HEALTHY DIET HABITS TO AVOID OXALATE BUILD-UP - like avoid EXCESS intake of super high oxalate foods like spinach.
IMPORTANT HEALTHY DIET HABIT - AVOID OXALATE BUILD-UP - IT CAN CAUSE BIG PROBLEMS.
I recently discovered eating healthy foods in healthy quantities requires understanding oxalate content in foods.
Why? Because some healthy foods can contain a SUPER lot of oxalate that can cause big problems if it accumulates over time.
Take spinach for example. It turns out, spinach has a huge oxalate content.
Why does that matter?
Oxalates accumulate in the body over time as sharp crystals that grow and can have very bad consequences in many ways (see references at bottom).
Eating foods with too much oxalate causes the problem mainly.
Also the oxalate problem gets worse by eating a diet with high protein, or high sodium, or high sugar, and not drinking enough water or extreme excess intake Vitamin C.
The result can be calcium oxalate stones in the kidneys and bladder that bioaccumulate and get bigger and bigger and grow in numbers. Also the sharp calcium oxalate crystals can accumulate in other parts of the body causing many other problems per references below.
MY HABITS FOR A HEALTHY DIET TO AVOID BAD OXALATE BUILD-UP AND REDUCE EXISTING BUILD-UP
Habit 1: I check my typical oxalate intake using this free oxalate calculator.
https://globalrph.com/medcalcs/oxalate-content-calculator/
If the result is over my healthy oxalate limit, I redesign my food selections so next time I will be within the healthy oxalate limit.
Other Habits for low oxalate build up and possible flushing of existing oxalate build-up:
1) WATER: Drink sips of water often all day long so stay well hydrated.
2) CALCIUM: Always eat high calcium food whenever I decide to eat a high oxalate food. That way they combine in the gut and get eliminated rather than oxalate going alone to the kidneys and accumulate with other oxalate in the kidneys.
3) SUGAR: Eliminate added sugar foods from my grocery shopping list.
4) PROTEIN: Limit the protein I eat so within healthy range for low oxalate build-up and promote reduction of existing build-up.
5) SODIUM (from SALT etc): Limit the salt I eat so within healthy range for low oxalate build-up and promote reduction of existing build-up.
I track total calcium, sugar, protein, and sodium I eat with this free calculator:
6) AVOID Vitamin C SUPPLEMENT EXCESS, which can also cause oxalate build-up. Excess Vit C turns into oxalate.
NOTE: the above are not recommendations. I am just sharing tiny habits that work for me. What is right for me might not be right for you. Always refer to your professional health care providers before making any potentially health-impacting life-style changes.
References:
ttps://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/calcium-oxalate-stone
@7motivation
Great information... and thanks for always adding a 'Disclaimer"!.......as yes, this might work for one person, but may not be recommeded for another!
**Always consult your own physician and healthcare providers to help and recommend what would work for you!.