best veggies for raw/smoothies, oxalic acid questions

[JMJ]

I've started making smoothies to get some raw veggies and more of the nutrients that are destroyed by cooking.  However, it looks like a lot of the nutrient-rich greens that people use in green smoothies are pretty high in oxalic acid or other problematic compounds.  I guess a lot of people use kale, but I've heard that brassicas should be cooked.  Collard greens and spinach are pretty high in oxalic acid.  I've heard that baby spinach is fine, but does it have as many nutrients?

I've also heard different things about oxalic acid.  I've heard a couple places that it's neutralized by cooking.  I've heard (on a raw vegan forum) that it's only a problem in cooked foods.  I've heard it doesn't matter if you cook it or not.  It's always a problem.  I notice Sally Fallon recommends boiling, draining well and throwing out the water for vegetables with high oxalate content.  Then, I look for resources on what foods are high and low in oxalic acid, and I get conflicting answers.  It sounds like spinach, collard greens, sorrel, lambsquarter, chard, and parsley are routinely classified as "high" while romaine, lettuce, cilantro, and kale are "low."  Other vegetables, the information varies.  The USDA says carrots are higher than collards, yet I've never heard of carrots being a problem, but collards burn my throat unless I boil them for a long time.

Here's my list of good raw veggies so far:

tomatoes

peppers, especially red

lettuce

avocado

celery

cilantro

What can you add?

[deditus]

Well, oxalic acid is only problematic for some people. Most people have the correct gut bacteria to degrade it. I went through a phase of being afraid of raw greens (except romaine) for one reason or another, but the plain ole truth is that I feel really good when I drink my green smoothie regardless of what greens I use. I rotate - spinach, kale, collards, romaine, foraged greens - it's all good.