Avoid Spinach with Tomatoes for better Kidney Health
Factoid
Our body synthesises 90% of oxalates and the other 10% comes from our diet. Though the spinach and tomatoes combination doesn’t induce the formation of kidney stones directly, these oxalate rich vegetables together with calcium form calcium oxalate crystals or stones.
Benefits
The combination not only increases the risk in those who already suffer from stones, but also aggravates the condition. Avoid eating large quantities of both on a daily basis to prevent stone formation.
Diet
Even if you don’t have a problem, restrict the portion size instead of completely avoiding the combination altogether. Eating spinach or adding tomatoes to it once in a while doesn’t increase the risk of stone formation dramatically. Besides, the green leafy vegetable has high nutritional value apart from other health benefits.
One cup of raw spinach leaves contains about 200 milligrams of oxalate, so 50 milligrams for the day would permit a person to consume only 1/4 cup of raw spinach. No other oxalate sources should be eaten during the day.
Caution
It is recommended that people with kidney stones eat spinach only once or twice a week, not more. Dietary oxalates are usually restricted to 50 milligrams per day.
