Oxalate <25 mg/serving
Oxalate 25-99 mg/serving
Oxalate ≥100 mg/serving
Let's address the elephant in the room. Spinach is the single most-searched food by kidney stone patients — and for good reason. Harvard's lab measured 493 mg of oxalate in one half-cup serving. That's nearly 20 times the 25 mg safe threshold. If you have calcium oxalate stones, this is not a "maybe" food. It's an avoid food. The number is not a database estimate, not a crowd-sourced guess, not an average of 12 different studies. It's a direct ion chromatography measurement from one lab, one sample, one number. That's the gold standard for oxalate data, and it's telling you something clear.
📊 Nutrition at a Glance
📏 Oxalate by Serving Size
| Serving | Weight | Oxalate | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 87 g | 493 mg | Avoid |
| 2 x 1/2 cup | 174 g | 986 mg | Avoid |
| ½ x 1/2 cup | 43 g | 246.5 mg | Avoid |
🏷️ Tags
🔴 See all Vegetables rated Avoid for kidney stones →
⚖️ Compare this food: · vs Tomato juice · vs Radish →
🔗 Related Foods
🟢 Safe alternatives (recommended)
⚠️ Other foods in this category to watch
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I eat Spinach with kidney stones?
Straight talk: Spinach is high in oxalate. 493 mg per 1/2 cup puts it firmly in the avoid zone (100+ mg). Kidney stone patients should limit this one. Harvard measured it, not us.
What's the oxalate content of Spinach?
Quick math: 1/2 cup of Spinach = 493 mg oxalate. 100g = 567 mg. Both numbers come from Harvard's latest lab measurements. Not AI, not a database, actual lab work.
Is Spinach high in oxalates?
Yeah, it's high. 493 mg per 1/2 cup is way over the safe threshold. Spinach belongs in the 'limit severely' column.
What are the best low-oxalate alternatives to Spinach?
The easiest move: swap Spinach for any 🟢 Safe food in the related foods grid. They're all under 25 mg per serving and verified by Harvard's 2024 data. Problem solved.
How much sodium does Spinach have?
Sodium's not the issue here. Spinach has 111 mg per 100g — comfortably low. No need to worry about salt pushing extra calcium into your urine with this food.
Does boiling Spinach reduce the oxalate?
Boil it. Drain it. That's the move. For Spinach, boiling and discarding the cooking water removes about a third to half of the soluble oxalate. Don't reuse that water for anything.
Can I eat Spinach if I pair it with dairy?
The calcium trick works: dietary calcium + oxalate in the same meal = some of the oxalate gets bound up and pooped out instead of absorbed. So yes, have dairy with Spinach. Same meal timing matters.