Oxalates are naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and humans. The kidneys excrete oxalates into the urine.
Why Should I Follow a Low-Oxalate Diet?
Eating a diet low in oxalates can reduce your risk of developing
kidney stones. Kidney stones sometimes form when oxalates and calcium bind together. Decreasing the amount of oxalates that are present in the urine lowers this risk.
Low-Oxalate Basics
A low-oxalate diet usually limits oxalate intake to about 50 milligrams (mg) per day. Because oxalates are found in many different foods, it is important to become familiar with which foods are fine to eat in moderation and which foods should be avoided.
Eating Guide for a Low-Oxalate Diet
This chart from the American Dietetic Association spotlights foods that are either low or moderate in oxalates. If you have calcium stones, it is important to decrease your sodium intake, as well.
Foods Low in Sodium or Oxalate
Foods Recommended
Drinks
Coffee, fruit and vegetable juice (from the recommended list), fruit punch
Fruits
Apples, apricots (fresh or canned), avocado, bananas, cherries (sweet), cranberries, grapefruit, red or green grapes, lemon and lime juice, melons, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, oranges, strawberries (fresh), tangerines
White bread, cornbread or cornmeal, white English muffins, saltine or soda crackers, brown rice, vanilla wafers, spaghetti and other noodles, firm tofu, bagels, oatmeal
Meat/meat replacements, fish, poultry
Sardines
Desserts
Chocolate cake
Fats and Oils
Macadamia nuts, pistachio nuts, english walnuts
Other Foods
Jams or jellies (made with the recommended fruits), pepper
High-Oxalate Foods
Foods to Avoid
Drinks
Chocolate drink mixes, soy milk, Ovaltine, instant iced tea, fruit juices of fruits listed below
Fruits
Apricots (dried), red currants, figs, kiwi, plums, rhubarb
Vegetables
Beans (wax, dried), beets and beet greens, chives, collard greens, eggplant, escarole, dark greens of all kinds, kale, leeks, okra, parsley, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard, tomato paste, watercress
Breads, Cereals, Grains
Amaranth, barley, white corn flour, fried potatoes, fruitcake, grits, soybean products, sweet potatoes, wheat germ and bran, buckwheat flour, All Bran cereal, graham crackers, pretzels, whole wheat bread
Finkielstein VA, Goldfarb DS. Strategies for preventing calcium oxalate stones.
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Limited oxalate diet. Ohio State University Medical Center website. Available at:
http://medicalcent...
. Accessed April 18, 2007.
Low oxalate diet. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center website. Available at:
http://patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/LowOxalateDiet.pdf
. Accessed April 18, 2007.
Nutrition care manual. American Dietetic Association website. Available at:
http://nutritioncaremanual.org/auth.cfm?p=%2Findex.cfm%3F
. Accessed January 3, 2009.
Nutrition care manual: urolithiasis/urinary stones food lists. American Dietetic Association website. Available at:
http://www.nutritioncaremanual.org/vault/editor/docs//UrolithiasisFoods1.pdf
. Accessed January 29, 2010.
The Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation website. Available at:
http://www.ohf.org
. Accessed January 3, 2010.
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