High Oxalate Foods

Foods that are high in oxalates (oxalic acid) increases symptoms of

  • Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
  • Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorder (CVID)
  • Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Elevated oxalates can be caused by genetic mutations (SNPs) and/or eating foods that are high in oxalic acid. Treatment for high oxalates almost always includes going on a low-oxalate diet for a period of time.

To reduce oxalic acid intake, markedly reduce or eliminate the following foods for the period of time specified by your doctor at Muscle & Joint Clinic:

Drinks

  • Dark or “robust” beer
  • Black tea
  • Chocolate milk
  • Cocoa
  • Instant coffee
  • Hot chocolate
  • Juice made from high oxalate fruits (see below for high oxalate fruits)
  • Ovaltine
  • Soy drinks

Dairy

  • Chocolate milk
  • Soy cheese
  • Soy milk
  • Soy yogurt
  • Fats, Nuts, Seeds
  • Nuts
  • Nut butters
  • Sesame seeds
  • Tahini
  • Soy nuts

Fruit

  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Carambola
  • Concord grapes
  • Currents
  • Dewberries
  • Elderberries
  • Figs
  • Fruit cocktail
  • Gooseberry
  • Kiwis
  • Lemon peel
  • Orange peel
  • Raspberries
  • Rhubarb
  • Canned strawberries
  • Tamarillo
  • Tangerines

Starch

  • Amaranth
  • Buckwheat
  • Cereal (bran or high fiber
  • Crisp bread (rye or wheat)
  • Fruit cake
  • Grits
  • Pretzels
  • Taro
  • Wheat bran
  • Wheat germ
  • Whole wheat bread
  • Whole wheat flour

Condiments

  • Black pepper (more than 1 tsp.)
  • Marmalade
  • Soy sauce

Miscellaneous

  • Chocolate
  • Parsley

Vegetables

  • Beans (baked, green, dried, kidney)
  • Beets
  • Beet greens
  • Beet root
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Chicory
  • Collards
  • Dandelion greens
  • Eggplant
  • Escarole
  • Kale
  • Leeks
  • Okra
  • Olives
  • Parsley
  • Peppers (chili and green)
  • Pokeweed
  • Potatoes (baked, boiled, fried)
  • Rutabaga
  • Spinach
  • Summer squash
  • Sweet potato
  • Swiss chard
  • Zucchini