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Summer Thirst for Iced Tea

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on April 22, 2015

Written by Monica Joyce: Since summer and warm temperatures are right around the corner I’ll share some tips on staying hydrated this week and things to be aware of. Iced tea is often a summer favorite and for some year around. An article reported recently in the Chicago Tribune reported a case study of a man who may have drank way too much. The New England Journal of Medicine reported kidney failure in a 56 year old man who drank 16 glasses of iced tea daily. Oxalate is a naturally occurring substance found in a variety of foods and beverages. Black tea happens to be a significant source of oxalate, which might cause kidney stones. The biopsy performed on this man showed numerous oxalate crystals. Black tea has about 50 to 100 mg for every 3-4 ounces. This man was drinking more than 1500 mg of oxalate a day. The recommendation is two to three glasses a day.

Oxalates are found in a variety of foods including dark beer, instant coffee, chocolate milk, soy drinks, whole grains, nuts, nut buttes beets, rhubarb, potato chips and french fries to name a few. There are many other foods so if you have a concern you might try researching oxalates in food an determine if you are taking in to much.