In this interview, Sally Norton, “Toxic superfoods: How oxalate overload can make you sick—and how to get better’, reviews how and why even what we’re told is healthy food can wreak havoc on your health. As the title suggests, the culprit of the problem is oxalate, or oxalic acid, found in many plants, legumes, grains, In seeds and nuts, fruits, berries and herbs.1
So what exactly are oxalates, why are they so harmful, and how do they hide in these superfoods that so many people eat? Simply put, it is a naturally occurring toxic and corrosive acid. In that state, it’s called oxalic acid. When oxalic acid has minerals attached to it, it is called oxalate.
Chemically, it’s a salt, and like other salts, it forms crystals that your body naturally has a limited ability to process. Calcium oxalate, for example, is oxalic acid with calcium attached, which can form painful kidney stones.
And, unlike some other food-associated toxins, oxalates cannot be removed by cooking, soaking, or fermenting foods. You also cannot simply take mineral supplements to address oxalate depletion.
Oxalic acid is a dicarboxylic acid, which means it has two carbon atoms with an oxygen molecule attached to each carbon atom. “This particular carbolic acid has all sorts of devastating toxicity when it comes close to the membrane,” Norton said. She explained:
