Oxalates and Almonds- Kidney Stones- You Have Options

“I don’t eat almonds because I have kidney stones”

I suggest, before you avoid almonds (a truly healthy nut), let’s make sure that’s a good move. First, have a healthcare professional confirm the type of kidney stones you have. If they are caused by oxalates, then monitoring your almond intake is a good idea.  There are ways to reduce an almond’s oxalate levels.

Almonds are a very nutritious superfood. It would be a shame to avoid eating them if you didn’t have to. Almonds are among the most popular tree nuts in the world. Being loaded with antioxidants, vitamin E, protein, and fiber, almonds have various health benefits, including supporting heart health and reducing blood pressure levels. They are also rich in healthy fats and minerals.

Eat Almonds for a Healthy Heart

Almonds are among the list of foods which are high in oxalates including spinach, rhubarb, cashews, grits, baked potatoes with skin, beets, okra, bran cereals and shredded wheat cereals, french fries, raspberries, stevia sweeteners, sweet potatoes and the list goes on.

If you’re prone to kidney stones or have kidney disease, your doctor may recommend you follow a low-oxalate diet. But for most people, the benefits of nutrient-dense, high-oxalate foods outweigh their risks.

At 122 mg per ounce (22-26 nuts) almonds are on the lower end of the “high oxalate foods”. This figure is the soluble oxalate which is the part which can affect kidney stones. The insoluble figure is 469 mg. This probably varies depending on where the almonds were grown. I say this because I’ve seen research studies that have much lower oxalate levels for almonds.

Despite almonds ranking on the oxalate naughty list, according to experts, eating 20-23 almonds (one oz.) per day for adults is the ideal quantity that can help you manage kidney stone formation. One ounce per day is recommended daily intake of almonds per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDA and HHS). This amount provides a good balance of nutrients, including healthy fats, protein, fiber, and vitamins.  

But wait, there’s more! 

By soaking almonds you can reduce oxalate concentration by 6.7-20.0%, likely higher. I’ve seen up to 40% reduction! (Pelagia Research Library in Nigeria). Simply soak them in water overnight (18 hrs. gets you ideal results) before consuming them, as soaking helps leach out a portion of the water-soluble oxalates; additionally, processing almonds into almond milk can significantly lower the oxalate level due to the straining process that removes solids.

Roasting or boiling almonds can further reduce oxalates.

Research has determined that kidney stone formation risk was higher among subjects with lower dietary calcium intake while those with optimal calcium intake did not show an increased risk. Therefore, it has been postulated that dietary oxalate has little impact on kidney stone formation and the priority should be to ensure adequate calcium intake (Curhan, Willett, Knight & Stampfer, 2004). Several studies have reported a greater influence of dietary calcium than dietary oxalate on the risk of kidney stone (Mitchell et al., 2019).

Additionally, consuming too much salt, is directly linked to an increased risk of developing kidney stones; excessive sodium causes the kidneys to excrete more calcium in the urine, which can lead to the formation of kidney stone.

Here’s a real irony by avoiding almonds because of their oxalate levels you are missing out on other compounds present such as magnesium and potassium which are associated with a reduced risk of kidney stones! Almonds are a good source of both magnesium and potassium, with a 1-ounce serving (about 23 almonds) containing 76mg of magnesium and 210mg of potassium.

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It explains why diets predominantly rich in oxalate sources, such as the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH diet) with a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, low-fat dairy, fish and poultry, have been shown to reduce the risk of this condition (Taylor, Fung & Curhan, 2009). In the same way, a balanced vegetarian diet with high content of vegetables, has been suggested as one of the most useful dietary strategies for kidney stone patients (Ferraro, Bargagli, Trinchieri & Gambaro, 2020). On the other hand, low calcium diets have been associated with increased absorption of dietary oxalate (Israr, Frazier & Gordon, 2013). These findings call into question the effect of reduced oxalate intake on renal function in chronic kidney disease patients and on the risk of acute kidney injury (Bargagli, Tio, Waikar & Ferraro, 2020). Recent research has suggested that the gut-kidney axis is a determinant in the metabolism of oxalates and thus dysbiosis is a risk factor in the formation of kidney stones (Ticinesi, Nouvenne & Meschi, 2019).

Due to the solubility of oxalate in water, culinary processes, such as boiling and steaming allow to reduce considerably the content of these compounds. A boiling process for 12 min resulted in a reduction between 30% and 87% of soluble oxalates. Whereas, in steam cooking the reduction in oxalates is around 42% to 46% (Chai & Liebman, 2005). Similarly, with soaking a loss of oxalate content between 40.5% and 76.9%, can be achieved (Akhtar, Israr, Bhatty & Ali, 2011). In the fermentation process, oxalate reduction can also occur through the action of enzymes that degrade oxalate, such as oxalate oxidase, oxalate decarboxylase and oxalyl-CoA synthetase (Lo et al., 2018).

The take-away for those with oxalate kidney stones:

Drink plenty of fluids

Limit sodium intake.

Eat almonds after soaking for up to 18 hrs. or almond milk (reduces oxalate levels)

Eat almonds with calcium-rich foods during the same meal to help bind oxalate in the digestive tract, preventing its absorption into the bloodstream.

Seek guidance from a registered dietitian or nephrologist for personalized dietary recommendations

So what do you think? Feel free to comment

Brian

Owner/Grower/Dad/Grandfather

You can buy unpasteurized raw almonds and almond butter directly from the California farmer at Capay Hills Orchard. Order off the website, www.chorganicalmonds.com or by calling or texting 530-507-8222. Talk or text directly with the farmer, Brian Paddock. Alternatively email capayhillsorchard@gmail.com. Please share this post with your friends.

Capay Hills Orchard is a small family farm growing the best raw almonds, raw almond butter and smoked almonds. Capay Hills Orchard is Veteran owned, Bee Friendly certified, and of-course Certified Organic using Regenerative farming practices.

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