Low-Oxalate Diet

What Are Oxalates?

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’s 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

The below chart categorizes by food group and the amount of oxalates per serving. Serving sizes are equivalent to 3.5 ounces (100 grams), unless otherwise specified.

Food Category	Foods Recommended (less than 2 mg oxalate/serving)	Foods to Limit (2-10 mg oxalate/serving)	Foods to Avoid (more than 10 mg oxalate/serving)
Grains	Barley Cheerios Chicken noodle soup Corn cereals Egg noodles English muffins Graham crackers Macaroni Pasta Rice cereals White rice Wild rice	Bagels Brown rice Cinnamon Pop-Tarts Cornmeal Corn starch Corn tortilla Fig cookies Oatmeal Ravioli Spaghetti with marinara sauce White bread	Amaranth Buckwheat Bran cereal Grits Pretzels Rye crispbread Taro Wheat bran Wheat germ Whole wheat bread Whole wheat flour
Vegetables	Asparagus Cabbage Cauliflower Chives Cucumber Endive Kohlarbi Mushrooms Peas Radishes Water chestnuts	Artichoke Broccoli Brussels sprouts Carrots (canned) Corn Escarole Fennel Lettuce Lima beans Mustard greens Olives (black) Onions Peas (canned) Parsnips Turnips Watercress	Beet roots and greens Carrots Celery Chicory Chili peppers Collards Dandelion greens Eggplant Escarole Green bell peppers Kale Leeks Okra Olives (green) Pokeweed Potatoes (fried, boiled, or baked) Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Sweet potato Swiss chard Tomatoes Vegetable soup Zucchini
Fruits	Apples (red) Avocados Grapefruit Grapes Huckleberries Kumquat Lychee Mangoes Melons Nectarines Papaya Passion fruit Canned peaches Canned pears Green and yellow plums Raisins (¼ cup)	Apples (Granny Smith) Applesauce Apricots Bananas Cherries Coconut Cranberries Mandarin orange Orange Peaches (fresh) Pears (fresh) Pineapples Plums Prunes Strawberries (fresh)	Blackberries Blueberries Currants Dewberries Elderberries Figs Fruit cocktail Gooseberries Grapes (Concord) Kiwis Lemon peel Lime peel Orange peel Raspberries Rhubarb Star fruit Tamarillo Tangerines
Milk	Cheese Buttermilk Milk	Yogurt	Chocolate milk Soy milk Soy cheese Soy yogurt
Meat and Beans	Bacon Beef Corned beef Fish (except sardines) Ham Lamb Lean meats Pork Poultry Shellfish	Flaxseed Liver Sardines Sunflower seeds	Beans (baked, green, dried, kidney, refried) Lentils Nuts Nut butters Sesame seeds Soy burgers Soy nuts Tahini Tempeh Textured vegetable protein
Oils	Avocados Margarine Mayonnaise Salad dressing Vegetable oil	Flaxseed Sunflower seeds	Nuts (peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios) Nut butters Sesame seeds Soy nuts Tahini
Beverages	Apple cider Apple juice Apricot nectar Bottled beer Buttermilk Cherry juice Cola Grapefruit juice Green tea Herbal teas Lemonade Lemon juice Limeade Lime juice Milk Oolong tea Pineapple juice Wine	Black currant tea Carrot juice Coffee (brewed) Cranberry juice Draft beer Grape juice Guinness draft beer Mate tea Orange juice Rosehip tea Tomato juice	Dark beer Black tea Chocolate milk Cocoa Instant coffee Juice made from high oxalate fruits Ovaltine Soy drinks
Other	Basil Butter Cinnamon Corn syrup Dijon mustard Dill Gelatin (unflavored) Hard candy Honey Imitation vanilla extract Jell-O Jam made from low oxalate fruits Ketchup (1 tablespoon) Maple syrup Nutmeg Oregano Peppermint Sage Sugar Vinegar White pepper	Ginger Malt Potato chips (less than 3.5 ounces) Sponge cake Strawberry jam Thyme	Black pepper (more than 1 teaspoon) Chocolate Marmalade Parsley Soy sauce

Suggestions

Become familiar with serving sizes. Be aware of how many grams of oxalates you are eating.
Consider meeting with a registered dietitian to develop an eating plan.
Additional tips on preventing kidney stones:
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids every day.
- Do not take large doses of vitamin C supplements (limit to less than 1,000 mg/day).
- Keep protein intake below 80 grams/day.
- Eat a low salt diet (less than 2,000 mg/day).

RESOURCES:

American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/

The Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation
http://www.ohf.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

The Kidney Foundation of Canada
http://www.kidney.ca

References:

Finkielstein VA, Goldfarb DS. Strategies for preventing calcium oxalate stones. CMAJ. 2006;174:1407-1409.

Limited oxalate diet. Ohio State University Medical Center website. Available at: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/PatientEd/Materials/PDFDocs/nut-diet/nut-other/limit.pdf. 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.

The Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation website. Available at: http://www.ohf.org . Accessed April 19, 2007.

Last reviewed May 2008 by Dianne Scheinberg, MS, RD, LDN

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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