Updated Oxalate List From Harvard. Now What?

Jill Harris, LPN, CHC

April 26, 2024

BIG NEWS!!!

In November 2023, Harvard reported on some new and old foods that have been studied. However, I just found out about this information as it is buried on Harvard’s website. We at Kidney Stone Diet have been working all week, night and day, to update our current Harvard list and website to provide you with the most up-to-date information. It’s still a work in progress, but this is the latest.

Below, I have listed some popular foods that have been studied for the first time. Hello, quinoa, arugula, and pomegranate!!!

The other categories are foods that have changed in value. There are many more than I’ve listed here, but I’m highlighting the most common foods that I know so many of us eat.

For example, many cereals have been added or reevaluated, but I’ve not listed them here. Instead, you’ll notice that your revised Harvard list has all the updates marked with an asterisk. Some of the serving sizes have changed as well. Harvard listed six new pages with many new foods.

Download Your New Oxalate List

Here are some exciting new additions to the Harvard list we have been waiting for:

Food / Serving Size / Oxalate

Black beans / 1/2 Cup / 10.5mg

Quinoa / 1 Cup / 54.4mg

Arugula / 1/2 Cup / 0.3mg

Dark Chocolate / 1.5 ounces / 67.7mg

Garlic / one clove / 0.4mg

Pomegranate / 1/2 Cup / 0.3mg

Cranberries / 1 Cup / 0.3mg

Pumpkin, Canned / 1 Cup / 8.8mg

Kashi Autumn Wheat / 32 biscuits / 32.9mg

Kashi Go / 3/4 Cup / 10.7mg

Kashi Heart to Heart / 1 Cup / 6.7mg

Slim Fast / 11 ounce / 36.7mg

Plant Based Burger / 1 patty / 57.9mg

Soy Burger / 3.5 ounce / 11.9mg

Veggie Burger / 1 patty / 5mg

Lentils (boiled) / 1/2 Cup / 2.4mg

Soft Tofu / 3.5 ounce / 10.6mg

Oat Bread / 1 slice / 6.4mg

Almond Milk / 8 ounce / 27.1mg

Almond Butter / 1 tbsp / 41.6mg

Coconut, Dried Shredded / 1 tbsp / 0.1mg

Coconut Meat, Raw / 1/8 cup / 0.1mg

Squash Seeds Whole Roasted / 1/4 cup / 4.3mg

Sesame Butter, Tahini / 1 tbsp / 16.2mg

Wheat Bran Crude / 1 tbsp / 7.5mg

Tomato Soup / 1 cup / 9mg

Truvia / 1 packet / 0mg

Winter Squash / 1/2 cup / 4mg

Summer Squash / 1/2 cup / 0.6mg

Tomato Paste / 1/4 cup / 24.5mg

Common foods that were newly studied and increased in value:

Food Serving Mg/Oxalate

Blueberries / 1/2 cup / 18.5mg

Spaghetti / 1 cup / 16.5mg

Whole Wheat Spaghetti / 1 cup / 46.1mg

Peanut Butter / 1 tbsp / 19.2mg

Banana / 1 / 10.3mg

Pineapple / 1/2 cup / 5.2mg

Refried Beans / 1/2 cup / 59.6mg

Tangerines / 1 / 15.7mg

Whole Wheat English Muffin / 1 / 28.1mg

Whole Wheat Bread / 1 slice / 13.6mg

Navy Beans / 1/2 cup / 96.3mg

Hummus / 1/4 cup / 39.1mg

Mac and Cheese / 1 cup / 15.3mg

Meat Lasagna / 1 cup / 45.7mg

Cashews / 1 ounce / 63.5mg

Pecans / 1 ounce / 15.7mg

Sweet Potato with Skin / 1/2 cup / 54.2mg

Common foods that decreased in value:

Raspberries / 1/2 cup / 2.5mg

French Fries / 6 ounces / 48.6mg

Mashed Potatoes / 1 cup / 11.6mg

Marinara / 1/2 cup / 10.4mg

Pizza / 2 Slices / 8.5mg

Fiber One Cereal / 2/3 cup / 12.8mg

Red Kidney Beans / 1/2 cup / 9.9mg

Dates / 5 dates / 25.5mg

Pistachios / 1 ounce / 9mg

Walnuts / 1 ounce / 11.7mg

Potato Chips / 1 ounce / 12.1mg

Potato Chip Baked / 1 ounce / 19.3mg

Miso Soup / 1 cup / 58.3mg

Carrots / 1/2 large / 4.5mg

Spinach, Boiled / 1/2 cup / 547.4mg

Spinach, Raw / 1 cup / 316mg

Download Your New Oxalate List

Anything that was added to the list, as well as old foods that were remeasured, have been astrisked by Kidney Stone Diet. You will note that some of the portion sizes have even been changed. I don’t know why Harvard does what it does, so please do not email me asking about it. I expect thousands of emails regarding this Harvard update because I get hundreds on a regular newsletter week.

If you find any discrepancies, be sure to let me know. These updates have taken us hours to change on our website and our current outgoing email oxalate list. And this little newsletter? It too has taken hours but I highlighted the above items because I knew they would be some of our favorites. Be gentle with us, folks. This has been an enormous undertaking, and we are trying our best!

Nurse Jill’s take on this new information and what it means for you.

As I have always told you, oxalate is very hard to study. The amount of oxalate in a spinach plant grown in one place could be higher or lower in another. The researchers and their techniques, the growing conditions, the soil, the sunlight, etc., all play a factor in determining the amount of oxalate in the plant. This is why numbers vary from list to list. No oxalate number is written in stone. We must make peace with this fact. Once the highest foods are taken away, Oxalate is the LEAST important goal of the Kidney Stone Diet.

Over the years, one of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve shared is the importance of variety and portion control in your diet. It’s not about avoiding specific foods but ensuring you’re not overeating the same ones every day. Meeting your daily calcium needs and diversifying your food choices can be more effective in preventing kidney stones than simply following an oxalate list.

I will always hold the Harvard list in high regard and will continue recommending it. It has proven effective for my students and patients for over 25 years. While it’s important to note that these numbers, even from Harvard, can change, they are typically not drastic changes. This reliability makes the Harvard list a trusted source of dietary advice.

I understand that the variability of food studies can be unsettling. But rest assured, there is nothing perfect about any science. It is all subject to change depending on various factors. The key is to be sensible when choosing foods, eat responsibly, follow the kidney stone diet goals, and be in just as good a place as you were before you knew anything about this newer list. I promise!

Still, need clarification?

There are many ways to work with me if you need anything.

The Kidney Stone Prevention Course

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Your friend and advocate,

Jill

About the Author

Jill Harris is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) who specializes in kidney stone prevention. Her goal is to teach you what you need to know and, more importantly, how to put that knowledge to work so you can stop forming stones. For good.

Bryce Weaver

April 27, 2024

Thank you, Jill. I have been stone-free since October of 2022 by being more aware of oxalate, sodium, calcium, etc. I appreciate your guidance and advocacy and you and your OG Facebook group members’ examples and advice (mostly to others as I am a bit of a wallflower). This update to the Harvard list means a lot to me because current data is best and making informed decisions gives me comfort. I signed up for the video courses today, using a discount. Mostly, I just wanted to give back to you and your team. I am an RN. I wish I had the bandwidth to be more like you are, with the people I help. Keep up the good work and thank you again. – Bryce Weaver

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  May 2, 2024
  
  hi Bryce,
  Thanks for doing God’s work out there in the field. Thanks for reaching out so we could meet. Keep up your hard work on follow the KSD goals.
  xo
  j
  
  Reply
Jennifer Knight

April 27, 2024

I am Jennifer tech challenged to !
Can I begin this course without my 24 hour urine !
I found out I have so many stones that surgery is much needed now ! Then I will do a 24 urine ?

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  May 2, 2024
  
  Hi Jenn,
  You do not need a urine collection to do the course.
  j
  
  Reply
David

May 6, 2024

Hi Jill,

Thanks for the update. Is there a certain amount of daily oxalate we should stay below?

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  May 11, 2024
  
  Hi David,
  Unless you have been told otherwise 100 per day.
  j
  
  Reply
ROSEMARY MOORE

May 17, 2024

Hi, Jill,

Thanks for your dedication. I would like to share my story in case its of any interest.

I have been a vegetarian my entire adult life. I eat organic, don’t eat junk food or highly processed foods, exercise daily, take supplements, and am healthy beyond my years. Or so I thought. I’d been feeling fatigued and the most obvious culprit seemed to be an iron deficiency. Sent away for a test and it confirmed I was iron deficient. Started iron supplements the next day. A month later got my blood test that revealed my iron had gone from less than 10 to 39. So I was on my way.

But it also revealed I had Stage 3 kidney disease. Now, I’d known about the oxalate – kidney connection for years, so investigated that first, only to find that all the super-healthy foods I’d been eating had lowered my eGFR to 57. I’d been juicing veges for most of my life, and, upon research, found that most were high in oxalates. I did a lot of research, changed my diet, and had my blood retested 4 months later. The test showed my eGFR was now normal — 90.

I’m not prone to kidney stones, otherwise I’d have had them. My biggest problem is that with the change of diet, I was left with little choice of foods to eat (I don’t cook) and lost a lot of weight (I was already very thin). This underweight problem has become my daily battle. Every day I drink about a half-cup or more of the very best olive oil I can find for calories. I also eat meat 2-3 times a week, had to switch from soy milk to dairy, and I eat organic mayo and butter without fear (never ate these before). I also juice now only 3 times per week and eat safe-salads the other days.

I’ve downloaded the new Harvard list. For me, some of the news is good, and other bad. The worst news concerns blueberries. I drink pure organic, unsweetened blueberry juice daily, add it to my yogurt and anywhere it’s appropos. Just bought about 30 bottles since it’s a staple. Now I find out only half a cup of whole blubs has 18 mg of oxalic acid. Ugh!

Your site is now one of my top Bookmarks.

Thanks for the info you provide.
Kind regards,
Rosemary

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  May 18, 2024
  
  Hi Rosemary!
  Thank you so much for writing. Your story is interesting and common- meaning overeating the highest oxalate foods over and over again. Many people got stones due to the amount of oxalates they were eating and not getting any calcium needs met each day. I am glad your kidney function is better. Make sure to read my blog articles esp this one:https://kidneystonediet.com/how-much-oxalate-is-in/
  and this one:https://kidneystonediet.com/why-do-oxalate-levels-vary/
  Stay well!
  j
  
  Reply
Shirley Lindamood

July 6, 2024

Hi! My husband has oxalate poisoning. We are told that this is a rare condition and can find little information about it. Experienced kidney nurses that we have spoken with have never heard of it! He is limited to 50 oxalates per day and is not to eat any foods that contain any “phos*” ingredients. Having been on this diet for nearly 2 years – and using the Harvard list oxalates counts – his kidney function has improved from 18% to about 32%. We are confused by the new Harvard list, as some of his “go to” foods are now significantly higher in oxalates. We’ll search the internet for why the oxalate counts changed, but are now even more concerned about what he can and cannot eat. Interested in your thoughts about the Harvard update and about oxalate poisoning. Thanks!

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  July 7, 2024
  
  Hi Shirley,
  Please go to the blog to read the articles on why oxalate levels vary and what now with the Harvard updates? Both will help you understand. And think of a consult with me if you need more guidance, esp since your husband has lower kidney function.
  j
  
  Reply
Thomas Zarkin

July 10, 2024

In the Harvard update, 1/2 cup of boiled lentils has a value of 2.4, yet 1/2 cup of lentil soup (which would have a much smaller portion of lentils) has a value of 16.8. Equally puzzling is the immense change between the old and updated lists when it comes to the values for blueberries (enormously up) and raspberries (enormously down). It seems as if there are far too many unaccounted variables affecting the reliability of these studies.

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  July 14, 2024
  
  Hi Thomas,
  Read this article and it will make sense why oxalate lists vary so much. https://kidneystonediet.com/why-do-oxalate-levels-vary/
  Nurse Jill
  
  Reply
2. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  August 10, 2024
  
  Hi Thomas,
  Ck out the reasons why here:https://kidneystonediet.com/why-do-oxalate-levels-vary/
  j
  
  Reply
Smery

September 5, 2024

Hi Jill
Thank you for your work. I don`t have kidney stones but I recently found out about the oxalate poisoning that affects joints, skin and other organs of the body. So I have been eating less oxalate foods for 3 weeks and my joints are less painful by the day and my skin improved as well. So you are helping more than just people with kidney stones. Thank you again! From Romania, Eastern Europe with love.
PS: My husband had kidney stones and got rid of them by ultrasound procedure and I guess for him is also recommended to eat less oxalates too.

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  September 7, 2024
  
  Hi Smery.
  Make sure your husband learns about the kidney stone diet. Much more than just oxalates. kidneystonediet.com/start
  j
  
  Reply
Lewis Galati

September 30, 2024

After 36 years I got another kidney stone. I live on nuts and chocolate and was wondering why I haven’t gotten more stones. Maybe because of the milk that I drink or the fact that I put lemon on just about everything?
I’m dropping cashews and almonds and adding macadamias. Cutting my 90% chocolate in half and reducing my blueberries, adding blackberries.
Thanks for your input.
Lew

Reply
1. Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
  
  October 2, 2024
  
  Hi Lewis,
  Yes, you getting your calcium needs met each day surely has helped. The worst is when people eat high ox foods but get no calcium each day which is most of my patients.
  j
  
  Reply

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