Why Your Healthy Diet May be Making you Sick! (Hint: Oxalates) with Sally K. Norton, MPH

Are Oxalates Problematic for Everybody? I was blessed with the opportunity to chat with Sally K. Norton, MPH about oxalates, her new book, Toxic Superfoods, and discuss why not all “healthy superfoods“ are as healthy as we’ve been led to believe. In fact, they may be causing us all real issues! Sally K. Norton, MPH holds a nutrition degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Public Health. Her book, “Toxic Superfoods: How Oxalate Overload is Making You Sick-and How to Get Better” was released in January 2023 and it’s available everywhere books are sold. (Get it here: ) For more information, visit or follow Sally on YouTube and social media. She’s @sknorton and @toxicsuperfoods_oxalate_book (on Instagram), @BeFreeToThrive (on Facebook), and @BetterLowOx (on Twitter.) 0:00 Intro 0:40 Welcoming Sally K. Norton 1:30 What are oxalates? Why are they problematic? (plant toxins, oxalic acid) 2:35 A chelator that grabs minerals/industrial cleaner 3:00 Spinach is NOT a health food! 3:37 Spinach is dangerous! (Calcium deficiency!) 4:43 carnivore diet and oxalate dumping 4:50 oxalates and antibiotics/antibiotic use (ear infections, throat infections/strep throat, bladder infections/urinary tract infections (UTI’s) 6:00 Peanut butter and potatoes aren’t health foods either! 7:00 Almonds aren’t health foods either! (Spain loves almonds)- mold contamination 8:17 Leaky gut, inflammation, and oxalate absorption 9:28 Wheat-free/grain-free/paleo diet and high oxalate foods 9:50 It’s nuts to eat nuts! 10:30 Safety of carnivore diet vs. safety of high oxalate food diet 11:25 What comes first? Does inflammation/antibiotic use cause oxalate problems? Or do oxalate problems lead to inflammation/need for antibiotics? (Or both?) tolerance/vulnerability and exposure 12:14 Seasonality and exposure: why convenience makes us sick! Vegetables all year! 12:58 Dark chocolate sadly isn’t healthy either, and wine? (Alzheimer’s) 13:00 Oxalate tolerance and vulnerability: antibiotics, pain medications, gut, liver, kidney health, trauma, surgeries - more oxalate absorption 14:59 The liver doesn’t detox oxalates, it creates oxalate! Kidneys excrete it. There is no oxalate metabolism! 15:22 Oxalates secreted in urine, saliva, tears (eye irritation), skin (eczema), colon 16:05 Oxalates can kill anybody. They’re a universal poison! 16:20 Oxalate overload symptoms: mood problems, aches and pains, stomach issues, anxiety, kidney, urinary tract problems 17:00 Oxalates like a bacteria that can cause bladder inflammation and oxalate crystals- mast cells, immune reaction which lead to UTI symptoms. 17:52 Oxalate dumping symptoms: UTI symptoms (cloudy urine, urgency) 18:45 Toxic Superfoods book and more oxalate issue symptoms: eczema, brain fog, fatigue, Bartholin cysts 19:33 My high oxalate diet: matcha with chia seeds, celery with almond butter 20:40 The body protects the organs from oxalate damage! 21:30 Not just kidney stones- everyone can have (various) issues 22:12 Do probiotics help oxalate problems? sensitivity or tolerance? Smoking analogy Oxalate is a poison! 24:10 The “experts“ ignore the problem 26:40 Healthy living bloggers: issues even when eating “healthy diets“ (legumes) 27:30 Oxalate disclaimer- I was WRONG! (Sweet potatoes aren’t healthy either!) 30:27 Low oxalate diet can help with food intolerances 30:50 Where can we find Sally Norton? Get her book, Toxic Superfoods! Easy switches to low oxalate foods (Spinach for romaine lettuce) Lots of references 32:50 I drink oxalates (tea) to have some oxalates and not quit cold turkey while on a carnivore diet! Carnivore diet benefits for healing the gut! 34:20 Conclusion