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Posted by Iguanamomma on July 29, 1999 at 13:36:49:

In Reply to: Should i feed my iguana with espinach? posted by Santisan on July 29, 1999 at 07:52:41:

Hello Santisan from deep in the heart of Texas!

Real evidence, hmmm? A forum regular did extensive research on foods and created a quick reference guide that lists food and their good and not so good qualities. She also explained what some of the terms mean such as "tannin." Her findings can be found at a website created by another forum regular that has become a sort of home page for all of us who post to the ig forum of kingsnake.com....of course, anyone is welcome to become part of this community page. I'll leave the url for it; click on care and click on diet to pull the info up I just cited. If more evidence, such as websites, is needed I'm sure she'll be happy to share and you can research for your own satisfaction.

(ATTN: Any nonadult reading this being forced to eat spinach by an adult *wink wink* because "it's good for you"...feel free to share the following info with said adult. *grin*)

SPINACH: It is high in calcium oxalates which means it binds the calcium making it unabsorbable. It is a goitergenic food which means that it binds to iodine making it unabsorbable. Iodine is necessary to prevent goiters or thyroid problems. Spinach is medium high in purine content. Purines cause high uric acid levels that can lead to the formation of kidney stones (and I think kidney problems). Spinach is high in tannin. Tannin binds protein, iron and Vitamin B12 making these unabsorbable.

KALE: Kale is high in calcium oxalates AND is goitergenic.

To say NEVER feed these two items is in my opinion a bit too severe. In the case of spinach, there are so many better veggies that don't have all the drawbacks that I think one can do without using it easily. But it won't hurt to use it on an occasional basis. The same holds true for kale...occasionally.

As long as you start with a base of one or two of the dark green veggies (collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens) and add to this base other food items (using the calcium to phosphorous ratio of 2:1 as a measurement of whether it should be an occasional or more frequently item to add), you'll be on the right track.

Hope this was helpful!

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: Hello Santisan from deep in the heart of Texas! : Real evidence, hmmm? A forum regular did extensive research on foods and created a quick reference guide that lists food and their good and not so good qualities. She also explained what some of the terms mean such as "tannin." Her findings can be found at a website created by another forum regular that has become a sort of home page for all of us who post to the ig forum of kingsnake.com....of course, anyone is welcome to become part of this community page. I'll leave the url for it; click on care and click on diet to pull the info up I just cited. If more evidence, such as websites, is needed I'm sure she'll be happy to share and you can research for your own satisfaction. : (ATTN: Any nonadult reading this being forced to eat spinach by an adult *wink wink* because "it's good for you"...feel free to share the following info with said adult. *grin*) : SPINACH: It is high in calcium oxalates which means it binds the calcium making it unabsorbable. It is a goitergenic food which means that it binds to iodine making it unabsorbable. Iodine is necessary to prevent goiters or thyroid problems. Spinach is medium high in purine content. Purines cause high uric acid levels that can lead to the formation of kidney stones (and I think kidney problems). Spinach is high in tannin. Tannin binds protein, iron and Vitamin B12 making these unabsorbable. : KALE: Kale is high in calcium oxalates AND is goitergenic. : To say NEVER feed these two items is in my opinion a bit too severe. In the case of spinach, there are so many better veggies that don't have all the drawbacks that I think one can do without using it easily. But it won't hurt to use it on an occasional basis. The same holds true for kale...occasionally. : As long as you start with a base of one or two of the dark green veggies (collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens) and add to this base other food items (using the calcium to phosphorous ratio of 2:1 as a measurement of whether it should be an occasional or more frequently item to add), you'll be on the right track. : Hope this was helpful! :

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