Oxalate <25 mg/serving
Oxalate 25-99 mg/serving
Oxalate ≥100 mg/serving
Lettuce is one of the safest foods you can eat as a kidney stone patient. Romaine has about 1 mg oxalate per cup. Iceberg is similarly low. The only leafy green to genuinely worry about is spinach — everything else in the lettuce aisle is safe. Build your salads around romaine, iceberg, butter lettuce, or arugula. Add any low-oxalate vegetables (cucumber, bell pepper, radish) and a protein (chicken, egg, shrimp) and you've got a kidney-stone-friendly meal. The dressing is the sodium variable — choose oil and vinegar over bottled creamy dressings.
📊 Nutrition at a Glance
📏 Oxalate by Serving Size
| Serving | Weight | Oxalate | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup shredded | 47 g | 1 mg | Safe |
| 2 x 1 cup shredded | 94 g | 2 mg | Safe |
| ½ x 1 cup shredded | 23 g | 0.5 mg | Safe |
🏷️ Tags
🟢 See all Vegetables rated Safe for kidney stones →
⚖️ Compare this food: · vs Okra · vs Sweet potato →
🔗 Related Foods
🟢 Safe alternatives (recommended)
⚠️ Other foods in this category to watch
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Should I avoid Lettuce if I have kidney stones?
No red flags here. Just 1 mg per 1 cup shredded — well below the 25 mg danger line. You can keep Lettuce in your regular rotation. Data comes from Harvard (2024).
How much oxalate is in Lettuce?
The lab result: 1 mg per 1 cup shredded (47g serving). That's 0 mg per 100g. Harvard's ion chromatography analysis, 2024. Not crowdsourced, not estimated.
Is Lettuce a high-oxalate food?
Nope. Lettuce is a low-oxalate food — just 1 mg per 1 cup shredded. Well under the 25 mg cutoff. You're in the clear with this one.
What are the best low-oxalate alternatives to Lettuce?
Look at the 'Safe Alternatives' section right below this FAQ. Those foods are all under 25 mg oxalate per serving and in the same category as Lettuce. Pick from those.
How reliable is the data for Lettuce?
Oxalate: very reliable (Harvard 2024 lab measurement). Other nutrients: still being matched to USDA data. The oxalate figure is what matters for a kidney stone decision, and that one's solid.