Some Vegetables Give You Kidney Stones.
FACT #1: Most meat-eaters don't get kidney stones.
FACT #2: Vegans and vegetarians are not immune to kidney stones, they also get them!
FACT #3: Ratio of vegans and vegetarians getting kidney stones is almost same as meat-eaters.
FACT #4: Most of those meat-eaters with kidney stones are not health conscious, they ate a junk food diet consisted of large amount of sugar, soda, refined fruit juice, chocolate, candies, potato chips, beer, very little pure water, and many of them used prescription drugs that are known to contribute to causing kidney stones, and most of them don't take vitamin supplements.
Vegetarians and vegans are mostly health conscious, they are careful not to touch most of those bad junk food stuffs, and they drink plenty of filtered pure water and most of them take vitamin supplements.
FACT #5: Average 40% of the oxalates consumed by those people with kidney stones (meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans) came from spinach!
FACT #6: People who regularly ate spinach are more likely get kidney stones than those who didn't eat spinach at all.
FACT #7: People who drink plenty of pure water daily has lower risk getting kidney stones, whether they're meat-eaters, vegetarians or vegans.
Can Eating Too Much Spinach Give You Kidney Stones?
Spinach contains a high amount of oxalate, which are naturally-occurring substances found in the food you eat and in your body. Oxalate found in urine combines with calcium to form calcium-oxalate kidney stones. There are different types of kidney stones, but calcium-oxalate stones are the most common. If you have a high risk for kidney stones, your doctor may advise you to avoid or limit intake of foods that contains high amounts of oxalate.
A low-oxalate diet can help prevent calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Limit your oxalate intake to 40 to 50 milligrams each day, according to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Foods high oxalate include spinach, beets, okra, leeks, collard greens, kale, celery, Swiss chard, zucchini, parsley, rhubarb, soy milk and black tea.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/485037-can-eating-too-much-spinach-give-you-kidney-stones/
Apple Cider Vinegar helps prevent or dissolve kidney stones. My suggestion though is not to drink ACV liquid but to take tablet or capsule to prevent harm on teeth enamel and burning esophagus, because ACV is very acidic. Should swallow the ACV tablet or capsule in the middle of a meal so its acid doesn't burn either the bottom or top of the stomach.
How to Treat Kidney Stones With Vinegar
http://www.livestrong.com/article/32253-cure-kidney-stones-vinegar/
https://bragg.com/testimonials/testimonials_13.html
Harvard has a list of high oxalate foods (mostly plants) and information on oxalate:
https://regepi.bwh.harvard.edu/health/Oxalate/files
Several factors can increase chance of getting calcium stones, including:
Not drinking enough water.
Not getting enough calcium in your diet.
Eating or drinking calcium-rich foods does not increase your chance of getting calcium stones. In fact, a diet too low in calcium can actually increase the risk of getting calcium stones.
Eating a lot of plant based foods high in oxalate (for example, spinach, rhubarb, nuts, or wheat bran).
Consuming a lot of foods or drinks high in fructose (for example, soft drinks, fruits, ketchup and other condiments, and many canned or packaged foods).
Having family members who have had kidney stones.
Having had kidney stones before.
Calcium oxalate stones are the most common kidney stones in humans, accounting for 76% of stones; their most common cause is high urine calcium levels.
Kidney Stones: Oxalate-Controlled Diet
Eat fewer oxalate-rich foods. These include rhubarb, beets, okra, spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, nuts, tea, chocolate and soy products.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones/basics/prevention/con-20024829
Some high oxalate foods:
Almonds
Tahini
Sesame seeds
Beets
Beet greens
Spinach
Sweet potato
Swiss chard
Soy milk
Miso
Starfruit
Rhubarb
Figs
Potato
Tomato
Quinoa
Most grains
Most legumes
Source: http://alwayswellwithin.com/2010/04/30/the-low-oxalate-diet/
Vegetables and legumes can cause kidney stones due to their oxalate content. Some edible plants that contain significant concentrations of oxalate include, in decreasing order, star fruit, black pepper, parsley, poppy seed, amaranth, spinach, chard, beets, cocoa, chocolate, most nuts, most berries and beans.
Many metal ions form insoluble precipitates with oxalate, a prominent example being calcium oxalate, the primary constituent of the most common kind of kidney stones.
In the body, oxalic acid combines with divalent metallic cations such as calcium and iron to form crystals of the corresponding oxalates which are then excreted in urine as minute crystals.
Oxalate in some vegetables and legumes can bind to the iron to form ferrous oxalate and render much of the iron unusable by the body. In addition, high levels of oxalates remove iron from the body.
These oxalates can form larger kidney stones that can obstruct the kidney tubules. An estimated 80% of kidney stones are formed from calcium oxalate.
Those with kidney disorders, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, or certain forms of chronic vulvar pain (vulvodynia) are typically advised to avoid foods high in oxalic acid.
Spinach has a moderate calcium content which can be affected by oxalates, decreasing its absorption. The calcium in spinach is among the least bioavailable of food calcium sources. The human body can absorb only around 5% of the calcium in spinach.
NEVER EAT RAW SPINACH!
Best way to get rid of oxalate in oxalate-rich vegetables is boil in water then throw away the water.
References:
Noonan SC, Savage GP (1999). (PDF). Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 8 (1): 64–74.
Williams, Sue Rodwell; Long, Sara (1997). Nutrition and diet therapy. p. 229. Insel, Paul M.; Turner, R. Elaine; Ross, Don (2003). Heaney, Robert Proulx (2006).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach#Nutrition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalate
PubMedHealth; Kidney Stones; Jan. 14, 2009
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Low Oxalate Diet; 2006
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information; Kidney Stones; October 2007
