Do I need to worry that my diet is high in oxalates? (Vegan, ketogenic).

Trying2Heal

Hello,
I was wondering if I could get some advice from a nutritionist about oxalates?

I've been doing a vegan version of the ketogenic diet for the last 25 days. I was vegan prior to going ketogenic and was hoping to maintain that. However, I've realised that my vegan keto foods are all high in oxalates. I'm mainly eating hemp, chia and flaxseed, almond butter, (soaked) nuts, (steamed or raw) spinach, (steamed)kale, watercress, rocket, avocado, cocoa powder (for fat bombs), olives, celery, brocolli, cauliflower, sauerkraut, nutritional yeast flakes, tahini, spring onion, white onion, coconut oil, herbal teas, apple cider vinegar, small amount of lemon juice on salads, filtered water.

I have read it's not much of an issue if you consume citric acid (lemon juice) and calcium citrate (to bind with the oxalates) with your oxalate-rich foods and that cooking reduces the oxalates.

However, the complication comes in, that I am not an average healthy person. I suffer from M.E/adrenal fatigue and most likely leaky gut syndrome and possibly candida overgrowth, sibo and parasites (which is also why my diet is currently excluding fruit, nightshades, gluten, soy and grains - these are all irritants/inflammatory to a damaged gut wall and/or can feed candida. Plus I'm gluten and soy intolerant. I'm also trying to maintain a diet that is as antioxidant rich, non-acidifying and anti-inflammatory as possible. Though I also have concerns about the high omega 6 foods like tahini, olives, nuts etc. I take an EPA/DHA supplement as well, but the omega 6 could still be a bit high and the calcium and potassium a bit low according to the cronometer app).

I've read that If you have leaky gut, oxalate absorption can increase by 50% and present more of a danger and if you have candida overgrowth, there will be a higher level of oxalates being produced in your body anyway, so again, perhaps a higher risk. Fibromyalgia is an issue for me as well. I'd say I don't have a severe degree of it, but I have read oxalates can make it worse!

I've been doing tons of reading on this and all the contradictory information on all of these topics is leaving me confused, overwhelmed and stressed out! (Some sources have suggested I need to stay out of ketosis as ketones can also feed candida and even make it more aggressive, whilst others say keto with intermittant fasting is great to kill an overgrowth, clear out parasites, damaged mitochondria and repair your gut lining, help adrenal fatigue etc).

I'm not expecting a nutritionist (or anyone else) to be able to answer questions on the complexity of my situation with regards to leaky gut, candida, adrenal fatigue etc, but if you have any advice on oxalates and the levels I am consuming as being a good or bad thing, that would be appreciated .

Do I need to reduce my levels or compensate in some other way for increased consumption? Can I stay on this eating plan for a while whilst I try and heal my gut or does something stand out as needing to change? Will I be unable to remain vegan and/or keto?

Again, not necessarily expecting anyone to be able to offer expertise in this area, but hearing from a nutritionist or naturopath about oxalates could be of some help .

Thank you!

P.S If oxalates are a significant issue, it would perhaps be awesome to be able to track them in the Cronometer app

Susan_RD_101

@Trying2Heal

A first question to ask is whether or not you have had a calcium oxalate kidney stone in the past. As far as the research shows, simply consuming oxalates doesn't cause kidney stones. Nonetheless, I would ensure that you are consuming 2-3 L of low-calorie beverages per day and would avoid calcium supplements (while still ensuring that you are meeting your calcium needs).

Foods that are particularly high in oxalates on a vegan diet include:

• spinach
• okra
• beet leaves
• swiss chard
• rhubarb
• figs
• peanuts
• tree nuts
• soy beans
• wheat bran
• buckwheat
• dark chocolate

While I don't think you need to avoid these healthy foods, I would aim to only include a few of them per day (but not in the same meal).

Regarding your other conditions, I would caution you away from looking at information that is not provided by a regulated health professional (which makes is less likely that someone will provide false information). I prefer to get my information from pubmed than google, as nutrition information needs to be more than anecdotal to be effective.

I would highly recommend working with a Registered Dietitian in your city to help manage your various health conditions, as I'm concerned by the level of restriction and the impact that it could have on your overall well-being.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Kind regards,

tinker123

I looked at several search results via Google and they all agree that soy beans are high in oxalate.

So, I am sorting of scratching my head as to why this site states that they are low in oxalate:

https://oxalate.org/