Low Salicylate Diet
What is Salicylate Intolerance?
Salicylate (suh-lih-suh-late) intolerance or salicylate sensitivity is when the body has a reaction to salicylates, but it does not involve the immune system.
In people who are sensitive to salicylate, when they eat foods that contain salicylates they may have symptoms of nasal polyps, bronchial asthma, rhinitis, gastrointestinal inflammation, diarrhea or hives.
They also need to avoid medications and skin products that contain salicylate including aspirin, bismuth subsalicylate, choline salicylate, diflunisal, magnesium salicylate, and salsalate.
What are Salicylates?
Salicylate is a natural chemical found in plants that is used to protect themselves against disease, bacteria, fungi and insects. It is in varying amounts in foods and drinks that we consume, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, alcohol, coffee and tea.
The synthetic form of salicylate is acetyl salicylate (aspirin). The amount of salicylate in plant-based food is lower when compared to taking a moderate dose of aspirin.
Although salicylate may cause issues for some people there is recent research looking at the beneficial effects they may have within the body. This includes its anti-inflammatory effect and also whether the positive effect of eating fruits and vegetables could be related to the levels of salicylates consumed.
What is a Low Salicylate Diet?
A low salicylate diet means that you carefully eat foods that contain no salicylate or that are low in salicylate, and you avoid high salicylate food. This diet may reduce symptoms of salicylate intolerance.
Usually you start by eliminating foods that contain salicylates, then reintroduce foods slowly to identify whether salicylates are tolerated and what level they are able to be consumed without causing symptoms.
If you are exploring a low salicylate diet it is important to consult a registered dietician as by removing or reducing fruit and vegetables from your diet may cause deficiencies in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
Currently there are no peer-reviewed studies supporting the use of low salicylate diet in children, and due to the risk of negative outcomes including nutritional deficiencies, eating disorders or food aversion issues a low salicylate diet in children is not often recommended.
There are currently no standard tests to diagnose salicylate intolerance.
List of Foods that are High or Low in Salicylates
Many studies have be done to report the levels of salicylate in different foods, however the results remain variable due to differences in testing methods, where the products come from, type of food processing and storage. For this reason food lists should be used as a general guide.
Beverages
High salicylate beverages (Avoid)
- Beer, birch beer, and root beer
- Bubbly drinks (like soda pop)
- Regular coffee
- Tea
- Wine, port, rum and liqueurs
Low salicylate beverages (OK to drink):
- Cereal drinks
- Decaffeinated coffee
- Milk (any kind)
- Pear juice (homemade)
- Whiskey, vodka or gin
Breads and Starches
High salicylate breads and starches (Avoid):
- Sweet potato
Low salicylate breads and starches (OK to eat):
- Breads and cereals
- Noodles and pastas
- Peas
- Rice
Desserts / Sweets
High salicylate desserts and sweets (Avoid):
- Mint or wintergreen products
- Pies and cakes made with fruits
Low salicylate desserts and sweets (OK to eat):
- Homemade cakes and cookies made without high salicylate fruits and jams
Fats
High salicylate fats (Avoid):
- Almonds, peanuts and avocados
- Mayonnaise
- Olives and olive oil
- Salad dressings
Low salicylate fats (OK to eat):
- Butter and margarine
- Cashews and poppy seeds
- Vegetable oils
Fruits
High salicylate fruits and juices (Avoid):
- Apples
- Apricots
- Berries: blackberries, boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries and strawberries
- Cherries
- Currants
- Dates
- Gooseberries and huckleberries
- Grapes and raisins
- Kiwifruit
- Lemons
- Melon (all kinds)
- Oranges and mandarins
- Nectarines and peaches
- Pineapple
- Plums and prunes
- Pomegranates
Low salicylate fruits and juices (OK):
- Apples (golden delicious variety)
- Bananas
- Nashi pears
- Papayas
- Pears (peeled)
- Rhubarb
Vegetables
High salicylate vegetables (Avoid):
- Alfalfa sprouts
- Asparagus
- Beetroot
- Broccoli
- Chilli
- Cucumber
- Endive
- Olives
- Peppers (Capsicum)
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
Low salicylate vegetables (OK to eat):
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Green beans
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Potato (white, peeled)
Other
High salicylate (Avoid):
- Cloves
- Mint or wintergreen flavorings
- Pickles
- Red, white and cider vinegar
- Aniseed, basil, bay leaf, chilli powder, curry, coriander, nutmeg, vanilla essence and pepper
Low salicylate (OK to eat):
- Carob and cocoa
- Malt vinegar
- Parsley
- Salt
- White sugar and maple syrup
Bottom line:
- Salicylate sensitivity is when eating foods, taking medicines or when using skin products containing salicylates, this causes you to have symptoms including bronchial asthma, rhinitis, gastrointestinal inflammation, diarrhea, hives or nasal polyps..
- If you are concerned about salicylate sensitivity you should consult with your health professional who can advise you about diagnosis and what lifestyle changes you could make.
Learn more
- Allergies, Cough/Cold Medications and Alcohol Interactions
- Back to School Basics: 5 Common Health Questions
- Benadryl Dosage Charts for Infants and Children
- Can You Mix Alcohol with Stomach Medicines?
- Claritin Dosage Charts for Infants and Children
- EpiPen Costs and Alternatives: What Are Your Best Options?
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Zyrtec Dosage Charts for Infants and Children
Treatment options
Care guides
- Allergic Rhinitis
- Allergies
- Barrett Esophagus
- Food Allergy
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
- Latex Allergy
- Milk Allergy
Symptoms and treatments
Medicine.com guides (external)
Sources
- Sensitivity to food additives, vaso-active amines and salicylates: a review of the evidence: https://ctajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13601-015-0078-3
- Salicylate Intolerance: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696737/
- Bioactive food chemicals and gastrointestinal symptoms: a focus of salicylates: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgh.13702
- Salicylates in foods: slhd.nsw.gov.au/rpa/allergy/research/salicylatesinfoods.pdf
- Natural salicylates: foods, functions and disease prevention: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21879102/
- A systematic review of salicylates in foods: Estimated daily intake of a Scottish population: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21351247/
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.