut and spinach, etc, intake to prevent another one.
What the heck am I supposed to eat if I can’t have the foods to replace the calories I used to get from the carbs? I don’t want another stone but I need to get to 2400 calories a day and it’s hard to do that even without removing nuts and avocados, etc from my diet.
Will drinking massive amounts of water help me to prevent a stone if I keep eating the nuts? I don’t know what to do.
Dear Bill,
I hear your frustration all the way here in Chicago. I understand. You need to be able to put both diets into play. You simply need education. You can still eat your healthy foods and keep stones at bay by learning how- it is indeed complicated but very doable. This website and getting help from a live person to teach you will help. Many times you do not even need to lower your oxalate if you getting enough calcium and keeping your sodium levels low. I teach a course for a very low price to actuate what Dr. Coe and I write about. Please find the course at jillharriscoaching/course and please continue reading the website. Dr. Coe will be releasing a wonderful article tomorrow, please come back and check it out.
Jill
Hi Jill,
I noticed that the Harvard list reports that a medium baked potato with skin has 3x the oxalate as a cup of mashed potatoes, but it seems like the weight of potato is probably in the same ballpark.
I’m wondering whether simply skinning potatoes could reduce the oxalate by 2/3?
Do you happen have any more data on this? Sounds too good to be true!
Best regards, Al
Hi Al-
I can only assume that the skin is the cause of the extra oxalate-
Jill
im 60 yrs old.. 4 yrs ago i went vegan and i lost 50 lbs…ive been getting calcium stones since my 20’s….yesterday i had my 8th one…3 mm’s in size…of course now that im vegan all i eat is every high oxalate …smoothies..juicing..nuts…spinach…kale….i feel great…i look great..
nothing hurts on my body….EXCEPT THESE DAMN STONES!!….i so tired of fighting this battle…and of course this article and blog you have is making me even more confused..
my urologist told me 10 yrs ago that none of what you eat matters…he said ‘i dont care if you eat twinkies and spinach 24/7 just drink enough water and youll be fine” …well i’m guilty of not drinking enough water thats for sure…if i drink the amount that im supposed i will be peeing every half hour and i dont have time for that based on my job…christ all mighty isnt there a PILL i can take??….i do drink ACV and lemon juice water every morning but im still getting stones……..HELP ME!!!!!!
Hi Theodore, First, get the stones analysed. Then get a full evaluation. Here is a nice plan to follow. It may well be that the oxalate loads matter, it may not. Be sure and collect your urine samples while eating as you always have eaten. Don’t change things and don’t assume. Just measure. Things will become obvious when the labs and stone analyses both are available. Regards Fred Coe
Hi Theodore,
Sorry for all the trouble these darn things are causing you and have been for such a long time. That concoction of ACV and lemon juice is not the cure all for stones, although I know many people are drinking it. Have you don’t 24 hour urine collections? This will tell you what is going on. Also, I know drinking it super hard, but stones are way worse. Your pick on this choice. Shoot me an email if I can help more at jharris1019@gmail.com.
Warmly,
Jill
I have looked at the links above, “reliable source” and “Useful table of oxalate foods” and there is a huge discrepancy between the two with regard to brussel sprouts. Reliable source says very high at 17, and oxalate food table says very low at 2. Help! This is one of my favorite veggies and since modifying my diet I’ve been eating many little sprouts per day. Now I’m panicked that I’ve just created more stones!
Hi Susan, Begin with whether you even need this diet. Take a look. If you do, how far are you from the goal? In general if you do low sodium high calcium diet your diet oxalate can be up to 200 mg/day which is avoiding only the higher oxalate foods. But I will also ask Jill Harris to answer about sprouts. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Susan,
You will note that the higher number is because we had found newer research that indicated that they are high. You can still eat them, do it within moderation and you will be fine. Do you know how high your oxalate level is? Don’t panic, limit them to a reasonable amount, get enough calcium per day, lower your salt, and of course keep your fluid intake high!
Warmly,
Jill
I really appreciate the info I’ve found here, however I’ve read in a few places where the amino acids in animal meat are broken done by the liver and one byproduct of this process is oxalate. So I’m wondering if anyone has any kind of a table/info on this ~ie 1/4 lb red meat while not containing any oxalate itself will produce say, 100mg of oxalate when it is digested. I’ll keep looking but at the moment I only know that I’m a hereditary stone former, had so many over the years that I’ve lost count and after this most recent batch I don’t want them anymore, I’m moving to a goal of 50-75mg of oxalate a day, potatoes are gone 100%, I love how I can still have a few nuts as long as I monitor their intake. I’m also eating so many lemons and limes that I’ve started growing lemon and lime trees indoors. I ask about the meat because my wife or I don’t want to give it up(studies about eating for my bloodtype say to give up non-aquatic animal meats entirely). I feel I should be able to eat some so long as its a “safe” amount.
Thanks.
Hi Gary, Glycine is processed to oxalate but the actual slope of urine oxalate on protein intake is very modest. If one stays in the recommended range of 0.8-1 gm/kg/day protein is not a factor of importance. My question is why all the fuss about oxalate? Modern thinking would have one be sure of a few things in advance: Are stones calcium oxalate, is urine oxalate high, has increased diet calcium been put in place to lower urine oxalate? Take a look. Regards, Fred Coe
I had a stone analyzed years ago and it was a calcium-oxalate stone, I don’t recall the concentration and I am planning on having these newest stones analyzed. Thanks again for all the great info, I am discussing the low oxalate diet with my doctors as well as increased calcium intake.
Opinion on alkaline water, and did’nt see mention of pinto beans. Thank-you Judy
Hi Judy, I looked at recipes for the stuff. Alkaline water is just water to which one has added some chemical buffers such as sodium bicarbonate and often lemon which, though itself acid, contains some citrate that can be metabolized to bicarbonate. Obviously the sodium loading can be a problem. What matters about alkaline water is simply how much actual buffer is in it. One I saw used a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in a half gallon, or a bit below 2 liters. The teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate weighs seven grams, which is 0.083 mole or 83 mEq, a huge amount of alkali! By comparison a standard dose of potassium citrate would be 40 mEq. It is also a massive amount of sodium. The tolerable upper limit of diet sodium is 100 mEq, so that 2 liters would be the day’s supply of sodium. I guess from my first glance this is not a very good idea. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Judy,
I don’t have concrete numbers on pinto beans so I assume all beans are high in oxalate. Please eat them in normal portions and once a week to be safe.
Warmly,
Jill
Hello. Thank you so much for all that you are doing to help everyone here. You are both so kind and it warms my heart to see how much you are helping people through this post. I am looking for guidance. For about 8 years I had Interstitial Cystitis, but DR.s didn’t know what it was at the time, which is why it took so long to treat. I finally gave up on Western Medicine and did my own work to figure it out. I treated it naturally, cleansing, and with a Natropath as well. It took time, but it went away for 3 years. As of one month ago it came back. Along with a yeast infection/bacteria infection in my vagina. I think that triggered the IC. The pain was so great and scary. Through limiting my foods and research I began to notice that the pain got worse when I ate foods that were high in oxolates. If I stayed away from high oxolate foods, the pain and burning went away. I’ve seen other sites where they are saying IC it is connected to high oxolates. I am feeling this in my own body. I have been a “healthy” eater for years..all the raw spinach, chia seeds, stevia, quinoa, raw chocolate…my whole diet has been pretty much high oxolate and I had no idea this was even thing. I’ve searched this site for any help with people with IC and oxolates but haven’t seen much. I trust the information here, more then what I have seen elsewhere. Can you please guide me, direct me to help with my bladder and oxolates? Also what testing do you recommend I do for this and to make sure there aren’t deeper issues? A big concern I have right now, which is what led me to this site, is this thing called “oxolate dumping”. Everyone makes it sounds scary and I may have had it this morning, as I was feeling good for a few days, on a low oxolate diet, and then at 5 am woke up with bad burning on urination and afterward, and this intense anxiety feeling, which they say is common. My urine does look cloudy at times. So “they” say not to go all low oxolate at once, step it down slowly. So today I ate boiled carrots, hoping this would add some “medium” oxolates in. Anyway, what do you know about this oxolate dumping thing? Any place you can direct me that you think is a good source to deal with this? Im feeling fear, as I dont know what to do with all of this. It’s overwhelming, am I even on the right track? And I’m hungry. Been living on vegetables and flax seeds and coconut oil for a few days to keep pain levels down. It’s worked, but I know can not last eating like this. Im ok eating Salmon, but worried its acidic and will make my bladder burn, which is why I’ve been eating all alkaline. Trying to balance the IC diet with the oxolate diet, I feel like Im more stressed out trying to manage all of this. My apologies for the length of this, I want to get it all out for the best possible information. God bless you and this website.
Hi Lisa, The only link between oxalate and bladder disease is calcium oxalate crystal formation. Oxalate behaves in a dull predictable manner – absorbed from foods, produced in the liver, and excreted by the kidneys into the urine and perhaps by the intestine itself by secreting oxalate from blood back into the gut lumen. In humans it is a totally dead end product, without any cell pathways to use it. Oxalate causes its problems by forming crystals with calcium. If indeed urine oxalate is causing crystals and the crystals causing bladder pain your diet would be unwise as it was. Here is an article on urine oxalate in relation to diet calcium. You need a high calcium diet, and probably to stay away from the high oxalate foods on the list in the article itself – the 89 highest. ‘Dumping’ is not a term I could understand knowing how oxalate is handled, and seems like some kind of nonsense; ignore it. High urine volumes – as much as you can stand – would help dilute the urine and prevent crystals. Low sodium diet would be important to lower urine calcium as much as possible and will permit high diet calcium safely. Regards, Fred Coe
Hei!, this article its very interesting, I was diagnosed osteopenia recently, the worse is that I’m a 36 years old man. And I’m trying to find the perfect diet. I read that oxalates and calcium didn’t match, and I read its good to reduce oxalates for osteopenia. But I have a question, does the oxalates avoid calcium to be assimilated in the body or bones? The thing is, for osteopenia I must eat certain food, for example spinach are really good for me, but high oxalates. The thing is, if I avoid eating together calcium and oxalates is fine?, or eating them together does not affect to the kalcium? If its better separate, how many hours in between?, thank you. David
Hi David,
In order to absorb oxalate, calcium must be eaten with the oxalate product. For example, have a few almonds with your yoghurt. Of course you must get in enough calcium with your history of stones and bone disease. Have you done a urine collection? Do you know how much oxalate was in your urine? If you do have an oxalate problem (maybe you don’t, maybe by eating the correct amount of calcium you won’t need to worry about oxalate as much) please do not eat spinach as it is very high and not worth the trouble.
Warmly,
Jill
Dr. Coe, I appreciate so much this information. My husband just came home from the urologist today with news of 3 more kidney stones. It has been 7 years since his last stones were removed in 2010. They were oxylates. Nick is pushing age 70. He has never been good about drinking water. Doesn’t like to pee all the time. Besides being a stone former he produces a lot of cholesterol and his HDL/LDL ratio is not good and he had a quad bypass in 2009. A strict vegan diet is very important to control the cholesterol. Today his urologist again gave him a list of allowed foods and foods off limits. He wants Nick to drink enough water to pee 2 quarts a day and to limit his calcium intake. Being vegan his source of calcium and protein is nuts, beans, soy milk and tofu and whole grains to give him a complete protein. Is it OK for him to take a calcium citrate supplementation to help get the calcium intake up to the MDR? If these two diets aren’t difficult enough, I am also near 70 and have the beginnings of macular degeneration and all the foods I am supposed to eat are off limits for him. Help!
Hi Laura, I am afraid I do not fully agree with the suggested treatment. Here is a more modern approach to stone prevention which may be easier to use. Here is a special focus on the low oxalate diet issue. Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you so very much for all the work you are doing to educate us, the public. I have been all over your site and am learning so very much. One thing I have noted is the great variation in values attributed to various foods. We will prefer your charts but are unable to find values for many foods we find important in our vegan diet. Do you know of a more complete source for food values? We are adding supplementation: 250mg of Calcium Citrate BID, increasing water intake to 3 quarts/day and limiting sodium intake to 1500mg/day. I came across a post re. Magnesium supplementation and wonder if it would be helpful to add in perhaps 200mg Magnesium Citrate to this plan. He is already taking D3 supplementation but his D levels have not been measured for at least 2 years. The last level was 40. Thank you again. Laura
I would like to add that the above supplementation is taken with meals. Thank you. Laura
Hi Laura, The charts I put up arose from the Harvard lists and we added and corrected. I do not believe better charts are out there – there is a lot of variability and some errors on the web. I do not think you need to be so fussy about oxalate. Is your urine oxalate high? How far above 25 mg/d is it? If the calcium comes right with the meals, urine oxalate will be low, and if you really keep sodium low the urine calcium will stay reasonable but you must check to be sure. With high calcium and low sodium diet oxalate precautions needs be only moderate – less than 200 mg/day should be fine. Magnesium has no role I know of. Vitamin D levels are best kept in the normal range so retest. As a rule look to the whole 24 hour urine panel, not just oxalate. Regards, Fred Coe
I greatly appreciate the synthesis of divergent and sometimes conflicting information provided by this overview! I have independently found many of the same source information, but the informed analysis is extremely helpful.
And now, a question: I’ve always wondered how food oxalate levels are measured for these studies. Is there an agreed upon methodology that the various studies use, similar to calorimetry for caloric value? And, admittedly a long shot, is the methodology home-replicable? There are some foods that I’ve never been able to find on any list, and it would be very good to be able to determine their oxalate levels instead of avoiding them due to the lack of information.
Thank you!
Hi Mike. Do do food oxalate is very complex lab work and doable at home only if you have a well equipped lab and are well trained. But food oxalate need not be so picky – it is old fashioned. If your diet has the recommended amount of calcium urine oxalate will fall a lot and often food precautions become much less. Take a look. Regards, Fred Coe
Dr. Coe,
Thanks for your response. I figured it was a long shot to test at home.
I appreciate the reference you link to, and have re-read it. What’s funny is that, after receiving this document (https://www.dropbox.com/s/7f8o4ukiv9k9wb5/Oxalate2008.pdf?dl=0) from my urologist (it’s only available digitally via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine that I can find), I asked him if a 24 hour urine test would tell me what kind of hyperoxaluria I had, if any to better understand what “group” I fit in for restrictions. He asked, “Why? So you can cheat?” >:(
Reading your post, I’m still not sure if stone composition (stone analysis) or urine analysis is more indicative of how oxalate-restrictive one must be? Or is this getting in the weeds enough that I should set up a one-on-one consultation with Jill?
Thank you again!
Mike
Hi Mike, Be sure oxalate is your thing. Read your own lab report – it is easy. There is only dietary hyperoxaluria, primary hyperoxaluria and enteric hyperoxaluria are so serious you would be under care of experts. Be sure oxalate is your problem, and read the article about diet calcium – do you really need a low oxalate diet at all? Regards, Fred Coe
Dear Dr Coe,
I was hoping you could tell me why there is a disparity between oxalate values for turnip, avocado, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (among others) in the data you present and that of Dr Liebman in the low oxalate cookbook. These are all high in oxalates per serving in your data but either ‘low’ or ‘medium’ int he low oxalate cookbook. I’ve already planted up my garden with a fair bit of turnip!!
many thanks
Hi William, I have referred your questions to Professor Ross Holmes, a world authority on food oxalate who also helped curate the lists on this site. I am hoping he has time to answer. IF he cannot, I will attempt to find answers but do not have his extreme expertise. Regards, Fred Coe
Many thanks
I have osteoporosis and would like to know how to get enough calcium without too many oxalates in my diet. I am 75 years and female
Hi Jeneese, Sodium matters a lot. Here is a good treatment of the problem. If you lower sodium enough you can use diet calcium safely – that diet calcium will lower urine oxalate. Regards, Fred Coe
I have the same question. Much of the advice here is directly opposed to other sources that say, for example, that strawberries are high in oxalates, that caffeine must be avoided, that avocado is low oxalate, etc. What are the sources here? How could one expert say that something is at one end of the spectrum and another say it’s at the other? Isn’t there any hard data to define this?
Jenna,
It is confusing to say the least. We understand your concern and frustration. Depending upon where a plant has grown and what soil conditions it found itself in will effect the oxalate content. The list we use and suggest for you is from Harvard. We highly recommend using only one list and sticking to it. The reason we promote the Harvard list is because we have been using it for our patients for many years, and we trust it as our patients do lower their urinary oxalate. This, along with incorporating the right amount of calcium into your diet will help.
But, please make sure you do need a low oxalate diet. Have you done a 24 hour urine collection?
Hope this helps-
Jill
Apologies for previously asking a question that had already been answered earlier.
I think I am just looking for clarification as to how testing has been done in your studies relative to those of Dr Liebman and which studies are most up to date? This is an important issue as could be consistently slipping up in their consumption of what they believe to be low oxalate foods (that are actually high) and avoiding others such as strawberries, which, according to your data are ‘low’ in oxalate. This is an extremely important point as most people trying to follow a low oxalate diet refer to the ‘low oxalate cookbook’ or website which themselves quote from this source. To have some healthful foods at completely different ends of the scale in two ‘reputable’ lists is worrying and needs clarifying.
thanks again for your feedback
in the comment below please substitute strawberries for oranges!! sorry
brussel sprouts also at two ends of the scale in ‘low oxalate cookbook’ and here…. how is this possible?
Can I ask about Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Protein powder and chocolate almond milk? For the last 2-3 weeks or so, I’ve started every day with a cold brew coffee, one scoop chocolate protein, and about a 1/4 cup chocolate almond milk. (Previously I had been using regular 2% milk) I just finished passing my first stone this morning. It was horrendous, and I’m wondering if this change may have had anything to do with it? In the alternative, can I continue with the morning ritual if I switch back to regular milk?
Hi Vince, Sounds like trouble but I will ask Jill to handle this one. Regards, Fred Coe
Thanks!
Hi!
Can’t be sure since I don’t have a 24 hour urine collection on you- but would say if you have an oxalate problem then the almond milk won’t help the situation. Have you done a urine collection?
Go back to regular milk until you know for sure-
Jill
I am vegetarian / vegan at times – how can i do this diet as it requires a lot of meat and dairy? I have tried it and definitely get a lot of benefit from cutting out the listed food, but I’d be really interested to see a vegetarian / vegan variant, if there is one please point me in the right direction 🙂 Thanks
Hi Amy,
If you would like to remain mostly veggie, it can be difficult. I rarely do this, but you should work with someone privately to help you with this. You do need calcium, which of course can easily be found in dairy products, but there are ways to avoid it if needed. Also, protein is NOT recommended in high amounts and can lead to stone disease. I have worked with many vegetarians and it takes more than a reply here. Let me know if you would like more help. You can also go to my website at jillharriscoaching.com to learn more and contact me there. Let me know if you have done a urine collection too so I can see what your values look like.
Warmly,
Jill
I have mixed calcium oxalate and phosphate stones. I have had a few 24-hour urine tests and it shows that I am peeing out too much calcium. The lab value range that they use here in Canada is 1.0-7.0 mmol/d and I’m at 8.8, so higher than normal. My urine oxalate has come up undetectable all times tested. I still limit the major oxalate foods and have reduced my sodium and increased my dietary calcium. I also drink between 3 and 4 litres of water a day, however, I cannot seem to reduce the calcium in the urine.
A few questions here and first of all thanks for taking the time to answer our questions on this site.
1) I hate drinking as much milk as I have to in order to increase calcium in my diet. How bad are calcium supplements to take? I don’t mind having some low sodium cheese or maybe one glass of milk a day, but milk at every meal is turning my stomach.
2) Nuts and legumes are great animal protein alternatives. How bad are they to eat and what would be considered moderation regarding them? Once a week? Twice a week? Never?
3) I need more fiber in my diet, as some other medications I take constipate me. Is psyllium husk high in oxalate? I know I have read to avoid wheat bran, although I do have small quantities of whole wheat products.
Thanks
Hi Jason,
Thanks for writing. Change out the milk to less per day and add lower sugar yoghurt and/or cottage cheese. Salmon has calcium too. Google foods with calcium and you will see there are many. Just make sure they are not also high in salt (get lower sodium versions) and not too high in oxalate.
Nuts and legumes are high in oxalate. You can have them within reason. Add almonds to yoghurt so that the oxalate will not be reabsorbed. Beans can be eaten a couple times a week if you watch portion size. It is when we overdo these products. Also, remember, it depends how high your oxalate is. Do you have to lessen much or not too much at all? This will depend on your oxalate values.
I do not know if psyllium husk is high as it has not been studied. I use it myself and it is a tremendous help when needed. Again, if you use it a few times a week, and you are getting enough calcium you will probably be ok, but since I don’t know as it has not been studied, not sure.
Perhaps you need to reduce your sodium even more or if that doesn’t work that doc may prescribe a thiazide med to help with the hypercalciuria.
Hope this helps a bit. Think about taking the kidney stone prevention course too. Go here to read about it- http://www.jillharriscoaching.com” It is very helpful to patients.
Jill
My urinary oxalate is undetectable with two separate tests so far, so I think I’m going to ease up on the limiting of dietary oxalate. My daily sodium is around 1500, with some days as low as 1000, so I think that’s pretty reasonable. I’m kind of coming to the conclusion that I am doing everything I can and have to try and balance the theoretical risk of another stone with my current quality of life (which is lacking).
My son is a calcium oxalate stone producer. We are working on changing his diet. Do red, yellow and orange peppers contain the same oxalate amounts as green peppers or can they be used as a substitution?
Thanks
Hi Tina-
They all have oxalate- he can have them within moderation!
Jill
I passed my first large stone 2 years ago, and discovered I had 8 more. I have since flushed them out. After testing, my doc advised against high-oxalate foods. I did really well for a while, but gained about 10 pounds. I went off the diet for a bit, and am now forming stones again. I’ve found even with regular exercise, I am still not maintaining the weight. He has prescribed me with UROCIT-K 15, which upsets my stomach. I would like to go back to changing my diet, but need the vitamins I am missing out on without my spinach, berries, and nuts. I was nearly vegan before. My question may be obvious, but I must ask it: Does a multi-vitamin contain oxalates as well? if they contain spinach in pill form, will it still contribute to stone formation? What about these nutrition shakes? example: shakology?
Hi Natalie,
If there are vitamins made with spinach and higher oxalate ingredients then the pills may contain too much oxalate for you. Do you know how high your oxalate was. Perhaps you don’t need to curtail as much as you are? Also, making sure you get enough calcium is also helpful in keeping your oxalate levels down as well.
Talk to your doc about the pot citrate pill you are taking and tell him it is giving you GI upset. It is rather common and he can help prescribe something else that will be gentler on your stomach.
I am not sure about the shakes, again they have not been studied, so I am unsure.
Hope this help,
Jill
Being very new at being a kidney stone patient, I have found this site to be the fairest so far, so thanks.
So far I have quit peanuts and replaced my daily black tea with korean ginseng, which I take with a shot of maple syrup.
Problem is, I have not yet found one list anywhere that gives me an oxalate mg value for ginseng and maple syrup.
Am I doing well?
Hi Roger,
I am not sure of the oxalate values of either products as they have not been studied far as I know. Without knowing your oxalate values I will not be able to tell if you “are doing well”. Make sure to hydrate, keep your sodium levels low, and get enough calcium into your diet.
Warmly,
Jill
Because of kidney stones my whole diet had to be revamped. And I lost about 10 pounds. The trouble is everywhere I look, there are conflicting instructions. I stopped eating carrots, green beans, broccoli, ice cream… And I started eating avocado which you mention has oxalates. Twenty years ago, my mother was warned only against tomatoes, chocolate and nuts. I started eating less meat. But then I started eating more carbs, which is better for lessening arthritis. My arthritis is gone, but I’ve substituted it for hives caused by gluten. I’ve got rid of the hives by going gluten free
Hi Ellen, I am hoping Jill Harris will offer some details for you – she is better than I. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Ellen,
You do not have to completely stop eating these veggies. You do have about 100 mg/oxalate/day to use up. So if you feel like carrots or half an avocado, please have it. It is also important to pair the higher oxalate products with some dairy if you can to help absorb the extra oxalate these foods may produce.
Please use the list we use in the article so that you are not confused by all the different info out there on the web. We know much more about oxalate now than your mom was told and more foods have been studied. Good for you to go gluten free if gluten is bothering you.
If you follow the info above in the article you will be ok. You don’t have to give up your favorite, healthy, foods. Eat them in moderation and with enough calcium in your diet and you will be ok.
Thanks for writing-
Jill
Thanks. But I’m also allergic to milk. I’ve read there is calcium in peas would they offset the carrots or the broccoli?
I am also a diabetic and am finding it difficult to incorporate the oxalate diet with how I’m suppose to eat for people with diabetes particularly when it comes to grains, beans and potatoes. I’m not sure what to substitute for bread, I can’t eat white rice, it raises my blood sugar too high so I’m not sure what to do. Any suggestions?
Hi Val,
Incorporating a low oxalate diet depends on how high your oxalate level is? Do you know? To be safe you should keep your oxalate to less tahn 100 gm/day and make sure you get enough calcium for your age group. Postmenopausal women 1,200, premenopausal, 1,000/day.
The low oxalate diet still has plenty of fruits and veggies you can eat. And the higher items can still be eaten within moderation.
Hope this helps-
Jill
I’m new to all of this and feeling very overwhelmed, especially with the dietary restrictions. I have other chronic conditions that require dietary modifications/restrictions. I’m off completely: gluten, dairy, corn, potato, peanut, canned everything, top-of-the-food-chain fish, and mushrooms. Add to that the new restrictions and rules for the kidney stones (I passed one, but the other is still in my left kidney, despite the lithotripsy), and that eliminates just about everything! Help!! I wish I knew my levels, but this is all so new…I just don’t remember.
Hi Emily, Firstly you need to be sure your evaluation is complete – here is a proper approach. Then, see if you need a low oxalate diet. Most people may not. Regards, Fred Coe
Thank you for this resource! My question will be appropriate but a little explanation…I have a life long struggle with constipation. Lower back and abdominal pain these last few years resulted in ultrasound which showed constipation. My more recent CT scan in ER for kidney stones (2- 4mm, 4 smaller,calcium oxalate) and 2 subsequent KUBs also showed constipation. My Obgyn. suggested Benefiber a few years ago and it does help me a lot. I didn’t use every day but for a week at a time here and there. Other measures that have helped don’t seem good for kidney stones, smoothies, brief period of a vegan diet, etc. I also have osteopenia. I am trying to increase calcium, lower salt, drink a lot of water, stay away from high oxalate. My question is I would like to use Benefiber again, but it is wheat dextrin. My general practitioner suggested there may be more benefit getting bowels under control and using it vs. risk of kidney stone development. My urologist could not answer whether to stop using or not. I also contacted Benefiber and they referred me to my urologist. Do you have any knowledge of this product? Would it help to maybe use it in milk or calcium fortified OJ, etc.? Is there another product that might be better?
Hi Lisa, The preparation is simple fiber and should be neutral with respect to stones. I would use it. Regards, Fred Coe
I use HEMP FIBER, it does not give any problems that I can tell from my experience, nor does it give you gas nor bloating… unlike the other bottled fiber suppliments!
Thanks for sharing that Raul. We love it when others jump in to help and offer advice.
Jill
Hi,
My main issue is trying to balance low-oxalate diet with low-sodium diet.
For example, cheese is good for one, but high in sodium. Same with deli meats. And many other things.
My calcium intake is quite decent, as I like dairy quite a bit.
Any suggestions?
Hi Alex,
All foods can be found in low sodium varieties, even deli meats and cheeses. Make sure you really need a low oxalate diet and if you do then see how low you need to limit oxalate. You may be able to eat more than you think and this will help you with the low sodium issue as you can eat more fruits and veggies than you think, and they are of course all low in sodium.
Get a 24 hour urine collection done to see what you really need to do!
Warmly,
Jill
Thank you, Jill
I’ve had my 24hr urine done twice in the past year. First time oxalates were low (22), but sodium was normal (124).
Second time, oxalates were high (43) and sodium high (241). So my doctor advised to follow low oxalate, and if possible, low sodium diet.
My stones are CaOx.
Hey Alex!
So you can see how you vary from day to day. What you put in your mouth shows up on your report. If you had just done the one collection, you would not think you have much of a problem. Now you know that depending on the day and what you are eating, it varies.
If you form CaOx stones you need to keep your fluid output to at least 2.5 liters per day. Sodium less than 1,500 mg/day, and keep oxalates to lower than 100 mg/day. Calcium for you, 1,000 mg/day. That is your goal. If you need help doing that, considering taking one of our prevention courses (jillharriscoaching.com/course) You will learn the “how” part of the equation. And you will have a heckuva lotta fun too!
Warmly,
Jill
I have stones that are a mix of calcium oxalate and phosphate. My doctor has made me do a few 24 hour urine tests and they all show high levels of calcium in my urine, a normal to low-normal citrate level and non-existent urine oxalate levels. I’ve since increased my water intake to over 3 litres a day and have limited my sodium to 1500mg/day suggested on your blog (my doc says 2300mg/day is ok), but limiting oxalate seems to be the biggest challenge. For example: the other evening I went out to dinner and ordered a salad that was not supposed to have spinach in it, but I ate it because I was starving and it would have been impossible to change the order. I read somewhere that combining high oxalate foods with calcium can help, so I ordered a glass of milk to eat with the salad. This just seems strange and ridiculous to me to be panicking. If I am not excreting oxalate in my urine, does this mean that I still have to follow a low oxalate diet? I’m not sure I understand how calcium, oxalate, sodium and citrate all tie together.
Hi Bob,
Read the kidney stone prevention diet on this site and you can learn how it all ties together. You do NOT need to worry about oxalate if your urinary oxalate levels are ok. You need to do a 24 hour urine collection to make sure that is the case.
Best,
Jill
I really enjoyed the info on oxalates. I would like to echo the other posters’ collective confusion. Many (and i dont mean 2 or 3) websites claim that avocados are low-oxalate food; but you state above “avocado, … are very high and need caution.” And not just “high” but “very high”. The Harvard study could be wrong — just because it was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal doesnt make it correct, i am sorry to say. i am a scientist myself, and i can tell you that a published paper could easily be refuted by another paper published later. You not only have to study that specific paper, but ALL the papers that cite the paper in question, which means you would have to do a thorough search, and keep up with the research trends. Moreover, you say you had success treating your patients based on the study, but i am not sure if this is really anecdotal, or for a statistically meaningful sample. The other problem with the sample, of course, are age and demographics. In any case, i still enjoyed reading all the articles on this page – keep it up. In the mean time, i will be on the fence when it comes to avocados – and i am not suggesting they are completely devoid of oxalates, just not sure what “very high” means
Hi Stantheman!
I know these lists are confusing. When I work with patients privately or within group settings I advice them to indeed enjoy avocados. They are healthy. I know they are listed as high, and of course, depending on the source, the food itself, the soil conditions in which it was grown, the amounts can vary.
My advice to all is that you typically have a bank of 100 mg of oxalate a day to draw from. How you decide to make your withdrawals is up to you. I tell them that eating avocados are healthy, keep it within moderation, and you will be fine. So all my clients eat them. They are also reminded to get their normal values of calcium per day as well to help with the absorption of oxalate.
Hope this helps.
Jill
Just want to throw this out here to ponder on. Being diabetic, about three years ago I switched to Stevia in its powder form as a sugar substitute. I used a couple of different brands, Truvia being one of them. I only used two packets a day for my morning coffee and soon after, my kidney stone problems began. I never put two and two together and did the meds my doctor gave me, had a few kidney stone procedures, and was even hospitalized for 5 days once when a stone caused an infection in the duct between my kidney and bladder that spread. After my second 24 hour urine test, it was determined that I needed to cut down my oxalate intake. Hardly any of the foods in the above chart were in my diet as it was, except for the stevia. I immediately cut out the stevia from my diet and have been using raw sugar instead. I am happy to say, it has been over 6 months and there is no sign of those nasty rocks in my system. I know everyone’s body chemistry is tuned a little different, but it would be hard for anyone to convince me otherwise that stevia was the culpable party.
Thanks for a fantastic and informative site. I have a comment and a question. As a person with kidney stones, who has been put on a low-oxalate diet combined with potassium pills, I have been seeing a urologist and dietician at a reputable Canadian hospital for stone sufferers in Toronto. One thing that’s helped me is drinking Rooibus Tea (grown in South Africa) instead of black or green teas. I’ve been told it has no oxalate and that its green version is even better than its red (the more commonly found.) On my last visit to this hospital, I was told that there have been changes to the diet (they, too, follow the Harvard list) and that it’s now considered acceptable to eat beans, and grains like brown rice. I’m confused after reading this site. Do you suggest I not eat beans and brown rice? As well, I had been eating sweet potatoes. Should I stop? I’ve been almost religiously combining my food intake with yogurt and / or cheese. Thank you, Karen
Hi Karen, Since this list was made, and during the past year of this site, I have learned – I could have learned this earlier! – that if anyone eats a proper calcium intake of 1,000 to 1,200 mg daily, and eats the calcium with the larger meals to coincide with oxalate in food, diet oxalate control needs be much less detailed and perhaps 200 mg daily would be fine. This latter means a lot less concern about small differences among foods. Perhaps this will obviate some of your concerns. Let me know, Regards, Fred Coe
hi, i am 54 years old. i suffer from kidney stones both calcium and uric acid. i have passed 4 stones that were between 5 and 6 mm. i also had the shock wave procedure to break one up and also spent 2 days in the hospital getting another one pulled out. all this in the past 15 years. the stones have appeared on both sides of my kidneys. i also suffer from gout. my first attack was 2005 on my toe. since then it has progressed to my ankle,knees and shoulder. my gout attacks have become more intense,frequent and last longer. i am careful in what i eat and drink. no beer, alcohol, meat or shellfish for the past 12 years and yet i still suffer. i am at a wits end. i am constantly reading but i still suffer. no idea on what else to do.
Hi Vinny, Uric acid stones dissolve and never form when urine pH is above 6, so you need sufficient alkali to raise urine pH. Potassium citrate is the usual treatment. The calcium component may reflect more abnormalities. Here is a good plan to get fully evaluated. You should do this. Regards, Fred Coe
I am still sorting my diet out and learning. Searched through the paper and all the responses for foods that have oxalate in them. What about nonsoluble oxalate? One example ground cinnamon is high in oxalate but non soluble unless I am mistaken.
Hi Mark, Take a look at this other article and be sure low oxalate diet is your treatment. Also, be sure you have done all the preliminaries. Regards, Fred Coe
I’m wondering if you have data regarding the oxalate content of various spices (i.e. tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne) and herbs. Thanks, Erin
Hi Erin, I will ask Jill Harris to answer this one. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Erin,
Cinnamon is ok, tumeric is high. Ginger too tends to be a bit high. Do not know about cayenne. You can use the spices that are high here and there. Just like any food that is high, use it sparingly. I know the tumeric thing bums a lot of people out because it is very healthy and very “in” right now.
Eat a normal amount of calcium and you can get away with eating these higher oxalate products.
Hope this helps-
Jill
I am contemplating bariatric surgery and the after surgery diet is highest in meat protein (60-90g a day). According to your list this shouldn’t be a concern but my urologist (after 1 calcium oxalate stone) gave me a list that said don’t eat animal protein. I’m confused on why not to eat meat and the best way to get protein if it should be restricted. Thanks for any advice.
Hi Vicki, The physician was concerned that protein loading would increase urine calcium and promote stones. That is true but plant protein will do just as animal protein. If you want to use low carb high protein diet for weight loss the source does not matter. Bariatric surgery raises risk of stones because urine oxalate frequently rises considerably. Be sure and discuss this with your physicians. Sorry I have not as yet written an article on this site about the matter. Regards, Fred Coe
My doctor told me to drink a gallon of water a day. If I drink some beer and wine does that count towards that gallon? I realize that beer does contain some oxalate that needs to be counted towards the daily total. Just wondering if the alcoholic beverages helps me at all towards the 1 gallon goal or not. Many thanks.
Hi Daniel, Beer and wine are fine. But water alone is inefficient and not that successful. A more balanced treatment plan works better and is easier to live with. I assume you have idiopathic calcium stones. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi Daniel,
Alcohol will count toward your daily fluid intake, but in very small quantities. Too much alcohol will leave you dehydrated.
Cheers,
Jill
Regarding the role of Calcium in counteracting oxalate, is that something that happens right away in the gut, e.g. yogurt mixed with nuts to counteract oxalate immediately during digestion, or is it a longer term thing that a high Calcium diet over time will work to lower oxalate? In other words, must the oxalate and Calcium be together in the gut at the same time, or does taking Calcium supplements and eating Calcium rich foods independently work to lower oxalate if not in the GI tract at the same time as the oxalate rich foods? Thanks.
Hi Daniel, The data were obtained two ways. In a trial that was very long term and in a group of short experiments. I believe it is immediate and results from calcium complexing with oxalate so it cannot be absorbed. The effect is so powerful urine oxalate can fall remarkably. Of course the calcium must be precisely with the meal. Regards, Fred Coe
Hi, I am confused about Lemonade vs LemonJuice
regular lemonade = high oxalate
Diet lemonade = low oxalate
1. One tsp of sugar has 0mg of oxalate, so why is regular lemonade high in oxalate and diet is not?
2. Is straight lemonJuice better than Lemonade? Explain why?
Hi, Does anyone know why decaf coffee has more oxalates than regular coffee?
decaf-coffee 1cup = 2mg
reg-coffee 1cup= 1mg