Oxalates

Body: 

I wondered if any of you might have knowledge about oxalates in diet. There seems to be a school of thought that high-oxalate foods cause problems such as fibromyalgia. Surely this would make them an unhealthy choice for us all - and yet high-oxalate foods include things like almonds, broccoli, carrots, berries - foods we're otherwise encouraged to eat.

Anybody know more about this?

Forum:

Hi Octaviel,

I wouldn't consider any of those foods high in oxalates. Rather, chard and rhubarb fit more in the high oxalate category. Oxalic acid is broken down with heat - even just wilting chard. Certainly you wouldn't eat rhubarb leaves under any circumstance, and neither will animals. I was always amazed when I lived in a wild setting that deer wouldn't go near my row of rhubarb. The foods you list are some of our most nutritious. Almonds contain a lot of tannin in their skins, which is completely resolved by soaking overnight in pure water, draining and rinsing. Other seeds contain enzyme inhibitors, which keep them from untimely sprouting and are inactivated in the same way. Your DNA is inextricably linked with nature and our natural foods and herbs are that nutritious, healing web.

Christine

Well thank you Christine, that is certainly the wisdom I was hoping for and which I guess was buried in my own instincts too. There is so much conflicting information out there about food and diet, and I knew that here was one place I could trust the advice. I will tuck into my almonds and green veg with renewed vigour!