With all my emphasis on increasing vegetables in the diet it would be amiss of me not to draw attention to the fact that a small section of people may need to be cautious with vegetables. For these people veggies remain an essential part of the daily food intake, but the choice of veg needs to be carefully considered.
The challenge is to consume a low oxalate diet.
Oxalates are found in many edible plants, being particularly high in nuts and most seeds, some dark leafy greens, and some fruits, such as berries. Oxalates are produced by plants to act as a natural pesticide, preventing insects nibbling away on the vegetation. When the digestive tract is healthy, oxalates shouldn’t cause a problem, but if there is intestinal inflammation, then too much oxalate might be absorbed, provoking or exacerbating a number of symptoms. High oxalate in urine and plasma was first found in people who were susceptible to kidney stones, but oxalate crystals can also form in many other parts of the body.
If a client has carefully followed a Nutritionhelp yeast-free and sugar-free anti-candida diet, but continues to struggle with pain-associated symptoms, a low oxalate diet may be worth considering. Problems such as fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia or arthritis might find benefit in avoiding high oxalate foods, while continuing to also avoid yeast, sugars and fermented foods.
Further dietary restrictions may seem daunting, but my aim is to provide clients with suitable alternatives, so that caloric intake does not drop, and taste-buds can be satisfied! For any foods which need to be avoided I try to find an equivalent which can be included.
Anyone looking into a low oxalate diet will very quickly find that there are no two sources which provide exactly the same information, particularly on which foods are low or medium in oxalate content. However, most sources agree on the high and very high oxalate foods, and avoiding these foods can provide a good measure of benefit if oxalates are your problem.
Very high oxalate foods include wheat, walnuts, sesame seeds and tahini, spinach, soya products, potatoes, carrots, buckwheat and almonds.
You can immediately see that there are some nutritious foods which need to be avoided. However, balancing low and 
medium oxalate foods can provide a full variety to meals, and some clients find that they can include some of the high oxalate foods on an occasional basis. The list of low oxalate-foods is extensive, and includes meat, fish, poultry and eggs, coconut, courgettes, asparagus, swede, cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuce and radishes. The oxalate content of many vegetables can be reduced by lightly boiling rather than steam cooking.
The need for some individuals to follow a low oxalate diet emphasises the fact that no ‘one-size-fits-all’ as far as nutritional recommendations are concerned. Yes, steaming vegetables is generally the best 
option for cooking, but if oxalates are a problem, then boiling is the way to go with a some types of veg. While seeds and fresh-cracked nuts are a fantastic go-to food for many clients following a Nutritionhelp diet, a low oxalate diet needs to limit these to just flax seeds (low oxalate) and sunflower seeds (medium oxalate).
So now you are wondering if you need to avoid oxalates! If you think this might be a problem, get in touch (info@nutritionhelp.com). My first reference is to get clients going on the Nutritionhelp yeast-free and sugar-free diet. This needs to be fully followed before any further dietary changes are considered, but if it looks like oxalates should be reduced I can work on a diet plan with the client to provide meals and snacks to provide nutrition, energy and taste! How about these low oxalate waffles – the recipe will be in my next blog!
