Cereals — Low or High Oxalate?
mg oxalate
per serving
Serving: 1/2 cup (85 g)
Verdict: 🔴 Avoid
Per 100g: 123 mg
Data: Harvard T.H. Chan SPH (2024)
What this means: Cereals is rated Avoid (🔴). At 105 mg oxalate per serving, Cereals exceeds the 100 mg threshold. Kidney stone patients should limit or avoid this food. If you do eat it, keep portions very small, pair it with calcium, and drink extra water. Check the full food page for safer alternatives.
Among grains & pasta, Cereals sits well above the category average of 14 mg. For context, 170 out of 201 grains & pasta (84%) are rated 🟢 Safe (under 25 mg oxalate/serving). The average grains & pasta in our database has 14 mg oxalate per serving — which means Cereals is 656% above the category norm. Within its specific category, Cereals ranks on the higher end for oxalate. This context matters because two 'Safe' foods can have very different oxalate levels — one might have 5 mg while another has 24 mg. Both are Safe, but the first gives you more dietary flexibility. Browse all grains & pasta rated Avoid to compare within the same verdict level.
What's the difference between 'Low' and 'Safe'?
Low Oxalate means under 25 mg per serving — the same threshold as Safe. They're equivalent in practice. The verdict system uses Low/Moderate/High to describe oxalate categories and Safe/Caution/Avoid to recommend dietary action.
Can oxalate levels change with cooking?
Yes. Boiling and discarding water can reduce soluble oxalate by 30-50% in many vegetables. Check the food's main page or cooking-specific angle page for details on preparation effects.
Is 'Low Oxalate' the same as 'No Oxalate'?
No — almost all plant foods contain some oxalate. 'Low Oxalate' means under 25 mg per serving, which is considered safe for kidney stone patients. Only purified products like sugar, oil, and salt have near-zero oxalate.