Are smoothies dangerous to health?

Many people that take on a healthier diet and lifestyle, incorporate smoothies into their new routine.

But, throughout the 25+ years I’ve been involved in wellness, I’ve witnessed an interesting negative side effect some folks experience with green smoothies.

I’ll give you just one example, but I have many.

A dear friend wanted to reduce inflammation and weight, so she began a new diet that included drinking spinach and blueberry smoothies every day.

In the beginning she felt amazing! She dropped a few pounds, reduced inflammation, and was sleeping better – which was a nice bonus.

Unfortunately, after a few weeks she began feeling irritation in her bladder. She thought she was developing a UTI or a bladder infection. She did all of the things she knows to do for a bladder infection (cranberry juice, probiotics, herbs), but the irritation persisted.

Soon after, she developed excruciating lower back pain that landed her in the ER with blood in her urine. The attending physician told her she may have passed a kidney stone.

How could she develop a kidney stone from eating so healthfully?

The truth is, not all foods are meant to be eaten (or drank) in such large quantities, especially if they have not been properly prepared with cooking.

Her raw spinach/blueberry smoothie was rich in oxalates – a natural compound found in many plants, nuts, seeds, and cocoa – that caused her to develop sharp oxalate crystals.

Those crystals form when high levels of oxalate bind with calcium in the urine, causing crystallization. And, in some folks those crystals accumulate to form stones. Most often, it takes a while to form stones. But in some high risk people, stones can form in just a matter of weeks – 1

I posted about her “Dangerous Smoothie” experience on my social media feed and it caused a frenzy.

There were basically three camps of people:

1. The vast majority of comments came from people that had a similar experience from eating too much spinach, or other high oxalate containing foods (berries, almonds, beets, chocolate, spinach, etc.), and developed stones.
2. There were also people that didn’t have a problem with raw spinach, and smoothies, and some were angry at me for spreading negative propaganda about spinach.
3. And, there were people who didn’t know that some vegetables and fruits contain these compounds and were happy to receive the warning.

I’ve provided some of the comments so you can see for yourself:

Yes, there is a LOT of propaganda and misinformation on the web. But, I’m not spreading it.

I only share the truth of what I have experienced and learned about food and how it impacts health, and lack of health, in the human body.

Not everyone experiences a problem with high oxalate foods, but the vast majority of the people do (you can head over to the post and read the comments for yourself).

There is a reason why spinach was traditionally cooked or paired with other ingredients to help balance out its negative effects. And, that’s the way I use it in my delicious recipes.

It’s vital to get knowledge from people who understand the nuances about what’s truly healthy and what’s not.

If you want more healing truth and less trends, connect with my like-minded community of peers that are learning, growing, and sharing wisdom together.

Join us inside my Health is Wealth Community.

Get in before the next “healthy diet trend” negatively impacts your health.

1 – https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/k/kidney-stones