Leafy greens

Is swiss chard high in oxalate?

Lower-oxalate swap: Kale, grade A, about <1 mg per 1 cup raw.

Swiss chard is high in oxalate: about 252 mg per 1 cup raw, which is 504% of the 50 mg a day many stone clinics aim for, or 252% of the 100 mg others allow.

If your doctor has put you on a low-oxalate diet, eat it with something high in calcium, like milk, yogurt or cheese. Calcium in the same meal binds oxalate in the gut, so less of it reaches your urine. How much calcium, and what if you don't eat dairy.

50 or 100 mg a day: which target is yours

Boiling and draining lowers oxalate, because the soluble part leaches into the water. Compare the raw and boiled rows below.

Why sources disagree on swiss chard

The 3 studies here run from 46 to 525 mg per 1 cup raw, measured between 2000 and 2007. Variety, growing conditions and lab method all move the number.

Where this number comes from

Each row is one published measurement, converted to a 36 g serving (1 cup raw). The grade and the range use the rows prepared the way the serving is eaten, and take the middle. How the grades work.

* The study measured soluble oxalate only, which understates the total, so it's shown but doesn't set the grade.

By Oliver Silen · Data checked November 2, 2026 · Not medical advice