{"id":26657,"date":"2025-10-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=26657"},"modified":"2026-09-15T00:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T07:40:57","slug":"are-oxalates-bad-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/are-oxalates-bad-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Oxalates Bad for You? Should You Avoid High-Oxalate Foods?"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte faced a combined British and Prussian force led by Wellington and von Bl\u00fccher. Outmaneuvered and outgunned, Napoleon would flee the field, abdicate his throne, and die in miserable exile.<\/span><\/p>\n

For two centuries, historians have debated what went wrong. What caused the master of the battlefield to underestimate his foes, commit so many errors, and fall so completely into their traps?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer may have been <\/span>kidney stones<\/span><\/a>. Apparently, Napoleon suffered from kidney disease for most of his life. And during the Battle of Waterloo, his body was dealing with a particularly nasty kidney stone that rendered him \u201clethargic and indecisive\u201d \u2014 precisely when he needed his full mental vigor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Need more proof? Well, <\/span>almonds<\/span><\/a> are one of the foods highest in oxalates \u2014 compounds that may contribute to kidney stone formation. And guess what Napoleon\u2019s favorite food was? According to his <\/span>second valet<\/span><\/a>, \u201cWhat he especially liked were fresh almonds. He was so fond of them that he would eat almost the whole plate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Should You Avoid Oxalates?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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iStock.com\/Highwaystarz-Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Which brings me to today\u2019s topic: oxalates in food. Thanks to some prominent \u201calt-health\u201d voices and the speed of internet rumors, oxalates are sometimes demonized as nutritional villains, along with other supposedly harmful compounds found in plants, such as phytates<\/a>, lectins<\/a>, and the alkaloids found in nightshades<\/a>. The main concern is that eating a diet high in oxalates can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Another fear is that oxalates act as \u201canti-nutrients,\u201d impairing the absorption of minerals like zinc, calcium, and iron.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s the truth about oxalates? Are they really that bad? Will a fondness for almonds cause you to lose world-shaping military campaigns? And should you avoid oxalate-containing foods, whether you\u2019re prone to kidney stones or not?<\/p>\n

What Are Oxalates?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While the terms oxalate and oxalic acid are often used interchangeably, they\u2019re not the same. <\/span>Oxalates<\/span><\/a> are salts that form from oxalic acid, a naturally occurring organic acid found in plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plants manufacture oxalates for their own purposes \u2014 mainly to protect themselves against insects and other herbivores. But the same characteristics that make oxalates annoying to predators \u2014 like binding calcium and other minerals \u2014 provide health benefits to people when we eat oxalate-rich plant foods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oxalates <\/span>play a role in calcium regulation<\/span><\/a>, ionic balances, and heavy metal detoxification. While some of the oxalates we carry around in our bodies come from eating plant foods that contain them, our bodies can synthesize them as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Foods Contain Oxalates?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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iStock.com\/a_namenko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oxalates are found in a variety of <\/span>plant foods<\/span><\/a>, like <\/span>nuts<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>beans<\/span><\/a>, and some vegetables.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dietary sources of oxalates<\/span><\/a> for some foods are listed below, along with the average amount of oxalates in a 100-gram serving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n