These vegetables are nutritious and good for health, but have high oxalic acid content so should not be abused.
Consuming foods high in oxalic acid increases the risk of kidney stones.
Oxalic acid (oxalate) is an organic compound found in many plants. In addition to absorbing oxalic acid from food, the human body can also produce this substance itself. Vitamin C when metabolized can also turn into oxalic acid.
Once absorbed into the body, oxalic acid can bind with minerals to form other compounds, including calcium oxalate and iron oxalate. This mainly occurs in the colon, kidneys, and other parts of the urinary tract.
In most people, these compounds are excreted in urine or feces. However, in people who are sensitive or whose diets contain too much oxalic acid, these substances may not be excreted promptly and increase the risk of kidney stones and other health-related problems.
5 vegetables high in oxalic acid
Spinach
Spinach is a vegetable that is highly valued for its nutritional value, good for health, and loved by many people. However, this is also a vegetable with a high oxalic acid content. 100 grams of spinach contains 400-600mg of oxalic acid. Therefore, you should not eat too much spinach, and should not eat this vegetable too often. To reduce the amount of oxalic acid in vegetables, you can blanch the vegetables before eating.
Spinach
Amaranth is a vegetable that is very familiar to Vietnamese people. This vegetable can be boiled or cooked into soup, both are very easy to eat. Amaranth (especially red amaranth) is known for its high iron content, which helps to replenish blood.
However, this is also a vegetable with high oxalic acid content. 100 grams of amaranth can provide 1142mg of oxalic acid. Therefore, you should not eat too much of this vegetable. People with kidney stones need to pay more attention when eating this vegetable.
Spinach
Water spinach is a vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals such as potassium, chlorine and other nutrients. Water spinach can be eaten raw, dipped in hot pot, boiled, stir-fried, cooked in soup, or pickled.
Not many people know that water spinach has a fairly high oxalic acid content. 100 grams of water spinach can provide about 691mg of oxalic acid. The safe way to eat and help limit oxalic acid in vegetables is to blanch them in boiling water before stir-frying or cooking.
Spinach and kale are rich in nutrients that are good for your health, but you should not eat too much of them because they contain high levels of oxalic acid.
Kale
For many people, kale is considered a superfood, rich in fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, you need to keep in mind that too much of anything is not good. Kale is high in oxalic acid. If you consume too much of this vegetable, you may face the risk of kidney stones. People with kidney stones need to limit their intake of this vegetable.
Bitter melon
Bitter melon is a food with heat-clearing and detoxifying effects that many people love. Bitter melon can be used directly to eat raw, make salad or stir-fry, cook soup…
100 grams of bitter melon contains 459mg of oxalic acid. This is a fairly high oxalic acid content, people with kidney stones should limit their intake.