Pork Roast with Southern-Style Collard Greens and Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
If you’re new to the low oxalate diet and are feeling confused, here are a few simple low oxalate meal plans to help you get started. Hopefully, these low oxalate meal plans will see you through the first 3-5 days of your low oxalate diet with confidence. Take this time to read the low oxalate food list and to figure out some other healthy favorites you can eat (learn how to get the most accurate and up-to-date low oxalate list here). As you feel more comfortable with the low oxalate diet and find some low oxalate recipes to try, you can substitute them into these basic low oxalate meal plans.
I have included low oxalate meal plans for both vegetarians and meat-eaters, although not for vegans (the low oxalate vegan diet takes a lot of planning and commitment and is a separate post altogether). All meal options are gluten-free, plus many are dairy-free, grain-free, low sodium and Paleo-friendly (or can be easily modified to fit these diets.) The oxalate values are approximations (rounded off for ease of addition!) and are meant only as guides. See your low oxalate food list for exact oxalate values. Also note, most of the foods I chose are simple foods that are easy to prepare and that you might already have in your refrigerator or pantry. The only exception is the coconut flour banana bread (which requires coconut flour), and can be easily left out if you choose not to make it.
Hope this helps you get started on your way to greater health. Good luck!
Simple Low Oxalate Meal Plans:
Breakfast Option 1: Breakfast Option 2:
1/2 – 1 cup plain yogurt ( 1 – 2.5 mg. oxalate) 2 – 3 eggs (trace oxalate)
. Cook eggs in 1/2 T butter or olive oil (trace – 1/2 mg.)
Choose one fruit (1.5 – 3.5 mg. oxalate):
1 medium apple Choose one fruit (4-6 mg. oxalate)
1 navel orange 1/2 cup mango
1 peach 1 large apple
1/2 banana 1 banana
1/2 cup cantaloupe 1/2 cup blue berries
1/2 cup red or concord grapes 1/2 cup raw apricot halves
1 cup green grapes
1 cup watermelon OR substitute veggies for the fruit (5.0 mg. oxalate)
1 cup honeydew melon 1/4 cup onions + 1/2 cup zucchini OR mushrooms
1 cup muskmelon Cook veggies in 1/2 T butter or olive oil (trace – 1/2 mg.)
1 piece coconut flour banana bread (1.5 mg. oxalate)
(with butter or coconut oil)
1 cup coffee, Rooibos or herbal tea (1- 2.0 mg. oxalate) 1 cup coffee, Rooibos or herbal tea (1- 2.0 mg. oxalate)
such as chamomile, red raspberry or mint. such as chamomile, red raspberry or mint.
(cream, milk, sugar, honey or liquid Stevia are okay) (cream, milk, sugar, honey or liquid Stevia are okay)
Total Oxalate: about 5 – 9.5 mg. Total Oxalate: about 10 – 13 mg.
Santa Fe Bean Salad (Black-Eyed Pea Salad)
Lunch Option 1:
Large Salad: (about 7 mg. oxalate)
1 cup Romain lettuce
1/2 cup cucumbers
1/2 cup red pepper
1/2 cup purple cabbage
2 ounces shredded cheese
Choose one protein source: (trace – 3 mg. oxalate)
Chicken (or any other non-processed meat)
Tuna (or any other fish)
Ham
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
2-3 Hard-boiled Eggs
1/2 cup black-eyed peas Lunch Option 2:
. 1 cup Santa Fe Bean Salad (6mg. oxalate)
Dressing (total = 1-3 mg. oxalate) 1 white corn tortilla (2.5 mg. oxalate)
1 – 2 T olive oil 1 avocado (about 1.5 mg. oxalate)
1 T apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
pinch salt and white pepper {UK readers use this link} Total Oxalate: 10 mg. oxalate
.
Total Oxalate: 8 – 13 mg. oxalate
Pork Chop covered with sauteed Peaches, Rice and Low Oxalate Southern-Style TurnipGreens
Dinner Option 1:
Choose 3 – 6 ounces grilled or roasted meat: (trace oxalate)
Chicken (or any unprocessed meat)
Salmon (or any unprocessed fish)
You may season your meat with any combination of salt,
1/8 teaspoon white pepper, 1 clove garlic and 1/4 teaspoon thyme (seasonings: trace – 1.5 mg. oxalate)
Choose one vegetable: (4-6 mg. oxalate)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup asparagus
3/4 cup Low Oxalate Southern-Style Turnip or Mustard Greens
1/2 – 1 cup long grain white rice with salt and butter (trace)
Note: Do not use parboiled rice.
1 Fruit from the list under Breakfast option 1 (2.5 – 3.5 mg. oxalate)
Total Oxalate: 6.5 – 11.0 mg. oxalate
Jamaican Rice and Peas (here made with Pigeon Peas), Vegetarian Southern-Style Turnip Greens and Sauteed Cabbage and Green Pepper (instead of a low oxalate fruit)
Dinner Option 2:
1.5 -2.5 cups Jamaican Rice and Peas (about 2.5 – 3.5 mg. oxalate made with black-eyed peas)
Choose one vegetable: (4-6 mg. oxalate)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup asparagus
3/4 cup Low Oxalate Southern-Style Turnip or Mustard Greens
1 Fruit from the list under Breakfast option 1 (2.5 – 3.5 mg. oxalate)
Total Oxalate: 9 – 13 mg. oxalate
Snack Options 1 -5:
Apple with 1 – 2 oz. sliced cheese (4 – 5 mg. oxalate)
24 Glutino Pretzel Twists (2.5 mg. oxalate) {UK readers use this link}
1/2 cup cottage cheese with peach slices (4 – 5 mg. oxalate)
Coconut Flour Banana Bread with Butter (1.5 mg. oxalate)
1/2 banana with 1 tablespoon Sunbutter (6 mg. oxalate) {UK readers use this link}
Total Oxalate: 1.5 – 6 mg. oxalate
Low Oxalate Meal Plans Daily Oxalate Total: 21 – 45 mg. oxalate
If you follow these low oxalate meal plans and eat three meals and one snack each day- always choosing the lowest oxalate options (such as plain meat versus dairy products or legumes), you will have only eaten 21 mg. oxalate per day! If you choose the highest oxalate option in each category (such as a banana with Sunbutter for your snack), you will still only have eaten 45 mg. oxalate each day. If your goal is to eat between 40 – 60 mg. oxalate per day (typical for the low oxalate diet), then you are well within your limits. You may choose not eat more oxalate, or you may choose to add a little more food to your menu. You can either choose larger servings of the above foods, or you may occasionally add a medium oxalate food to your meals (such as 1/2 cup tomato to your salad or 2 tablespoons salsa to your chicken to make Salsa Chicken). Alternately, you may add more seasonings to your meat or vegetables. Have fun slowly branching out and adding some of your own low oxalate favorites.
Hope these low oxalate meal plans help make your first week on the low oxalate diet easier!
Photo credits go to TheFoodGroupie for Farmer’s Market Plate, thebittenword.com for pork rib roast with greens, karindalziel for dinner and to Eliza Adam for Black-eyed Peas and Corn Salad.
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