too much spinach not a good thing?

[samariah]

lately ive been in love with spinach. ive been having spinach green smoothies daily and probably going through like 8-10 oz of spinach a day. however, i am reading that spinach is high in oxalates and too much of it can increase your risk of gout and kidney stones. i also read that most of the iron and calcium in spinach isnt even absorbed by the body. should i cut back?

[jacsam]

Where are you reading this? I've only heard good things about spinach....but you can over do anything.

[samariah]

wikipedia, heh. but i have seen it on other sources before too a while ago.

[RawKnitster]

I have read about oxalates in spinach. It's my understanding that oxalates in cooked spinach were the problem. Harder to absorb them from raw spinach.

I agree that to much of anything can be bad. Raw foodists should switch up their greens from time to time. I was told by a long-time raw foodist that greens have different nutrients and different toxins. Stay with a single green over a long period of time and those toxins will build up. She would have spinach smoothies for a couple months, then switch to romaine or kale for awhile.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[iamacranberry]

I've not heard anything about the raw or cooked state of spinach affecting the bioavailability of the oxalic acid in spinach. However, if you vary your greens, you'll not only be more likely to get a wider variety of nutrients, but you'll likely avoid the overconsumption of oxalic acid.

[brownies]

I have a friend who gets kidney stones about once a year. She LOVES her spinach and eats it all the time. I wanted to help her so I did some research on what foods she should be eating/staying away from and almost every where I looked said to avoid spinach.

That said, I think some people are just more susceptible to those things. I myself eat spinach on a daily basis but am a fan of switching up your greens every few weeks/month.

[samariah]

i can always switch it up. there are plenty of other greens to try. ill try some arugula or romaine next. also, my mom and grandfather both have had problems with stones so i might be more susceptible.

is your friend raw vegan?

[Ilse W.]

Most everything that is written about nutrition is based on a cooked diet. I don't think you can eat enough raw spinach to make much of a difference. Just my take.

[Green_Woman]

Too much spinach does give me more BM's, but it's good... I feel cleaner. ;)

[RawYorkCity]

I know that spinach is high in protein compared to the other leafy vegetables, so maybe that's another reason for the toxicity. Try romaine (my favorite), which (I think) isn't as bittery as spinach as well.

[StarFire]

Question is -- how are you feeling - aside from what you read... how are you FEELING? do you feel stronger
http://i508.photobucket.com/albums/s328/NintendoGirl64/Popeye.jpg(and no I don't mean like Popeye!! lol! ;))...

I think you are a very wise RAWbie - and you've been on this path now for a while. You listen to your body samariah - and you're paying attention.... soooo.... with that said --

if you're feeling okay - and enjoying the spinach - go ahead and eat it! perhaps your body is needing it right now. I know that when i was about 4 or 5 months raw -- I went thru a spinach phase -- drank it in smoothies - ate it in salads - stuffed it in mushrooms ... I was lovin spinach!

then one day -- my obsession with spinach was over! It's all good -- just pay attention to your body!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/000200DC.gif ...RAWk on!!

[Raw Angel Mom]

ALTERNATE YOUR GREENS! All greens have a poison if your alternate them, it make your system stronger if you eat the same green all the time, you will get naturally fed up of them, and it will get back to normal once you change your greens. This is a way that mother nature found to make sure that the animals don't eat the same species at once. They alternate their food and therefore giving time to the greens to reproduce.

Don't worry about that, just enjoy your spinach. One thing to watch out is that they now irradiate spinach, make sure the one you buy are not irradiate.

Best wishes

[RawKnitster]

Irradiating spinach!!! :(:mad: Are they insane or just stupid?

[Shoshannah]

irradiating spinach!!! :(:mad: Are they insane or just stupid?

both!!!!!!

[Veganforlife]

both!!!!!!

I think "THEY" need to be irradiated!!!

[jmraw]

i got a kidney stone in December after being on and off raw. I was still drinking a lot of green smoothies. I was also drinking alissa's green powder smoothie. I am not sure if that is why I got one, but I may not have been drinking enough working whilst working out a lot. Who knows

[Seabie]

I've read the same thing about spinach and it was also mentioned as causing the same problem when used in pet food.


I agree that to much of anything can be bad. Raw foodists should switch up their greens from time to time. I was told by a long-time raw foodist that greens have different nutrients and different toxins. Stay with a single green over a long period of time and those toxins will build up. She would have spinach smoothies for a couple months, then switch to romaine or kale for awhile.

Sounds reasonable to me.

That is the same advise I was given by the nutritionist I am working with. I tend to find a few foods I like and eat them every single day. I am trying to get out of that habit.

[Davylp25]

COOKED SPINACH,,, COOKED SPINACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If it aint cooked, pleas enjoy the spinach!

[MrsJohnnyG]

COOKED SPINACH,,, COOKED SPINACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If it aint cooked, pleas enjoy the spinach!
Well, it's true that raw is obviously better than cooked... but spinach has oxalic acid whether it's raw or not. But, you'd have to consume a ridiculous amount to suffer serious effects:


The oxalic acid contained in spinach can be harmful. About 10 pounds of spinach is fatal.

Also note:

The oxalic acid contained in spinach can prevent your body from absorbing iron and calcium. To improve iron absorption, spinach should be eaten with foods that contain vitamin C.

[samariah]

what other greens are high in oxalic acid?

[iamacranberry]

Lots of vegetables in general are. Like I said earlier, don't worry about it. Just vary your diet and you should be all right.