@laren3 Well for various foods there are various ways! It is normally already removed if you prepare foods the old fashioned way like my ancestors did. Its always ironic that they KNEW what to do even when a modern doctor was no where to be found with science which had not been developed for them. How DID they know?! So beans are soaked overnight, rinsed and then fresh water added to boil. You can see the "fluorescent color" being drained off! I get chickpeas from the store (canned) and I always pour the water they come in, out. Then if I am making a dish, like soup I add new water. I have IBS and that requires me to get rid of the galactans (a type of oligosaccharide), or I have bad stomach aches.
Here are some tips: Pair with Calcium: Eating calcium-rich foods (like cheese or yogurt) alongside high-oxalate foods helps the oxalates bind in your gut rather than your kidneys, allowing them to pass safely.
Cook Your Veggies: Boiling or steaming high-oxalate vegetables can reduce their oxalate content by up to 50% or more.
Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water helps flush oxalates through your system and prevents stone formation.
My calcium is perfect. I eat ample amounts in various foods - but my body gets it where it needs to go. TOO MUCH calcium is bad for people who have Coronary Artery Disease and for a few others.
There is really really problem unless you are prone to kidney stones.
Yes, cooking—specifically boiling—significantly reduces oxalate levels in food by 30% to 87%. Boiling allows soluble oxalates to leach into the water, which should be discarded. Steaming is less effective (5%–53% reduction), while roasting or baking has little effect on lowering oxalate content.
Key Takeaways for Reducing Oxalates:
Boiling is Best: Boiling vegetables like spinach, beets, and swiss chard for 12 minutes is highly effective, as it can remove up to 85–87% of soluble oxalates.
Discard the Water: Since oxalates leach into the cooking water, do not use it for soups or sauces.
Other Methods: Steaming is moderately effective, but roasting, baking, or cooking in a wok generally does not reduce oxalates.
Pair with Calcium: Consuming dairy or calcium-rich foods alongside oxalates can help, as calcium binds to oxalates in the gut, reducing their absorption.
For maximum reduction, boil or blanch vegetables, especially if you are concerned about kidney stones.
National Institutes of Health (.gov)
Eat a varied diet, that is always the best advice and check with your doctor. One thing - doctors can be no different than the rest of us sometimes and are guilty of promoting "trends" which are just "easier" for them than to give nuanced instructions. One example was 30 years of telling people that eggs raise cholesterol. It was always a crazy thing that one! I knew from nutritional chemistry that it was incorrect. It took 25 years for the news to mainstream that they were not!