Your doctor says you need to change your diet and avoid certain foods. At what point is life no longer worth living?

I think so. I would change anything to have better health. In fact, one of my friends did just that recently, when she discovered she was diabetic.

I told her she should be in a medical newspaper, because she controls it without medication. She eats right, exercises a lot, and feels 100% better.

Keep up the good work in taking care of yourself, Old School. There is more to life than tea and chocolates.

Tea and chocolate are very good for you. I don't believe everything a doctor says.

Once a week is probably enough of a restricition that you're off the hook. "Ground pepper" I understood to mean conventional seasoning pepper (as in "salt and pepper"), although some kinds of vegetable peppers are on the eat in moderation list. As noted elsewhere, oxalate consumption interacts with other factors (genetics, water consumption, obesity, animal protein and salt intake) when it comes to kidney stones.

One thing I haven't discussed is one can wait until one actually gets kidney stones (or not) and then make the necessary dietary changes. Unlike cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. where the consequences can be devastating, kidney stones are generally not harmful (just very painful). So eat your plants and do your exercise, and see what happens.

Controlling Type 2 diabetes (the adult onset variety, most caused by lifestyle) with diet/lifestyle changes is reasonably common, and I'm glad your friend is able to manage her condition that way. I lost a good friend to complications from Type 1 diabetes, so I appreciate how difficult the condition can get.

I'll be OK. Most of the things on the list are things I don't eat very regulary anyway, and I was overdoing my chocolate consumption. I'm just not used to having to pay this much attention to what I eat.

@Carazaa -- Well, sure. Spinach, rhubarb, swiss chard, nuts, etc. are also very good sources of nutrition. It's only people who are prone to getting kidney stones who have to balance the health benefits of high oxalate foods with the chance they might contribute to stone formation.

For most people, if they eat a good diet (esp. moderating calories, salt, and animal protein intake), exercise (to help prevent obesity), and stay hydrated this never becomes an issue.

@m2c -- That's fine. Different tastes and all that. I'm just giving you grief.

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Weirdo...;-D...

CSV if you are part Indian as you say, you have also inherited a bullheaded thick skull, and a predilection to alcoholism.  

Good for you. It's no easy feat. I don't think I could do it, but I wish you all the best.

im dealing with that now, my cholesterol has been up and i just found out my sugar is up a little too so i really have to be careful about what i eat now

I think it happens to a lot of us as we get older. When we're young, we eat whatever we want and our bodies just process it like nothing. Then, as we get older, it starts to have negative effects and we have to be more careful. Good luck with your careful diet.

OK thanks. Consider also that nuts are one of the best snacks, and meat (complete amino acids) for mental health, stable mood, focus, and calm. 

The only thing on that list that would bother me is the Tea. I gave up soda but to cut out tea too would be hard.

I'm a small framed guy and unless I start shooting heroine or drinking at least a 12 pack a day there's a very good chance I'll live well into my 90s, which I'm not exactly excited about, so I eat whatever I feel like.  Based on my physical size, family history and partial native American lineage there's a very good chance that I've inherited a FOX03 genetic variant (it's never been properly tested) that's associated with male longevity. 

You don't like chocolate? Heretic! Disbeliever!...;-D....

No chocolate or cocoa??? What's the point of even living?!

The problem with that philosophy with respect to oxalates is kidney stones won't kill you. They'll just make you wish you were dead.  But maybe you hydrate well enough and don't have a propensity for stones, so this may never effect you.

Good luck with your "Whatever the heck I want" diet. I hope it doesn't lead to any negative consequences (I mean that sincerely).

I agree! That's a tough one to get around. When I think about substitutes for chocolate (cookies, ice cream, Sugar-Free Jello Pudding cups, etc.), my favorite kinds mostly include chocolate. Damn! I think what I'll end up doing is severly moderating my intake, not eliminating it completely.

No, sorry. Cranberry juice does nothing for this issue (to my knowledge). The three things the literature I've come across suggest can help are:

1) Cut down on animal protein and salt. These can alter the electrolyte balance in the kidneys and contribute to the formation of stones.

2) Hydrate well. Stones don't form as easily if the minerals in the kidney are diluted with adequate water.

3) Make sure you have adequate (but not excessive) calcium in the diet. Calcium can bind with oxalic acid in the digestive system, causing them to be excreted in the stool rather than being transported to the kidneys. But excess calcium can end up altering the electrolyte balance in the kidneys, leading to stone formation.

Ouch.

You are a brave man.

Are you SURE a chocolate-free life is better than dying?...;-D...

In all seriousness, I am sorry you have Celiac disease. I think your dietary restrictions are harder to live with than the ones I described above. Good luck. I hope you've found a way to make it work for you.

Yeah, I would just substitute with other ingredients.

I use parsley as part of a bouquet garni when I'm cooking Europen dishes, which is often. I also use it finely ground in green salads to add a slight bitterness, balanced by the flavours in the dressing. Would probably replace it with tarragon or oregano.

I use sorrel finely blended with potatoes in a soup with black pepper and a dollop of sour or coconut cream. Woud replace the sorrel with leeks.

Rhubarb is great when stewed with green apples, but we probably only have that twice a year in winter. Wouldn't miss it.

Beetroot I quite like as a pickle in summer salads or roasted in cold weather. Wouldn't miss that either.

Swiss chards - never touch them. Some members of the kale family (Brassica) don't contain oxalates or phytates. Wikipedia gives details on nutrition pros and cons for each varietal. We grow them all year round in our vegie patch. Great for a permanent supply of healthy leafy greens. Not a kale, English spinach or Spinacia oleracea is one of the healthiest and most delicious - only grows in the right season.

I love Citrus peel in muesli and porridge, so that would be a hard one for me to give up. I'd probably replace it with something that has a sharp flavour like dried pineapple bits.

Dried figs and Medjool dates - I love a couple with tea in the afternoon. Would replace them with dried apricots or peaches.

Poppy seeds - like them as a rare treat so wouldn't miss them.

Lamb - We don't eat animals so this one wouldn't affect us.

Ground pepper - would replace it with other umami flavours like ginger, chilli or wasabi.

Most nuts - would be happy with the few types that are OK.

Tea - Yikes! That I would miss big time. It's my only addiction. I'd have to go cold turkey

Coffee, Chocolate and Cocoa - I like them as treats but wouldn't miss them.

So far, I have no major health problems and am immensely grateful for it,

but I do feel the creeping effects of late middle age,

so you have my commiserations.

Wishing you well with your new diet, Old School. :)

Most of the things on the list (except for chocolate) are occasional indulgences for me, so I'll manage. I can find adequate substitutes or be reasonably happy limiting my intake of most of it. But some of the entries surprised me and affect me in ways I didn't expect. For example, I have a favorite lemon-poppyseed scone recipe I used to make a lot. If I ever have baking facilities again, I'll still have to be judicious in how often I make/eat them.