Star Fruit Is Dangerous

[Rerun]

We got a handout last night that had this on it.  I always thought Star Fruit had tons of potassium and that is why we could not eat it but...

This lime-green fruit makes slices that are shaped like stars, so it's used a lot during the summer holidays to decorate dishes of food.

Don't Eat Star Fruit: It contains a neurotoxin (nerve poison) that can cause death for people on dialysis.

             

[greg10]

The "neurotoxin" they are talking about is probably oxalic acid, a common acid found in many fruits and vegetable, the other notable vegetable with lots of oxalic acid is rhubarb.  It is not really a neurotoxin but is nephrotoxic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carambola

There is a recipe here to precipitate and remove oxalic acids from rhubarb:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5941703_extract-oxalic-acid-rhubarb-leaves.html

We got a handout last night that had this on it.  I always thought Star Fruit had tons of potassium and that is why we could not eat it but...

This lime-green fruit makes slices that are shaped like stars, so it's used a lot during the summer holidays to decorate dishes of food.

Don't Eat Star Fruit: It contains a neurotoxin (nerve poison) that can cause death for people on dialysis.

             

[lawphi]

It tastes awful.  I had it in college. 

[cattlekid]

Glad to hear this about rhubarb.  Grandma is always trying to sneak it past me in pie.  Now I can politely tell her that it would kill me and not lie about it like I used to do.   

Wish someone would say this about zuchinni so I could cross it off my list also.  Everyone always tries to tell me how good it is but no matter how you slice it (LOL) it's the work of the devil.   

[jbeany]

Yup, starfruit looks pretty, don't know who decided it was edible, though!  Totally didn't miss it when it got put on my list of forbidden foods.  Chocolate and potatoes - those were crucial losses, but starfruit?  I can eat it now, with the transplant, and I still don't! 

Just tell them the zuchinni has too much potassium for you.  Or whatever.  They won't know enough to argue!

[Sax-O-Trix]

Egad!  My cousins and I used to pick fresh rhubarb right out of the garden and eat it raw...  I love Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, but I may skip that treat this summer after reading the links Greg10 posted.  I've never had a Star Fruit and I guess I never will now, lol.

[rocker]

Funny story about that...

We moved to the tropics when I was a kid because my dad loved tropical plants so much.  So we had some pretty exotic stuff growing in the yard.  Had a big carambola (star fruit) tree that would produce tons of fruit every year.  As someone else noted, really the only attractive thing about that fruit is the shape.  No one touched it.  So for two or three months every year, the entire yard would smell like rotting carambola.  We hated that stupid tree.

Then I went north to go to school.  First week I was there (in January) I walked into a grocery store.  In the produce section there was a small basket of tiny green star fruit.....at $2.69 each!!!

Little did I know, I probably could have paid for my entire education just by emptying that damn tree on my way north.

[tyefly]

Ok  I just planted some rhubarb...  I like rhubarb and strawberry jam....  and now that I dont have any elders with rhubarb... I thought I better get to growing some....  Is the  oxalic acid only in the leaves of the Rhubarb... we have always been told never.... never eat the leaves of rhubarb.... but the stocks are fine....  do the stocks have oxalic acid....   Now you have be wondering...and now I have to do research.....Thx greg10   I needed more to think about..... I love research....

[tyefly]

Rhubarb
According to the University of Illinois, rhubarb plants contain an extremely high quantity of oxalic acid. The stems of the rhubarb plant are essentially the only part of the plant that is edible. The leaves and roots of a rhubarb plant are toxic. However, rhubarb is 95% water and very rich in potassium, calcium and vitamin C.

Spinach
According to Botanical-Online.com, spinach is very rich in the compound oxalic acid. The presence of this compound in conjunction with the other minerals contained in spinach, such as magnesium and potassium, produces oxalates in the body. Oxalates are the substances that lead to the formation of gallstones and kidney stones. It should be noted that spinach is a nutritious food that is very rich in vitamins and minerals, however, individuals with documented renal or biliary disorders should refrain from consuming spinach due to oxalate production.

Chocolate
According to Sundance Natural Foods, chocolate contains a considerable amount of oxalic acid. The level of oxalic acid present in chocolate may be enough to prevent the body from absorbing essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium. Oxalic acid in concentrations of 0.2%-0.4% can precipitate a response, but according to the Science of Chocolate by S.T. Beckett, chocolate contains 0.1% oxalic acid. The adverse effects of oxalic acid at this concentration may be diminished.



Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/276123-foods-that-are-high-in-oxalic-acid/#ixzz1MSO5QKPR

Ok  I found this too.....   

[tyefly]

This table was originally published in Agriculture Handbook No. 8-11, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, 1984.

Vegetable Oxalic acid
(g/100 g)
Amaranth  1.09
Asparagus  .13
Beans, snap  .36
Beet leaves  .61
Broccoli  .19
Brussels sprouts  .36
Cabbage  .10
Carrot  .50
Cassava 1.26
Cauliflower  .15
Celery  .19
Chicory  .21
Chives 1.48
Collards  .45
Coriander  .01
Corn, sweet  .01
Cucumbers  .02
Eggplant  .19
Endive  .11
Garlic  .36
Kale  .02
Lettuce  .33
Okra  .05
Onion  .05
Parsley 1.70
Parsnip  .04
Pea  .05
Pepper  .04
Potato  .05
Purslane 1.31
Radish  .48
Rutabaga  .03
Spinach  .97
Squash  .02
Sweet potato  .24
Tomato  .05
Turnip  .21
Turnip greens  .05
Watercress  .31

  Ok   now I found this....   I think I was better not to know.....LOL

[greg10]

I would dialyze/soak rhubarb stalks in lots of (hard) water for a few days before using or follow this procedure:
Recipe to precipitate and remove oxalic acids from rhubarb:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5941703_extract-oxalic-acid-rhubarb-leaves.html

http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/weeklypics/4-13-09.html
"What we do know is that all parts of the rhubarb plant contain oxalic acid, which is toxic if consumed in high enough quantities. The leafy blades of the rhubarb plant contain far more than the stalks, such that the stalks are safe to eat while the blades are not. And oxalic acid content varies with the time of year and other factors. Several other vegetables, including spinach, lettuce, collards, beet greens and parsley, also contain varying amounts of oxalic acid"

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/r/rhubar14.html
As regards the method of cooking, the British Medical Journal points out that hard water would precipitate the oxalate, while a soft water might leave it in the form of soluble oxalate, more readily assimilated into the systems of those susceptible to this kind of poisoning. In a recent case that terminated fatally, the leaves were well washed, drained, cut up and put into boiling water, in an iron saucepan, for 20 minutes. A little salt and kitchen soda were added, but nothing else. Being acid, the leaves should, of course, not be cooked in a copper vessel.

[KrazeeBrod]

Wish someone would say this about zuchinni so I could cross it off my list also.  Everyone always tries to tell me how good it is but no matter how you slice it (LOL) it's the work of the devil.   

Do you like banana bread?  Cuz zucchini bread tastes just like banana bread!  Since dialysis patients should not have bananas (too much potassium), zucchini bread is an awesome substitute.