Many consume iced tea, it’s delicious. It’s important to make the distinction between iced tea that’s sold in in bottles, pre-made, to making a tea blend at home, for example, one from ItsHealthTea, and putting it in the fridge to drink it as iced tea by refrigerating it.
Iced teaÃ‚Â (orÃ‚Â ice tea) is a form of coldÃ‚Â tea. Though usually served in a glass withÃ‚Â ice, it can refer to anyÃ‚Â teaÃ‚Â that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar, syrup and/or apple slices.
Usually, you will find iced tea is incredibly high in sugars which, of course, is unhealthy for you. We discourage the consumption of packaged iced tea for that reason.
Summer is the peak season for drinkingÃ‚Â iced tea, but the popular drink can contribute to painfulÃ‚Â kidney stones.Ã‚Â Iced teaÃ‚Â contains high concentrations of oxalate, one of the key chemicals thatÃ‚Â lead toÃ‚Â the formation ofÃ‚Â kidney stones.
WHAT DOES OXALATE MEAN?
Oxalate is a compound found in some foods, and it is also produced as a waste product by the body. It exits the body through the urine. Too much oxalate may causeÃ‚Â kidney stonesÃ‚Â in some people.
Foods high in oxalate include:
- Dark green vegetables, such as spinach.
- Soda (cola).
- Soy beans.
- Soy milk.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Tea (black).
- Wheat bran.
WHAT TEAS ARE HIGH IN OXALATES?
In a study from 2012, here are some findings from teas that are high in oxalate.
“The results showed that the highest of oxalate content was found inÃ‚Â black teaÃ‚Â (1.36Ã¢â‚¬â€œ4.42 mg/g tea), followed byÃ‚Â oolong teaÃ‚Â (0.74Ã¢â‚¬â€œ3.94 mg/g tea),Ã‚Â green teaÃ‚Â (0.44Ã¢â‚¬â€œ2.18 mg/g tea) and the lowest was found inÃ‚Â white teaÃ‚Â (0.40Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1.79 mg/g tea).”
The mean soluble oxalate contents ofÃ‚Â black teaÃ‚Â in tea bags andÃ‚Â loose tea leavesÃ‚Â were 4.68 and 5.11 mg/g tea, respectively, whileÃ‚Â green teasÃ‚Â andÃ‚Â oolong teaÃ‚Â had lower oxalate contents, ranging from 0.23 to 1.15 mg/g tea. The soluble oxalate content of the herbal teas ranged from not detected to 3.00 mg/g tea.
HOW TO REDUCE OXALATE IN YOUR DIET?
Cleveland Clinic suggest these 6 steps to control oxalate for kidney stones:
Six steps to control oxalate for kidney stones
- Eat fewer high-oxalateÃ‚Â foods.
- Increase the amount of calcium in your diet.
- Limit the vitamin C content of your diet.
- Drink the right amount of fluids every day.
- Eat the right amount of protein daily.
- ReduceÃ‚Â the amount of sodium in your diet.
WHAT TEAS ARE GOOD FOR KIDNEY STONES?
- DandelionÃ‚Â tea.
- NettleÃ‚Â tea.
- Ginger and turmericÃ‚Â tea.
- GreenÃ‚Â tea.
However, by far, the best tea for kidney stones (both prevent and get rid of,) is chanca piedra tea. Buy some of our most popular chanca piedra blends.