going to try lambsquarters plant

[Rexie]

i see on the nutrition chart that lambsquarters a nutritious weed is ok for squees. I am growing some to see if they like it. Anyone tried these and if so did they like them??:dono

[Diggie's Friend]

Considering not just the Calcium to Phosphorus ratio of food sources, but also that of Oxalic acid to Calcium, that is contained in higher ratio in most leafy greens and vegetables to calcium according to 80 years of research on these sources:

Lamb's quarters, which shares a very similar profile to cultivated spinach, that is has been well studied, is also exceedingly high in oxalic acid, acts in the body of rodents acts as a demineralizer of calcium, adding no additional calcium to the meal, and also reduces the calcium in other foods it is digested with.

This due to 'oxalic acid' readily bonding one to one molecularly with calcium carbonate in the intestines, and in the bloodstream, transforming calcium into an non biovailable insoluble form, which the body cannot utilize in support of metabolic and bone health.

The values per 100 g. are as follows:

Calcium avg of three studies (119 mg)

Phosphorus (72 mg.)

Ca:P ratio (1.65 :1)

Oxalic acid (1100 mg.)

Ca:Ox ratio (0.1 :1)

(Ox:Ca) at (9.24 :1)

Just for the purpose of illustration as to what the Calcium to Phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio would look like in Lamb's quarters IF oxalic acid and calcium complexed together in the plant before digestion, rather than during digestion in the body where it bonds with Calcium carbonate one one molecularly, making it no longer biovailable to be utilized by the body and bones in support of metabolic and bone health, leaving calcium at zero, and Phosphorus as noted, (Ca:P) woud be equal to (0 72). Then considering including LQ or other leafy greens that share a similarly very high oxalate level to calcium on the same basis that these sources are judge by when it comes to their Ca:P ratio, none of them would make the grade to support a positive Ca:P ratio in the diet of tree squirrels.

[Rexie]

oh wow... then i wonder why its on the ok plant chart???