A List of 112 Foods High In Oxalate (Oxalic Acid)

42 thoughts on “A List of 112 Foods High In Oxalate (Oxalic Acid)”

1. Thank you for this comprehensive list. I have kidney stones composed of calcium oxalate and was told by my Urologist to avoid Oxalate. I believe I would fall into the category of <50mg/day.

   • Thanks, Audrey. I’m sorry to hear that, and I hope they are resolved soon.

     • Unfortunately my husband has kidney stones as well. He was told to avoid oxalate in his diet but we are having difficulty meal planning. This list of high oxalate foods is pretty extensive. What foods are ok to eat on a low oxalate diet.

       • Hi Sandy,

         I can’t advise on a personal medical diet, but here is some general information:

         This list contains most of the high oxalate foods, but I can’t guarantee that every high-oxalate food is on here (it is hard to find the data for everything).

         Generally speaking, all animal foods are free of oxalate and most fruit/veg not on this list contain very little.

         You can find a list of low oxalate foods at this resource here: https://www.drugs.com/cg/low-oxalate-diet.html

         If you have any more confusion, I would recommend requesting some help from your husband’s doctor/dietitian in formulating a plan.

       • New studies by the experts on stone formations (If they are correct) have shown that consuming calcium foods with oxalate rich foods may neutralize the causes of stones.

   • Look on the bright side, at least your keeping yourself informed AND you can still have Avocados 👍🏻👍🏻

2. Wow, saag made with various greens..spinach, chard, collards… must be off the charts. That is sad.

   • Yes, it would contain high concentrations for sure. That dish wouldn’t be suitable for anyone following a traditional low-oxalate plan.

   • This is one of my favorite foods and I am just learning about this and I am so completely destroyed by this information. I want to cry.

     • Hi Mari,

       I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in your post. Have you been advised to follow a low-oxalate diet? If not, most of these foods are nutrient-rich and will be fine (in reasonable amounts) for the majority of people.

3. What about almond milk?

   • It won’t be as high as regular almonds (since it is mostly water).

     However, any product made from almonds isn’t going to be low in oxalate.

   • What about beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, cheese, butter?

     • No need to worry about those – oxalates are only found in certain plant foods.

4. 1 cup cooked spinach has more than double the oxalate content vs. 1 cup raw, which is confusing because I have read repeatedly in other articles that cooking spinach decreases oxalates… I think it’s important to note that if you take one cup of raw spinach and cook it, you will have less than 1/4 cup of cooked spinach, so 1 cup of cooked spinach is more than 4 cups of raw! In any case, we can just remember that spinach should be avoided on this diet.

   • Hi Kelley, you just explained the reason for higher oxalate levels in the cooked spinach quite well!

     Although cooking reduces oxalate content somewhat, it takes large amounts of raw spinach to make one cup of cooked.

   • Remember, it takes a lot of spinach to produce one cup of cooked spinach. It’s cooks down considerably. The oxalate content of the spinach remains unchanged – it’s the density of the spinach that has changed.

5. Spinach and other greens such as chard, beet, and turnip all bother me…A LOT! I mean, they go straight thru me, and causing cramping and bloating. With spinach, chard and beet greens being worst. However turnip and mustard greens burn my stomach horribly and also then, I bloat and they go straight thru me. I live in the bathroom if I eat *healthy*, per what my Drs advise. I simply cannot. So, I wonder, IS it the oxalates? At least for the spinach, chard and beet greens? IDK about the others.

   • Hi Tami, that sounds terrible and I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing that. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to know what is causing the problem without tests… so you would need to speak to your doctor about this, and possibly ask to see a dietitian/nutritionist who might be able to help. Failing that, there are lots of different healthy foods out there, and it’s probably a good idea to choose foods that don’t cause such issues.

     • I’ve seen so many doctors in the 40+ years I’ve had this issue and they have no answers, so I just avoid these foods, even though they tell me “but you should be eating green, leafy…” even though they go through me in 10 minutes!

       • Sorry to hear that, Tami. If you are able, maybe a dietitian or registered nutritionist might be able to offer some more useful guidance?

       • You can easily find out yourself by simply doing different diets for measured times. Eliminate the foods you suspect for a couple of weeks, see how you feel, then really load up on those same foods and see how you feel. I find that kind of experiment has worked much better for me than depending on lab tests.

   • Fruit is the way to go!

6. Very useful information for me as I have recently become aware that my kidney function has decreased considerably (original damage due to the prescription drug Lithium). Can see from the list what has caused the deterioration and can now adjust my diet accordingly. I have been eating too many nuts and dried fruit alongside foods which are considered ‘healthy’ but are actually high in potassium ie bananas ,avocado pears so a disastrous combination for kidneys which are less than 100%. Thank you very much.

   • Hi Tricia,

     Thanks for commenting. From reading your comment, I presume your doctor advised a low-oxalate diet? I am glad the article was helpful for you, and I’m very sorry to hear about your kidney problems. I wish you good health and I hope that you see some improvements going forward.

7. It says the oxalate content for sweet potato is 28mg per cup. Is that cooked or raw?

   • The 28 mg was per cup raw.

     • so would cooked contain less?

       • Yes, cooking can reduce the oxalate content of food, but it depends which cooking method.

         In one study:

         – Boiling reduced oxalate content by between 30-87% (depending on the food).
         – Steaming reduced by 5-57%

         Oxalates leach out into the water and the water used for cooking will still contain 100% of the amount.

         You can see this study here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15826055

         • I’m confused. How can cooked spinach contain such a higher oxalate amount than raw spinach if cooking can reduce oxalate content in foods?

         • Hi Janet,

           You can fit much more cooked spinach into a cup. Spinach decreases a lot and becomes more compact during the cooking process. Thus, a cup of cooked spinach contains much higher amounts of spinach than a raw cup.

         • Because a cup of cooked spinach started out as far more raw spinach

8. I eat spinach all the time. According to your list it’s one of the absolute worst. I heard a YouTube video blaming oxalates for arthritis. I don’t know what to make of it. You can’t believe everything you hear.

   • I fully agree with your last sentence. Spinach is high in oxalate, but that doesn’t mean it is “bad” for us. It is easy to find exaggerated claims about many things, and oxalate seems to be one of those. Oxalate can be a “very rare cause” of arthritis, but research shows that either a genetic disorder (which affects 3 in one million people) or a gastrointestinal disorder, such as fat malabsorption, needs to be present. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for otherwise healthy people. Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710657/

9. How about kale or all lettuce? Are they lower in Oxalates than spinach ?

   • Romaine and iceberg lettuce both contain particularly low amounts – somewhere around 5mg to 15mg. Kale can vary depending on the variety, but it’s still low to moderately low. Both are much lower in oxalate than spinach.

10. What’s an alternative to almond milk since I don’t drink dairy?

    • Coconut milk and flax milk are both low in oxalate.

11. Great article, but very sad for us vegans. It takes away most high protein high fiber grains and beans — really starches in general. Even potatoes. Those are the mainstays of a healthy diet. Is quinoa ok? Oats? Other whole grains, or are all grains bad?

    • Hi Diana,

      As mentioned in the article, many oxalate-containing foods are highly nutritious. For individuals who have been advised to go on a low-oxalate diet, then this list shows the foods that contain larger amounts. I don’t think reasonable consumption of oxalate-containing foods should be a concern for otherwise healthy people. I personally eat a lot of foods on this list.

12. I need a high fiber diet because of other issues so what can I eat that isn’t high in oxalates like greens?

    • Have you been advised to follow a low-oxalate diet? If not, and you have no issues with oxalate, then all of these foods should be okay. Some fiber-rich foods that are low in oxalate include avocado, bananas, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas, and rye.

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