Oxalate is a chemical predominantly in plant-based foods. While for many people oxalate is a harmless chemical, for others it can build up in the body and cause harmful symptoms. If your physician diagnoses you as experiencing frequent bouts of oxalate buildup, he may recommend you follow a low-oxalate diet.
Kidney Stones
Low-oxalate diets are chiefly recommended to prevent kidney stones. These hard masses of minerals build up in the kidneys, causing pain and blood in the urine. The most common kidney stones types are calcium oxalate or phosphate oxalate stones. For this reason, reducing your dietary oxalate intake can help to diminish the incidence of kidney stones. This diet involves eating between 40 and 50 mg of oxalate each day. Note, however, that not all kidney stones are composed of oxalate.
Diagnosis
When you experience kidney stones, your physician may recommend using a paper filter when you use the bathroom to "catch" the kidney stone or stones. Your physician can then determine the stone's components. If oxalate is one of the components, your physician may recommend a low-oxalate diet because when you have had kidney stones once, you are at increased risk for experiencing them again.
Oxalate and Your Diet
Your physician may recommend limiting high-oxalate foods, which are defined as those that have more than 7 mg of oxalate per serving. Examples include beer, chocolate milk, almonds, baked beans, peanut butter, berries, tangerines and soybeans. Vegetables also tend to be high in oxalate, including green beans, kale, parsley, spinach, summer squash, watercress and tomato soup. Skip these high-oxalate foods for low-oxalate choices like plain milk, beef, eggs, poultry, apples, avocado, bananas, coconut, canned cranberries, nectarines, watermelon, bread and breakfast cereals. Low-oxalate vegetables include acorn squash, cabbage, frozen peas, red peppers, radishes and zucchini.
Other Conditions
Having certain gastrointestinal conditions also is associated with an increased risk for oxalate kidney stones. If you have been diagnosed with conditions like bowel disease or have undergone a procedure like ilial resection, your physician may recommend a low-oxalate diet to reduce your increased risk of developing oxalate kidney stones. Always speak to your physician before beginning these diets.
