The body does an amazing job at neutralizing toxins! So much so that we hardly realize it is happening. Over time, however, our toxicity levels increase and our body has more trouble eliminating the toxic load. Enter fragile bones, aches, pains, nerve damage, hormone imbalances, sleep disturbances, headaches, gout, pelvic pain, digestive disturbances and even kidney stones.
Oxalates are a salt-like metabolic waste product that forms the shape of sharp looking crystals. They can steal our nutrients by binding to magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and copper. They can also bind to heavy metals in the body such as mercury, aluminum, lead and cadmium.
As we get older we lose bacteria in our gut that help us to break down oxalates, which can accumulate over time in our kidneys, arteries, thyroid and connective tissue. Oxalates causes damage to hyaluronic acid which is a basic building block of connective tissue, making it more difficult to recover from surgeries, injuries, and can weaken joints, skin and bones. Oxalates deplete our glutathione levels which are important compounds in detoxification and protecting the liver and the brain.
We are often told to eat more spinach, almonds, beets, and whole grains to improve our health. Unfortunately, many plants have natural defense mechanisms which keeps them from being consumed by predators. Calcium naturally binds to oxalates, allowing the plant to embed nutrition in it’s cells for the baby plant. Once the plant can germinate, the product which we harvest as nutrition contains the oxalate which can bind to our own calcium creating calcium oxalate which can form kidney stones in our bodies, contribute to gout, and joint pain.
When we switch from a diet higher in processed foods towards more plant foods, we hope that we will feel better. The problem is we often load up on vegetables that are high in oxalates, such as spinach, sweet potatoes, kale, beets, whole grains, nuts, seeds and dark chocolate. While we may have temporary relief from the removal of processed foods from our diet, eventually we will have trouble eliminating the excess oxalates from our system. One woman started a 10 day green smoothie cleanse and ended up with end stage renal failure. It is only with the advent of modern agricultural innovations that it is even possible for us to eat plant foods year round.
The reason that some plants are touted as health foods, is that they contain compounds called polyphenols and alkaloids which promote stress in the body. While the theory is that these chemicals provide antioxidants, they are actually just creating a stress in the body, by which we respond by producing our own antioxidant, glutathione to protect ourselves. Unfortunately, studies fail to show that resveratrol, polyphenols, and curcumin show any lasting benefits on the system.
It is entirely possible to stress the system using environmental hormesis; exposing ourselves to heat, cold, and going in and out of ketosis.
It is is never a bad idea to educate yourself about oxalates and take a look at how these are affecting your health. I would recommend switching to a low oxalate diet slowly, as changing the diet rapidly can lead to a syndrome called “oxalate dumping” where detoxification can happen too quickly and the body can respond with rashes, swelling, and more inflammation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6317057/
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/81/1/243S/4607529
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0891584994900302
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