This delicious smoothie is low in oxalates and super easy to make! No need for added spinach, almonds, or other high oxalate ingredients.

I’m sure many of you recall the green monster smoothie craze of the early 2010s. It was everywhere!

Many folks, including myself, thought that adding as many green foods and powders to smoothies was making us healthier and better. Turns out, eating too many high oxalate foods, such as spinach, almond milk, and cocoa powder, can actually worsen your health.

I learned this the hard way. After years of pain, I’ve found that lowering my oxalate intake was one of the only things that helped me feel better, which is why I created today’s low oxalate smoothie.

Ingredients and substitutions

There are just a few low oxalate ingredients in this smoothie, not including spinach or almond butter, lol.

Whole milk – Clearing oxalates relies heavily on calcium, and cow’s milk is a great source! You’ll want to steer clear of almond milk, as almonds are high oxalate. Coconut milk could be substituted as well.
Greek yogurt – This is another high calcium food that I try to incorporate daily. Full fat or 2% both work well.
Frozen banana
Vanilla extract
Whey protein – I use an unsweetened variety with just whey protein isolate or concentrate as the only ingredient.
Sweetener – I generally use stevia, but a little maple syrup or honey would also give it a nice taste!

Instructions

Add in the liquid ingredients first (milk, yogurt, vanilla), then add the banana, protein powder, and any sweetener you like.

Blend until smooth.

Keep it low oxalate

Though you may be tempted to add other foods to your smoothie, these common additions are high in oxalates and should be avoided.

Nut butters, including almond, peanut, and cashew; sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seed butter are both okay, though they would both impart a strong flavor to the smoothie.
Flax and chia seeds
Spinach, chard, and kale (though some say kale is okay, I’ve found it personally problematic)
Brown rice or pea protein powders – I do fairly well with Sunwarrior brown rice protein powder, but not any pea protein I’ve tried. Brown rice is considered medium oxalate according to this online oxalate Facebook group. Stick to whey protein for truly low oxalate smoothies!
Frozen berries – Unfortunately, berries are very high oxalate. I enjoy a few here and there, but for the most part, I steer clear, as they flare me up.