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I keep getting requests for information about the low oxalate diet.  I'm not 
qualified to advise anyone on the details of the low oxalate diet so please 
don't ask me for details.  All I can do is share what works for me.  I 
advise everyone to search the web for info about the low oxalate diet.  
There's TONS of information about this.  I think the most applicable oxalate 
reduction approach for us w/ celiac disease can be found on the Vulvar Pain 
Foundation website.  Although this website deals primarily with women's 
health issues, oxalate retention does cause problems for men so the 
interventions can benefit men as well.  Anyway, below is a summary of what 
I've done.

I don't know if any of you have an oxalate problem or not, but there's only 
one way to find out:  Try reducing oxalates for a week or two & see if you 
feel any better.  It's supposed to help w/ all sorts of chronic conditions 
such as IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, vulvar pain issues, 
fibrocystic breast tenderness, etc.

It really sounds to good to be true, but it's almost as simple as taking a 
pill.  Oxalates are chemical salts found in all fruits & vegetables.  
Nothing mysterious, mystic or such!  ha ha!  It's just simple food science & 
chemistry.  Normal healthy people excrete the excess oxalates through the 
urine.  But some of us don't, for whatever the reason(s).  For us w/ 
digestive & absorption dysfuntion, the oxalates tend accumulate in the 
tissues and organs, especially at injury or inflammation sites.  Oxalates 
form tiny crystals that irritate, or even form kidney stones, etc.  When you 
reduce oxalates, you get relief in whatever part(s) of your body the oxalate 
crystals were accumulating  -- feet, joints, intestines, injury sites, 
breasts, genitals, kidneys, etc.

All I had to do was:
(1) eliminate the highest oxalate foods:  yellow corn meal, sesame, soy & 
spinach
(2) reduce, but not eliminate, intake of some of the higher oxalate foods 
(berries, nuts, etc.)
(3) take 200 mg calcium citrate just before the two meals a day that contain 
moderate oxalate foods (lunch & dinner).

(Note: I still enjoy my chocolate, which is a very high oxalate food.  I 
just make sure to take a little calcium citrate with it.  No problem!)

Calcium citrate binds with oxalates in the gut & prevents oxalates in foods 
from being absorbed.  I read somewhere that calcium citrate also helps the 
body excrete excess oxalates through the urine.  I dunno the scientific 
details, but I do know it's helping me.  I don't take calcium citrate with 
breakfast because it also binds with iron & can cause iron deficiency.  I 
take a multiple vitamin w/ iron (TwinLabs) with breakfast to prevent iron 
deficiency anemia.

It's really that simple, at least for me.  I started feeling better after 
only 24 hours and I just kept getting better & better.  The breast 
tenderness took about 10 to 14 days to completely go away.  What a relief.  
I no longer have to guard my chest everytime my hubby wants to hug me!  I 
also am enjoying relief from chronic heel pain I've had off & on for years.  
I have almost no remaining symptoms of IBS & am generally more comfortable & 
energetic overall.

What I've outlined above works well for me and doesn't take any big time 
commitment or sacrifice.  I don't feel deprived reducing oxalates, because 
I'm not!  Some people have such a severe oxalate retention problem that they 
have to take more extreme measures.  Thankfully, I don't.  You will have to 
experiment to see what you need & what works for you.  It may well be that 
all you have to do is take a calcium citrate tablet with one or two meals a 
day.  Or you may be one who needs to be more strict than I am.  Or you may 
be one who doesn't have an oxalate problem at all!  You'll have to figure 
this out for yourself.

(I take 1/2 tablet of Walgreens brand calcium citrate.  There are other GF 
brands out there, too.)

I actually started this program while I was vacationing in July.  I bought 
my calcium citrate at a Walgreens & started taking 1/2 or 1 tablet with each 
meal.  It worked really fast.  After two months I started having symptoms of 
iron deficiency, so I stopped taking calcium with breakfast & started taking 
the iron w/ breakfast.  I've recovered from the anemia and I'm still 
experiencing the benefits of reducing oxalates.  I'm so glad I stumbled upon 
this simple intervention.  The benefits are well worth the little extra 
attention it takes.

Valerie in Tacoma, feeling great!
GF in 2000, low oxalate in July of 2007

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