Guest guest Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 Hi Peter, There is much less oxalic acid in young spinach. Eat raw foods that taste good to you without any preparation. That is a pretty good guide as to what you should be eating. Fresh, ripe, raw and organic fruits supply us with almost all our nutrient needs. The problem comes with our levels of absorption. Since we have done tremendous damage to our bodies in the past we may not be absorbing so well. Fasting helps with this. Also, could you please trim your posts? You are inadvertently leaving all the previous emails at the bottom of your replies. They should be erased as soon as you start replying. This helps the people who receive their messages as a daily digest. To Your Radiant Health and Happiness, Roger Haeske Have you tried the Raw Diet many times but failed to stick with it? Now you can learn the Motivational and Dietary Secrets to success on a 100% Raw Food Diet. From Infinite Potential and Raw Food Coach, Roger Haeske, the author of Your Hidden Power - eClass, Infinite Tennis and http://www.superbeing.com. Go to http://www.superbeingdiet.com to learn how to go 100% RAW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 Hi Peter, I wasn't aware that so many foods contained oxalic acid. Most of the authors that I have read like Walker, Cousens, Wolfe and others feel that oxalic acid in it's raw state is quite safe, but when cooked then causes the problems as you listed below. Walker says that spinach contains a valuable quality of oxalic acid, and in its natural form is organic and in combination with the other natural elements present in spinach, stimulates the peristaltic action of the intestines. When spinach is cooked however, the organic principle of all of the elements is destroyed and converted into an inorganic acid and as such has the tendency to form oxalic acid crystals in the kidneys. Organic oxalic acid is normally metabolized by the body. I think this is true of all foods that are cooked. They are altered into an inorganic state and that is why we are having so many health problems. Could it be that the article you listed below was based on results from the Standard American Diet of cooked foods? Vegigran Oxalic acid occurs naturally in quite a large number of plants. The human body also synthesizes oxalic acid from ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Oxalic acid may combine with calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, or potassium to form less soluble salts known as oxalates. Oxalates also occur naturally in plants. Since oxalic acid binds with important nutrients, making them inaccessible to the body, regular consumption of large amounts of foods high in oxalic acid over a period of weeks to months may result in nutrient deficiencies, most notably of calcium. Oxalic acid is a strong acid, and is irritating to tissue all by itself. Extremely high doses are fatal. Oxalates, on the other hand, form tiny little insoluble crystals with sharp edges, which are also irritating to tissue. So, high levels of oxalic acid/oxalates in the diet lead to irritation of the digestive system, and particularly of the stomach and kidneys. They may also contribute to the formation of kidney stones (the most common form of kidney stone is composed of calcium oxalate). Foods containing these chemicals may be consumed in moderation. However, if you suffer from kidney disease, kidney stones, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout, it is usually recommended that you avoid foods that are high in oxalates or oxalic acid. Foods generally found on the list include: chocolate, cocoa, coffee, most berries (especially strawberries and cranberries), most nuts (especially peanuts), beans, beets, bell peppers, black pepper, parsley, rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard, summer squash, sweet potatoes, and tea. Plant foods with high concentrations of oxalic acid (over 200 ppm) include (but are not limited to): lamb's-quarter, buckwheat, star fruit, black pepper, purslane, poppy seeds, rhubarb, tea, spinach, plantains, cocoa and chocolate, ginger, almonds, cashews, garden sorrel, mustard greens, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, soybeans, tomatillos, beets and beet greens, oats, pumpkin, cabbage, green beans, mango, eggplant, tomatoes, lentils, and parsnips. Vegetable Oxalic acid (g/100 g) Amaranth 1.09 Asparagus .13 Beans, snap .36 Beet leaves .61 Broccoli .19 Brussels sprouts .36 Cabbage .10 Carrot .50 Cassava 1.26 Cauliflower .15 Celery .19 Chicory .21 Chives 1.48 Collards .45 Coriander .01 Corn, sweet .01 Cucumbers .02 Eggplant .19 Endive .11 Garlic .36 Kale .02 Lettuce .33 Okra .05 Onion .05 Parsley 1.70 Parsnip .04 Pea .05 Pepper .04 Potato .05 Purslane 1.31 Radish .48 Rutabaga .03 Spinach .97 Squash .02 Sweet potato .24 Tomato .05 Turnip .21 Turnip greens .05 Watercress .31 Vegigran [vegigran] 17 November 2003 20:06 rawfood [Raw Food] (Peter) Cabbages <<<<Just been reading through and am convinced I have been getting too much oxalic acid from eating spinach.>>>>> Hi Peter, Why do you feel that you are getting too much oxalic acid from spinach? Are you eating it in it's natural state? I can't get enough green leafed veggies. They make such a difference in the way I feel. I listened to a very good tape the other day about green foods and the benefits. Of course they were selling a product at the end, but the information was excellent. They play such an important part in our digestion and helping to deliver oxygen to our cells. We have all kinds of varieties of green foods here in the US. Vegigran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 Vegigran, I got the idea from the Maestro Frederic Patenaude! Raw Secrets p159 has one mention but there is another somewhere. I certainly ate a lot and thought it better to give spinach a rest. Peter Vegigran [vegigran] 19 November 2003 18:25 rawfood [Raw Food] (Peter) Oxalic Acid Hi Peter, I wasn't aware that so many foods contained oxalic acid. Most of the authors that I have read like Walker, Cousens, Wolfe and others feel that oxalic acid in it's raw state is quite safe, but when cooked then causes the problems as you listed below. Walker says that spinach contains a valuable quality of oxalic acid, and in its natural form is organic and in combination with the other natural elements present in spinach, stimulates the peristaltic action of the intestines. When spinach is cooked however, the organic principle of all of the elements is destroyed and converted into an inorganic acid and as such has the tendency to form oxalic acid crystals in the kidneys. Organic oxalic acid is normally metabolized by the body. I think this is true of all foods that are cooked. They are altered into an inorganic state and that is why we are having so many health problems. Could it be that the article you listed below was based on results from the Standard American Diet of cooked foods? Vegigran Oxalic acid occurs naturally in quite a large number of plants. The human body also synthesizes oxalic acid from ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Oxalic acid may combine with calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, or potassium to form less soluble salts known as oxalates. Oxalates also occur naturally in plants. Since oxalic acid binds with important nutrients, making them inaccessible to the body, regular consumption of large amounts of foods high in oxalic acid over a period of weeks to months may result in nutrient deficiencies, most notably of calcium. Oxalic acid is a strong acid, and is irritating to tissue all by itself. Extremely high doses are fatal. Oxalates, on the other hand, form tiny little insoluble crystals with sharp edges, which are also irritating to tissue. So, high levels of oxalic acid/oxalates in the diet lead to irritation of the digestive system, and particularly of the stomach and kidneys. They may also contribute to the formation of kidney stones (the most common form of kidney stone is composed of calcium oxalate). Foods containing these chemicals may be consumed in moderation. However, if you suffer from kidney disease, kidney stones, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout, it is usually recommended that you avoid foods that are high in oxalates or oxalic acid. Foods generally found on the list include: chocolate, cocoa, coffee, most berries (especially strawberries and cranberries), most nuts (especially peanuts), beans, beets, bell peppers, black pepper, parsley, rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard, summer squash, sweet potatoes, and tea. Plant foods with high concentrations of oxalic acid (over 200 ppm) include (but are not limited to): lamb's-quarter, buckwheat, star fruit, black pepper, purslane, poppy seeds, rhubarb, tea, spinach, plantains, cocoa and chocolate, ginger, almonds, cashews, garden sorrel, mustard greens, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, soybeans, tomatillos, beets and beet greens, oats, pumpkin, cabbage, green beans, mango, eggplant, tomatoes, lentils, and parsnips. Vegetable Oxalic acid (g/100 g) Amaranth 1.09 Asparagus .13 Beans, snap .36 Beet leaves .61 Broccoli .19 Brussels sprouts .36 Cabbage .10 Carrot .50 Cassava 1.26 Cauliflower .15 Celery .19 Chicory .21 Chives 1.48 Collards .45 Coriander .01 Corn, sweet .01 Cucumbers .02 Eggplant .19 Endive .11 Garlic .36 Kale .02 Lettuce .33 Okra .05 Onion .05 Parsley 1.70 Parsnip .04 Pea .05 Pepper .04 Potato .05 Purslane 1.31 Radish .48 Rutabaga .03 Spinach .97 Squash .02 Sweet potato .24 Tomato .05 Turnip .21 Turnip greens .05 Watercress .31 Vegigran [vegigran] 17 November 2003 20:06 rawfood [Raw Food] (Peter) Cabbages <<<<Just been reading through and am convinced I have been getting too much oxalic acid from eating spinach.>>>>> Hi Peter, Why do you feel that you are getting too much oxalic acid from spinach? Are you eating it in it's natural state? I can't get enough green leafed veggies. They make such a difference in the way I feel. I listened to a very good tape the other day about green foods and the benefits. Of course they were selling a product at the end, but the information was excellent. They play such an important part in our digestion and helping to deliver oxygen to our cells. We have all kinds of varieties of green foods here in the US. Vegigran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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