9 replies to this topic

[TheTruthHurts]

As I was eating dinner today, I had Spinach and I wanted to go for a second bowl of Spinach but my mom said to not eat too much because it has some 'metal' within it. What could she have ment by "metal"?
Could Spinach cause Acne?

[takenimpulse]

Don't know what she means by metal, but spinach contains oxalates that inhibit the absorption of calcium. It's recommended that you boil it in a large pot of water for 1 minute and press out the water with a fork. I wouldn't worry about it too much, though. I eat about a pound of spinach or kale everyday for lunch with no problems.

[limpbizkitfan]

No, don't get too worried about it-it's a vegetable! And very nutritious.

[bobbi364]

Your mother is correct, it does contain metals. Metals are known to pass through the skin, however it is very very very unlikely that you would eat enough metal to cause acne, at that point you would probably have much worse problems on your hands, metal toxicity can happen. I would say that it next to impossible, just don't eat 20 lbs of spinach and you will be fine.

[dejaclairevoyant]

No, it doesn't cause acne. Unless you have a very rare allergy or something. Naturally as with all things, pay attention to your reactions to various foods. But don't let people scare you off spinach. Almost all foods have good and bad things about them but with leafy greens the benefits FAR cancel out any negatives, in my opinion. I've been eating large amounts of greens for the past year and a half now and I'm the healthiest I've ever been.

[Riddled]

When i ate a very low carb diet for a while once i ate Spinach every day and apart from Celery this was the only non protein or fat based food i ate. These are both high in oxalates as mentioned, as well as the Vitamin C powder i took. I ended up stopping the low carb diet because of Kidney pains [basically kidney infection] Gout type symptoms in my feet and calculus deposits on my teeth [not tartar - i was eating zero sugar and carbs and i had zero tartar/plaque before i started].

All of what i mentioned are symptoms of oxalates so there could be something to what your mom said. I don't actually know if it was the oxalates that were guilty but it seems likely, that and/or probably too much protein.

It's probably only a problem if your eating lots of protein and other sources of oxalates and not enough water etc and you have some kind of low tolerance of oxalates that i probably have.

The weird fury feeling on your teeth from eating Spinach is supposedly the Oxalates.

[takenimpulse]

Riddled, on 06 February 2012 - 02:06 PM, said:

and calculus deposits on my teeth [not tartar - i was eating zero sugar and carbs and i had zero tartar/plaque before i started].

What do calculus deposits look like? Just last week I noticed some red stuff on the edges of some of my bottom teeth and I have no idea what it is or where it came from.

Also, is it okay to eat the spinach stems?

Edited by takenimpulse, 10 February 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[Riddled]

Mine were quite brightish white. I don't really no much about it to be honest. Red doesn't sound good really, i guess it depends on how attached whatever it is. If it's permanently stuck on and hasn't come off since you posted i would go Dentist asap.

The term calculus is often used for hardened deposits of plaque [Tartar], i think, but in my case and those connected to oxalate deposits i think it is different.

Plaque is usually yellower and softer than the kind of calculus i had, i think. I never actually had any plaque and i was eating a low carb diet at the time so i think it would of been very hard for it to develop it in the first. Actually because i was eating low carb i was probably not brushing my teeth properly as they didn't seem to need it really.

My calculus deposits were rock hard and white, whiter than my teeth, that aren't that yellow considering my awful diet and lack of dental care over the years. I couldn't scrape it off, even with a needle etc so i guess it needs to be removed professionally.



Why does cooked spinach leave a film that you can feel on your teeth?

http://www.madsci.or...03807.Bt.r.html



I have no idea about stems either. I would guess there isn't much difference between the stems and the leaves really.

I think the source of the Spinach is more significant ie from fresh, frozen, canned, raw or cooked etc

It seems fresh and raw is best which makes sense as i was eating lots of cooked from frozen. When you cook it, it seems it makes the whole oxalate thing worse.

[christinehayes]

Seriously it doesn't cause acne

I eat spinach twice or thrice a week blending it to make green smoothie

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[blackblake]

I don't think so. I put spinach in my green smoothies everyday and iv done nothing but clear up.