The Low Oxalate Diet
If you are new to the low oxalate diet or exploring whether a low oxalate diet could help you or someone you love, this page is for you. I invite you to start by reading some posts about how to start a low oxalate diet, how to succeed on a low oxalate diet and frequently asked questions about the low oxalate diet. The low oxalate diet has helped many people heal symptoms of genital pain, bladder pain, autism, kidney stones, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and more. It could help you also! Please read Who Benefits From A Low Oxalate Diet to see if the low oxalate diet sounds right for you.
Smile! You can eat peaches on the low oxalate diet.
Also please note this page is a work in progress! I will keep adding to it as I write posts about the low oxalate diet and how to address the underlying cause of your oxalate issue. I will also add to this page as you ask questions in the comments section below. Let me know what you want to learn, what you want me to write about next or how I can help you. This site is your site. Take care and know I’m cheering for you.
Starting a Low Oxalate Diet:
How to get an Accurate Low Oxalate Food List
Four Effective Approaches to the Low Oxalate Diet
Simple Low Oxalate Meal Plans
Oxalate Science 101:
What is Oxalate?
Top Six Reasons Why Some People Accumulate High Levels of Oxalate
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who Benefits From A Low Oxalate Diet?
Why are the Low Oxalate Food Lists so Inconsistent?
Is Kale Low Oxalate?
Is the Low Oxalate Diet Healthy?
Tips and Resources for Low Oxalate Dieters:
Introducing the Low Oxalate Diet Store
Four Strategies for a Low Oxalate Thanksgiving
Five Tips for Using Herbs and Spices on the Low Oxalate Diet
Low Oxalate Recipes
Low Oxalate Product Reviews
The Low Oxalate Diet served Family-Style
How to Modify Recipes for the Low Oxalate Diet:
Is this a Low Oxalate Recipe?
Simple Low Oxalate Substitutions
Photo credit to Bruce Tuten for the lovely picture of his granddaughter enjoying a fresh Georgia peach.
link {UK readers use 
; Canadian readers use 
}. You may also make a purchase through my Amazon search engine below, or through any of the suppliers below. I will receive a small commission (with no extra charge to you.) Thank you!
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I am having a hard time getting used to this low oxalate diet- mainly doing without bread and my whole grains. I only see white and wild rice as options. I had a wheat sensitivity, so I was eating lots of buckwheat , quinoa, amaranth, etc. Now I have kidney stones. And no chocolate too? Ugh! Could you help me with substitutions? I know I can use vanilla instead of chocolate, but are there any flours at all out there that I can make homemade bread from? Thank you!
Hi, Nancy.
The low oxalate diet can be a big adjustment. I understand your frustration and grief. Be sure to give yourself plenty of space and time as you work out a new way of eating. I think big comforting non-food rewards and nurturing are a must. Maybe you are due for a massage or a pedicure? :->
Anyway, many people on the low oxalate diet eliminate or drastically cut down on grains, especially wheat and gluten, not only because of the high oxalate content, but to try and heal their gut function (which is often a large cause of excess oxalate absorption in the intestines). If you have a wheat sensitivity, then it’s highly likely eating wheat has irritated your gut and contributed to your oxalate problems. I would definitely ditch the wheat. After that, it’s up to you to figure out if you can eat other grains and how much. Part of the key to accepting a new diet is finding acceptable alternatives to the foods you used to eat. Have you gotten an up-to-date list of the oxalate content of foods from the Trying Low Oxalates Yahoo Group yet? If so, start looking through it! It’s full of foods you can start learning to enjoy. If not, go to my LOD store (click on the tab on top of the page) and start flipping through some of the gluten-free products. I’ve listed the oxalate content beside each one, so you can start to see what alternatives are available to you–you’ll notice a few gluten-free pastas made with brown rice that are low oxalate, plus flax seed, oatmeal (medium oxalate) and a some low oxalate flours and baking alternatives, such as coconut flour and tapioca starch. Many common whole foods are not listed in the store, but also might be helpful for you such as corn tortillas (3 mg. oxalate per tortilla) and spaghetti squash (great pasta alternative).
I don’t know if this rings true for you, but when I started giving up whole wheat bread I found that I missed it most during meals where I traditionally ate lots of bread. I didn’t miss it, however, when I ate Mexican-inspired meals (where corn tortillas were an acceptable alternative) and Asian meals where white rice was expected. For me, part of the key was learning to cook more meals where I didn’t emotionally expect to eat bread. I also started to make low oxalate muffins and pancakes with coconut flour to occasionally eat with breakfast and switched to eggs most mornings with an occasional bowl of oatmeal. This worked for me. Since then I have gone almost completely grain-free, but it’s still things like eating brats at a backyard BBQ where I really miss my whole grain bun.
Hope this helps.
Heidi
Hello!
I recently was diagnosed with Vulvodynia/Vestibulitis and became SO discouraged after realizing that all of my efforts to eating whole foods and making my own whole wheat tortilla, etc all of the time went down the drain! So much of my diet consisted of brown rice, whole wheat/whole grain breads and pastas and other high oxalate foods. All week I have been crying (my poor wonderful wonderful husband…) but stumbling across your site has given me a lot of hope. Especially after seeing your recipe for the chili and low oxalate hummus!!
Two days before the diagnosis and learning that I need a low oxalate diet I had made a fresh batch of homemade nutella….hazelnuts are VH…guess my husband will be eating all of that- as well as all of the peanut butter protein bars I made….*sigh*
Thank you for your website- please continue to post recipes and information!!!
Sincerely,
Afraidofthislowoxalatediet.
Hi, Katelin.
I’m glad you found me. It can be so discouraging to learn that so much of what we thought was healthy in our diet may have actually been causing our symptoms. The good thing is that you’ve trained yourself to eat healthy foods and now hopefully you can choose even healthier foods for your body. Whole wheat is out, but you can still eat whole grains as oatmeal, corn and brown rice in moderation if you wish. And although some “healthy” whole foods are off the menu, many others (including ones you’ve probably never heard of) are okay. You may want to try some Sunbutter soon if you are a big peanut butter fan. It is definitely not the same; it has it’s own distinct taste. But it is really satisfying and can be used in place of peanut butter in any recipe.
I just got back from a three-week vacation to Colorado and haven’t posted in awhile but some new recipes will be coming soon!
Take care,
Heidi
Thanks for this fabulous resource, Heidi. I would love to have a post where you spell out for beginners the best way to get started. I’m finding this diet a little overwhelming right now. Thanks.
Hi, Joanna.
I’ve posted some low oxalate meal plans for beginners which may be a helpful. They are actually quite low oxalate so you might start with those then add a few other low or medium oxalate foods for variety. Hope that helps you get over the overwhelmed stage.
Hi, I am looking for advice/direction…. Basically, I am continually producing kidney stones, within days, both sides… It all started back in April when I ended up in ICU because of kidney stones/infection and I turned septic.. it has been a long haul… I dealt with nephrostomy tubes, stents, surgeries , etc… and I am only 28 and had no other medical issues. My doctor is still trying to find out what type of stones they are, but he wants me to start on a low oxalate diet… also low salt and and cut protein. I am so frustrated! Does any have any words of advice or suggestions? Thanks for your time. Have a great day!
Stephanie, did your doctor do any blood work? Specifically, were your calcium and PTH (parathryoid hormone) levels checked? Many people form kidney stones because they have hyperparathyroidism.
You can read about it on WebMD
http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/tc/parathyroid-gland-and-kidney-stones-topic-overview
If you are getting kidney stones because you have hyperparathyroidism, a change in your diet may provide relief but it won’t provide the cure.
Hi,
I have had a terrible time with kidney stones. I just had a stent taken out of my right kidney. My left kidney is not functioning anymore(found out in August). I have to be on a low oxlalate diet. I have no clue what to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Can you give me some suggestions? I know I shouldn”t eat almonds and drink iced tea. I eat alot of strawberries and blueberries. Is that fine?
Thanks,
Sonja
Blueberries are low oxalate so go ahead. Strawberries are medium oxalate, so go ahead and have a half cup or so, just not too many. For suggestions about what to eat, you might want to start with my Low Oxalate Meal Plans and go from there. Hope you are starting to get the hang of it.
This is so interesting. My husband just had a large kidney stone “zapped” and was given a list of foods to avoid. I looked it up to find ideas and found your site. Both of us have “gut” issues and arthritis. I have suffered from IBS and he has been diagnosed with diverticulitis. This is definitely worth working on for both of us and I will share with my daughter who has tummy troubles and asthma. It may fix all of us!!!
I came across your very interesting website while trying to figure out how to eat kale. I have had a problem with fatigue and pain in the muscles of my legs upon getting out of bed in the mornings. I’ve followed a modified paleo diet but just a month ago made additional changes to my diet after reading about Dr. Wahl’s recovery from MS while doing her version of a paleo diet. She is big on kale. Upon completely cutting out all grains and adding in more veggies I’ve eliminated the pain most of the time. However I have discovered that I don’t do well with nightshades. I can eat them on one day if cooked but after consecutive days I start to experience pain again.
I also have a problem with my thyroid (hypothyroidism) and am concerned about eating goitrogenic foods. I noticed you recommend the low oxalate diet to help with thyroid issues. However you mention peaches as being okay to eat on your diet. I’m confused as to if I should be eating peaches and kale in light of the thyroid issue.
Sheesh, if I cut out nightshades, goitrogenic, and high oxalate foods will I have any veggies left to eat? I guess I need to do some more research. Your opinions or recommendations are most appreciated. Thanks.
Hi, Sharon.
Most of what we know about the healing effects of the low oxalate diet for non-kidney stone related disorders comes from twenty years of anecdotal evidence from the Vulvar Pain Foundation and the Autism Oxalate Project. Thousands of women have healed or significantly recovered from severe vulvar pain by following a low oxalate diet. Many of these women also had bladder or rectal burning and pain which also healed. Surprisingly, when we started to get together at seminars and in support groups we found that a high percentage of women with severe vulvar pain also had fatigue and muscle or joint pain. Many had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a few with arthritis and a few with chronic fatigue syndrome. Others were undiagnosed but had the symptoms. What we found as the years went by was that not only were these women’s vulvar and bladder pain healing, but their fatigue and muscle/joint symptoms were also healing. A few found that their hypothyroidism also cleared. In the past six years, the Autism Oxalate Project has added to this data through their scientific research on the connection between autism and oxalate (children with autism often have elevated oxalate levels). Their lead researcher, Susan Owens, has also run a Yahoo group called Trying Low Oxalates. This site started as a place for parents with autistic children to get information on how to incorporate a low oxalate diet into their children’s healing program. Many of the parents went on the low oxalate diet with their kids, and again the evidence started pouring in that the low oxalate diet can heal many disorders including joint and muscle pain, fatigue and thyroid issues.
We know from lots of scientific/medical studies that the thyroid is one of the first places that many people’s bodies stash excess oxalate (that how oxalate causes problems — you injest too much of it often through a leaky gut and your body reacts by stashing it away in places where it will later cause you pain or other problems.) Anyway, oxalate researchers have known for years that people with high levels of oxalate in their bodies often have a high levels of calcium oxalate in their thyroid and that this can interfere with thyroid function. So does the low oxalate diet help people with thyroid issues? Yes, if your thyroid problem is at least partially because you have to much oxalate in your system and your body is stashing the excess in your thyroid. Can it help muscle and joint pain? Yes, if your muscle and joint pain are caused by oxalate. My muscle pain was and I healed. Many other women have also healed. But I imagine a lot of people have not. There are many reasons people can have thyroid problems, fatigue and joint/muscle pain. Oxalate is only one.
Hope this helps you consider whether the low oxalate diet may be right for you. Good luck in your research.
Iv been getting kidney stomes for 20yrs,i also have crohns diease,osteo necrosis.kidneystones have ,,,,,been terrible .Iv had back to back surgies for stones for months now .I dont remember being stone ,,,,,,,,frnnee
{ 1 trackback }