Should we stop eating vegetables because of oxalates?

In recent years, many warnings about the "dangers" of oxalates have circulated on social media , to the point that some promote diets that completely eliminate foods like spinach, chard, or almonds. But is it really necessary to avoid vegetables rich in oxalates ?

What does science say?

Oxalates (or oxalic acid) are natural compounds found in many plant foods . They are especially present in green leaves like spinach and chard, nuts like almonds, and some grains and legumes.

In the body, oxalates can bind with calcium and form calcium oxalate, the main component of certain types of kidney stones .

For this reason, people with a history of kidney stones , especially calcium oxalate stones , are advised to moderate their consumption of foods high in oxalates . However, this doesn't mean everyone should avoid them completely.

In fact, many of the foods high in oxalates are also key sources of fiber , magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, and other nutrients essential for metabolic and cardiovascular health .

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Everything in moderation

From a clinical perspective, the issue isn't just how much oxalate a food contains, but how much is absorbed. And here's a crucial point: dietary calcium significantly reduces oxalate absorption, as it binds to them in the intestine and facilitates their elimination in the feces.

Therefore, it is important to understand that promoting a dairy-free, meat-only diet (as those who advocate the carnivore diet do) naturally increases the absorption of oxalates if for some reason the person ingests vegetables rich in these compounds.

In that context, it makes sense that they recommend eliminating them: not because oxalates are dangerous for everyone, but because in the absence of dietary calcium , the risk of excessive absorption can increase.

In addition, other factors play a role: a diverse gut microbiota (including Oxalobacter formigenes) helps break down oxalates before they are absorbed, while conditions such as gut dysbiosis, prolonged antibiotic use, or inflammatory bowel disease can increase susceptibility .

In short, eliminating vegetables for fear of oxalates has no scientific justification for the majority of the population, and can lead to diets poor in fiber and micronutrients.

Only in very specific cases, such as people with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones and other predisposing conditions, may a moderate and temporary reduction be indicated, read carefully, temporary, always accompanied by clinical and nutritional supervision .

So, should we be afraid of oxalates ? No. We must understand them in context . And we must also critically question messages that demonize vegetables from a biased and unbalanced perspective.

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