Spinach question
 

Could there be something in spinach a person might be sensitive too? It seems everytime I eat it, the next day I have a wicked lower back ache as well as a headache I wake up with that lasts me throughout the day.
When I haven't eaten it for several days I feel fine. I hate to have to give it up because of a sensitivity to it because I like it so much.

And while I am at it....has anyone had similiar experiences with any other low carb food?

I also need to add that I only get this issue with raw spinach.

Oxalic acid
 

How are you with rhubarb? They both are high in oxalic acid.

If it's greens, you might try kale or collards or turnip greens--different family.

Spinach is loaded with stuff that could be reactive.

Yes -- you can most definitely have a problem with Vitamin K, which one serving of raw spinach has about 510% of the RDA of... Another nutrient you could be sensitive to is vitamin A, but my guess would tend to lean more towards the K. I had a horrible allergy to it as a child, which I outgrew, but with the wicked lower backache you're talking about -- the K could be affecting your gallbladder (you may have polyps, not stones, which would give you a much different reaction). Do you ever get radiating shoulder pain along with it?
d.

I've never tried rhubarb yet but I have recently wanted to. I did eat rhubarb often as a child and do not recall any problems.

Yes, you can be sensitive or allergic to nearly any food and you can develop that sensitivity at any point in your life; you don't have to be born with it. Some food allergies/sensitivities are more common than others, though.
Having said that, are you sure it's the spinach? Are you eating it plain with nothing else added?
With some allergies, cooking the food in question seems to make a difference....it does with my DH. He can't eat apples, peaches, celery or carrots raw, but he has no problem with them cooked because cooking denatures the protein molecule in those foods that he is allergic to.

I had my gall bladder out in 1997 so it cannot be that. I am having some mild pain up and down my spine today. Stretching does not seem to help that very much.

I just tossed out the rest of spinach into the trash. I will give it up completely if I have to even though I love it so much.

I am pretty positive it was the spinach as it was the only thing I ate yesterday that I had not eaten in a long time. I had it raw as the base of my salad with a sliced steak, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 cups of hot cooked california-style vegetables on the top (broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix) for supper. The only other thing in the salad was a sprinkle of sea salt which I use a tiny bit of each day. Just a pinch.

I also ate some spinach plain right out of the bag. Everything else I ate yesterday was bacon, eggs, chicken and broccoli. Broccoli never gives me problems....raw or cooked. I had my usual tea and water too.

I've never noticed a problem with cooked spinach but it has been months since I had it cooked so I could have forgotten. Now I have been eating it raw.
It seems a real shame to have to give it up because it is such a healthy food.

This is exactly what I was going to post. The fact that you don't have a problem with it after you cook it is telling. From what I understand spinach is has some of the highest amounts of oxalic acid in it. have you ever had problems with your kidneys or arthritis? If you do have a problem with the oxalic acid you might be able to try some of the food combining ideas that are posted somewhere on this site to be able to eat it. Not sure if its worth it though if its causing you pain.

I do have arthritis and my mother told me once I did have problems with my kidneys as a child.

I am not too sure about any kidney problems though as my mother had a horrible fondness for lying about many things (including an older sister we were told was an Aunt for several years until the truth finally came out) and my mother is deceased now so I cannot find out if it is true or not.

You may have to give up eating raw spinach, but I'm not so sure that you have to give it up altogether. Since cooked spinach doesn't seem to cause you problems, why not eat it cooked?
The pain you're describing (low back) does sound more like the kidney area than gallbladder and since you aren't able to confirm with your mom anymore whether you really had kidney problems as a child, it might be worth your while to get it checked out by a doctor just to be sure. It may be nothing, but Dr. Atkins did say that those with pre-existing kidney problems should get their doctor's okay before low carbing. :idea:

Since I gave up the raw spinach the pain I was feeling in my lower back is gone. I have not tried cooked spinach yet. I will wait a couple weeks and then give it a try.

This is going to sound terrible but spinach is high fiber and when I eat it that pain in my lower back is usually meaning I got to go to the bathroom and it just cleans everything out, then Im fine