• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

New diet, apparently ate too much spinach and kale...what's the right amount?

D

Durrzerker

Banned
So, bit of backstory. I've always been a bit underweight (6' and 130 lbs), and been trying to build muscle using the Fitness OT thread here, and some other stuff. It was going well (up to 142 now after a month and a half), with one little problem.

Since I'm really bad about eating vegetables, I took the advice of a friend to just start mixing them into smoothies. Apparently, however, I overdid it. The oxalide crystals in the spinach and kale I was putting in -- well, long story short, I wound up feeling like I was pissing and shitting glass shards for about a week. It finally subsided, but TLDR, it's clear that a cup of each a day was overdoing it.

So, GAF, do any of you eat spinach/kale? If so, what's the right amount for daily intake?
 
K

Krauser Kat

Member
You can probably just use one or the other you dont need to combine your spinach and kale. I add a 2 cups worth of it to most meals.
 
M

Malvolio

Member
Are you certain that's what caused it? I tend to eat significantly more spinach and kale than that and have never had those issues.
 
L

LiK

Member
Eh? How much are you eating? I eat a shitload of that stuff without weird issues. What else is in that smoothie?
 
W

WhatNXt

Member
Malvolio said:
Are you certain that's what caused it? I tend to eat significantly more spinach and kale than that and have never had those issues.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I live off Spinach as I don't eat meat... sounds like kidney stones or something. Perfectly plausible if OP has researched it I guess, but thankfully I've not had those symptoms!
 
G

gaiages

Banned
I don't think that was the spinach and kale, OP. Sounds closer to kidney stones... it could have been something else you were eating, or it could have just been a flat out coincidence that the kidney stones formed right when you started eating those.
 
T

TyrantII

Member
Why would that cause stones? Stones are usually a sign that you're not hydrating enough. Foods high in salt and calcium tend to do it, so I suppose the calcium in greens could be a factor, but I think there's probably something else going on as many other foods are much richer in calcium such as dairy.

Last, if you're trying to put on weight you want protein and weight training. Eating healthy is good for health, but kale isn't going to bulk you up.
 
A

Aaronology

Member
Well, I've been told if you're susceptible to kidney stones and/or have bad kidneys to avoid raw spinach. Sounds like you might want to cook your spinach instead of blending it, OP.
 
V

velociraptor

Junior Member
Yes spinach can increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones. I eat 1kg of cooked spinach every week (though it's evenly spaced), but I also drink about 3L of water a day.
 
D

Durrzerker

Banned
Doctor said it was the oxalide in the spinach/kale. Only other stuff in the msoothie was strawberries and banana.

If you guys didn't have issues, though, I wonder.

It seemed pretty simple. Started the smoothies, pain started, stopped the smoothies, pain stopped. Now you have me wondering.


TyrantII said:
Why would that cause stones? Stones are usually a sign that you're not hydrating enough. Foods high in salt and calcium tend to do it, so I suppose the calcium in greens could be a factor, but I think there's probably something else going on as many other foods are much richer in calcium such as dairy.

Last, if you're trying to put on weight you want protein and weight training. Eating healthy is good for health, but kale isn't going to bulk you up.
Click to expand...


Well, yeah. I'm doing a lot more eggs, protein, pasta, meat, etc, too. But this is just about the spinach and kale that was giving me some pain.


SKINNER! said:
yup. Just eat normal spinach and kale. lol at turning it into a smoothie. Shit probably tastes worse in liquid form.
Click to expand...


I don't taste anything in the smoothies, which was the point. I can't eat the stuff raw or cooked, makes me retch.
 
Z

Zackat

Member
Sounds like you were peeing out calcium oxalate crystals. These are a main constituent of most kidney stones. Are you drinking enough water?
 
Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula CaC2O4. It is a chemical compound that forms envelope-shaped crystals, known in plants as raphides. A major constituent of human kidney stones, calcium oxalate is also found in beerstone, a scale that forms on containers used in breweries.

*Looks at raphides*

Plants containing raphides

Amaranthaceae:

Spinacia (Spinach)
 
V

Vixdean

Member
6' 130? Spinach and kale to gain weight? Dude just eat large pizzas, drink beer, and congratulate yourself on the good genes.
 
D

Durrzerker

Banned
Vixdean said:
6' 130? Spinach and kale to gain weight? Dude just eat large pizzas, drink beer, and congratulate yourself on the good genes.
Click to expand...


The spinach and kale are for nutrition, not to gain weight. For gaining weight I'm mostly eating eggs, nuts, pasta, and lean meat in good quantities, along with a weightlifting regimen.
 
R

reKon

Banned
Drinking plenty of clean water daily is one of the healthiest things you can do daily next to eating plenty of veggies (the greener the better?) and cutting down on sodium to moderate levels.

Thank god, I love broccoli and chicken. That's some lean shit right there.
 
M

MarkMclovin

Member
Durrzerker said:
The spinach and kale are for nutrition, not to gain weight. For gaining weight I'm mostly eating eggs, nuts, pasta, and lean meat in good quantities, along with a weightlifting regimen.
Click to expand...

In that case I'd probably drop it or try to add to it with other vegtables, just to fill out the meals better.

You're getting some vit A and C and that's about it. I'd take a A-Z tablet and carry on.

Make sure you're drinking shit loads of water.
 
D

Durrzerker

Banned
MarkMclovin said:
In that case I'd probably drop it or try to add to it with other vegtables, just to fill out the meals better.

You're getting some vit A and C and that's about it. I'd take a A-Z tablet and carry on.

Make sure you're drinking shit loads of water.
Click to expand...


That sounds like the smart bet, thanks. My main issue is just almost 0 vegetable intake and was trying to fix that. Really hate veggies and wasn't sure what the 'easiest' route to eating them is.
 
Nikodemos

Nikodemos

Member
Don't eat leafy greens raw (well, apart from lettuce). Many of them can cause kidney stones in susceptible people due to oxalates.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Locked
Fitness & Weight Loss: How much exercise/dieting is too much?
42
2K
APF replied
Top Bottom