Alternating Greens

Question of the week from www.reneoswald.com/blog:

My question is about the so-called “toxic ‘ things found in raw leafy green veggies, like the oxalic acid in spinach. How much is too much of this stuff to eat? I’m feeling well and the drinks are tasty. Thanks for the help.
Terry Fischer


Hi Terry,

There are small amounts of natural toxins, called alkaloids, on all greens. However, each green contains a different alkaloid, so generally, if you eat a variety of greens you won’t have any problems. Some scientists believe that these alkaloids are there to prevent us from eating the entire crop , so that there will always be more for future generations.

You will find out, naturally, how much is safe to consume. When you eat a green in moderation it tastes great, but when you’ve had enough, your body will tell you by the taste. It generally starts to taste bitter, can cause nausea or you may notice your mouth becomes very dry. This bitter reaction is very obvious to most people when they eat the stronger greens, like chard, collards, arugula and dandelion.

Sunflower greens and spinach taste very mild to most people until their body has had enough, then they tend to make the mouth feel very dry. Listen to your body and only eat the amount you need, then go on to a new green for your next meal.

You’ll notice that when you blend greens in a recipe with lots of other ingredients (like in greens smoothies or blended salads) your body doesn’t always tell you when you have had enough. This is because your body is picking up on all the different foods at one time and it is confusing. I recently worked with a woman who was consuming large amounts of spinach every day in her green smoothies. She suddenly started feeling very light-headed and nauseous, she said she felt like she was going to faint all day long. When she stopped eating the spinach and substituted it with a different green in her smoothie every day, her dizziness went away. I suggest typically adding the amount of greens you would comfortably eat in a salad when making a smoothie, energy soup or blended salad.

It is very important to rotate your greens daily, which is the natural way to prevent any problem with over-consumption of one green. If you eat a new green every day, you’ll typically rotate at least 7 greens in your diet. The typical greens that are available to most of us, are romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, Bibb lettuce and bok choy. The highest quality greens are those that are dark green in color, organic and locally grown.

Add small amounts of the stronger varieties, such as dandelion, arugula, mustard greens, beet greens, etc.

See page 165 of our book, “Transitioning to Living Cuisine” (or in the Level VI eBook on page 14) to read what happened when my husband, Allan, and I ate too many buckwheat greens.

Please email me at rene.oswald@att.net with your question for the next blog post. I can post your name, your initials or you can remain anonymous, it’s up to you!

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