All About Salicylates and Salicylate Intolerance

More and more people these days are discovering that they are salicylate intolerant. Salicylate intolerance is actually becoming almost as prevelent as gluten intolerance. In my own personal healing journey, finding this important piece to the puzzle was one of the key factors in making great strides toward regaining my health once again. You see, having salicylate sensitivity pretty much crushes all traditional ideas of "healthy eating". When we think "healthy eating" we think plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, moderate protein, and whole grains (in the case of Paleo no grains). Because of the media and many popular health gurus out there, many have been led to believe that a vegetarian or vegan diet is the healthiest way to eat. Unfortunately if you are sensitive to salicylates, these diets can be absolute poison and totally counterproductive to healing.

Now before and vegans, veggies, or Paleos attack me, I'm going to remind you that I followed all three of these diets full throttle for a good portion of my life. I became a vegetarian back in 2004 and then a vegan in 2005. I followed a strict vegan diet for almost 5 years on the 80-10-10 principle consisting of 80% raw foods. When I became ill in 2011, I switched to a Paleo diet and continued to follow that until May of 2013 when out of desperation I switched to Failsafe.

I'm not going to get into the whole vegan/veggie thing in this post. I will save that one for another day :). What I will say is that for the longest time I could not understand why I kept feeling worse and worse as time went on with these supposedly pure and healthy diets. Before I became severely ill I ate organic at least 70% of the time, but as the years progressed on a vegan diet I began to experience changes in my energy levels, moods, and hormones. After being struck down by illness, I devoted myself to eating 100% organic and fresh at all times. Although I was now eating local grass-fed meats and had cut down fruit drastically because of the sugar, I tripled my daily intake of vegetables. After being diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, I was instructed by a "practitioner" to cut out all carbs in the form of grains and starchy veggies and to follow a strict Paleo diet. It seemed that the "healthier" I ate, the sicker I became.

Now I'm not saying that vegetables and fruits are bad. I love fruits and vegetables! I was very content to eat them all day long every day, but unfortunately my body felt differently about it. Fruits and vegetables are, in general very healthy....unless you're sensitive to salicylates.

So you might be asking, what are salicylates?

Salicylates are chemicals that occur naturally in many plants, including many fruits vegetables, and herbs. Salicylates in plants act as a natural immune hormone and preservative, protecting the plants against diseases, insects, fungi, and harmful bacteria. Salicylates are also created synthetically and can be found in many medicines, perfumes and preservatives.

Salicylates are found virtually everywhere, so if you're salicylate sensitive this can pose big problems. Its (fairly) easy to avoid exposure by controlling your diet, but sals can also travel into your body trans-dermally (through your pores) and through your nose via inhalation of fumes and scents. 

Even though they can be artificially produced, salicylates are the naturally occurring defense system of plants. You see contrary to popular belief, plants really don't want to be eaten. Furthermore, there are studies that correlate increased salicylate production by plants in response to our modern day toxic environment. Plants are evolving to protect themselves against the high amounts of industrial toxins in our soil, and the new super bugs resulting from overuse of pesticides and antibiotics. So we must understand that while our grandparents enjoyed a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables with no issues, we are dealing with a new era of food and environment. 

What it means to be salicylate intolerant

In high enough doses salicylates are harmful to everyone, but most people can handle average amounts of salicylate in food, products and medications without experiencing any adverse affects . But, there are many out there for which even a small amount of salicylates causes problems. Both adults and children may develop symptoms and health problems from dose-related salicylates. This is called ‘Salicylate Sensitivity’ or ‘Salicylate Intolerance’ and is different than an allergy. People with salicylate intolerance are unable to handle more than a certain amount of salicylates at a time. The tolerated amount and items are different from person to person. For example, one person may be able to handle a serving of carrots (moderate sals) but not a serving of coconut (very high sals). Some people can handle the sals in personal care products such as lotion or toothpaste, but not in food. Every Body is truly different, so finding your own personal threshold is very important.

 Salicylates also have a cumulative effect in the body and build up over time, this means that a salicylate sensitive person may be able to tolerate a small amount of salicylates but will experience symptoms after excessive exposure over time. Also note that if you've got an aspirin allergy, hands down you're intolerant to salicylates. 

Salicylate Intolerance Symptoms

Please note that I AM NOT A DOCTOR, and the info I am providing is purely info and not meant to diagnose any diseases or conditions. Many of the symptoms below overlap with other conditions, so if you're unsure, it's best to consult with your healthcare provider.

The symptoms of salicylate intolerance are truly head spinning and can be downright confusing! I personally experience many of these symptoms upon intake of too many sals, and it took me a long time (and alot of pain and suffering!) to figure out that sals were causing problems. 

Physical Symptoms:

• Itchy skin, hives or Rashes 
• Stomach pain/upset stomach 
• Asthma 
• Headaches 
• Swelling of hands and feet 
• Breathing difficulties 
• Bed Wetting 
• Mouth Ulcers or raw hot red rash around mouth 
• Persistent cough 
• Frequent need to urinate/urgency to pass water 
• Wheezing 
• Changes in skin color/skin discoloration 
• Swelling of eyelids, face and lips 
• Fatigue 
• Sore, itchy, puffy or burning eyes 
• Watering eyes 
• Anaphylaxis (this is very rare, but deadly) 
• Sinusitis 
• Diarrhea 
• Nausea 
• Chronic sweating or no sweating 
• Aching Muscles and joints 
• Congestion 
• Nasal polyps 
• Chest pains
• Ringing in the ears
• Low platelet count
• Acne
• Addictions
• Arthritis
• Athlete’s foot
• Bad Breath
• Blackouts
• Bloating
• Blood sugar problems
• Blurred vision
• Breast pain
• Catarrh
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Coated tongue
• Colitis
• Constant Hunger
• Constipation
• Crawling sensation on skin
• Difficulty in Swallowing
• Dizziness
• Eczema
• Excessive thirst
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Itching
• Itchy and red ears
• Joint Pain, stiffness and swelling
• Lethargy
• Menstrual problems
• Metallic taste
• Migraine
• Cramps
• Muscle tremors
• Muscle weakness
• Nasal Congestion
• Palpitations
• Poor balance
• Post-nasal drip
• Pre-menstrual problems
• Racing pulse
• Recurring ear infections
• Restless legs syndrome
• Sensitivity to light and noise
• Feeling drained
• Flushes
• Food cravings
• Gall bladder problems
• Gritty feeling in eyes
• Heavy body odor
• High/low blood pressure
• Indigestion – recurring
• Insomnia
• Sleep disturbances
• Sore tongue
• Stiff neck
• Styes
• Temperature fluctuation
• Thrust
• Tics
• Tinnitus
• Urticaria
• Vertigo
• Weight problems

Mental and Behavior Symptoms:

Hyperactivity 

Memory loss 

Poor concentration 

Cognitive and perceptual disorders 

Depression 

ADD 

Irritability 

Central Nervous system depression

Accident prone

Anxiety

Anger for no apparent reason

Behavioral problems

Blankness

Brain fogging

Changes in handwriting

Clumsiness

Confusion

Delusions

Detached or unreal feeling

Difficulty waking up

Disorientation

Dyslexia

Feeling of dissociation

Fidgetting

Hallucinations

Hearing without comprehension

Inability to think clearly

Indifference

Math and spelling errors

Mental exhaustion

Mood swings

Panic attacks

Phobias

Poor self image

Poor memory

Reading problems

Restlessness

Slow processing information

Slurred speech

Stammering

Suicidal feelings

Tenseness

Uncontrollable rage

Weepiness

Withdrawn

How to determine if you're salicylate intolerant

The best way to find out if you're intolerant to salicylates is by following an elimination plan like the Failsafe Diet. You'll also need to avoid saliciylates in your personal care products and medications (please do not stop taking your medications unless you consult with your doctor first!). Although it's very difficult to avoid environmental salicylates, you can drastically minimize your exposure by switching to natural, free and clear cleaning products and avoiding anything scented or perfumed. 

I would recommend following a strict elimination plan for at least 6 weeks. This will give your body time to eliminate its previously stored salicylates. After a minimum of 6 weeks (some people may need more time), you can begin challenging yourself with small amounts of sals and monitoring your reactions. Be careful when reintroducing salicylates into your system after an elimination period. If you are not careful,severe reactions can occur. If you reduce the level of salicylates in your system and then reintroduce too many salicylates at once (as in taking an aspirin, which is packed with salicylate) anaphylactic shock can result, so start very slow!  It's very important to keep a journal/food diary during this time. This way you can keep track of foods and exposures and resulting reactions so that you can better plan your regime according to your own personal threshold. 

Below are charts (thanks to salicylatesensitivity.com) which contain the general amounts of salicylates in foods and products. Salicylate content may vary in foods according to region and species, so please use this as a GENERAL REFERENCE only. Always use caution when attempting any elimination/challenge diet. 

FRUITS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Banana Canned Pear**** Lime Pear (ripe and peeled)	Apple – golden delicious Nashi Pears Papaya Paw Paw Tamarillo	Apple – red delicious Canned or dried Fig Canned pear**** Custard apple Lemon Loquat Mango Passion fruit Pear (w/ peel) Persimmon Pomegranate Rhubarb	Apple – all other varieties Canned Morello cherries Cantaloupe Grapefruit Kiwi fruit Lychee Mandarin Melons Mulberry Nectarine Peach Sugar banana Watermelon	All dried Fruits Apricot Avocado Blackberry Blackcurrant Blueberry Boysenberry Cherries – all other kinds Cranberry Currant Date Grape Guava Loganberry Orange Pineapple Plum Prune Raisin Raspberry Redcurrant Rock melon Strawberry Sultana Tangelo Tangerine Youngberry

**** Canned Pear has negligible amounts of salicylate if it is in sugar syrup, but if it is in natural juices/syrups, it has a moderate amount of salicylate as these often contain some peel, which contains salicylates

VEGETABLES

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Bamboo Shoots Beans (dried – not borlotti) Cabbage (green or white) Celery Green Split peas Lentils (brown) Lentils (red) Lettuce (iceberg) Peas (dried) Potato (old/white and peeled) Swede	Bean Sprouts Borlotti beans Brussels sprouts Cabbage – red Cauliflower Chickpeas Chives Choko Fresh Asparagus Green Beans Green Peas Leek Mung bean sprouts Onion Potato (white with peel) Shallots Yellow split peas	Asparagus – tinned Aubergine – peeled Beetroot Black Olives Canned Asparagus Carrot Fresh Tomato Frozen Spinach Lettuce (other than iceberg) Marrow Mushrooms Parsnips Potato (new and red Pontiac) Pumpkin Snow Peas Sprout Sweet corn Turnip	Alfalfa sprouts Artichoke Aubergine with peel Broad bean Broccoli Canned black olive Cucumber Cucumber Eggplant Fresh Spinach Okra Radish Sweet Potato Water chestnut Watercress Zucchini	Canned Green Olives Capsicum Champignon Chicory Chili peppers Courgette Endive Gherkin Hot pepper Peppers Radish Tomato Tomato Products Water Chestnut

NUTS & SEEDS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Poppy seed	Cashews Hazelnuts Pecan Sunflower seeds	Desiccated coconut Peanut Butter Pumpkin seeds Sesame seeds Walnuts	Brazil nuts Macadamia nuts Pine nuts Pistachio	Almond Peanuts with skins on Water chestnut

SWEETS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Carob Cocoa Homemade caramel**** Maple Syrup White Sugar	Caramel**** Golden Syrup Malt Extract	Molasses Raw Sugar		Chewing gum Fruit flavors Honey Honey flavors Jam (except pear, preferably homemade) Liquorices Mint flavored sweets Peppermints

**** Caramel can be made from just sugar and water or sugar and milk – both are salicylate free and therefore caramel is generally alright. However, store bought caramel can have a variety of additives and added flavorings that do contain salicylate – so be careful when buying/eating caramel and be sure to read the ingredients

SEASONINGS, CONDIMENTS, SAUCES & TOPPINGS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Golden Syrup Malt Vinegar Maple Syrup (pure) Salt	Apple Butter (only if homemade from acceptable varieties of apples) Chives Fennel – dried Garlic Parsley (except Chinese parsley also known as coriander) Saffron Shallots Soy Sauce (if free of spices)	Fresh Coriander Leaves (also known as Chinese parsley) Horseradish Mayonnaise	All Spice Bay leaf Caraway Cardamom Cinnamon Cloves Coriander Ginger Mixed herbs Mustard Pimiento	Aniseed Basil Black pepper Cayenne Celery powder Chili flakes Chili Powder Cider Vinegar Commercial Gravies & Sauces Cumin Curry Dill Fenugreek Fish, meat, and tomato pastes Garam masala Ginger Honey Jam/Jelly (all commercial varieties – you can make your own from acceptable ingredients) Liquorices Mace Marmite Mint Mustard Nutmeg Oregano Paprika Peppermint Rosemary Sage Tabasco Tarragon Thyme Turmeric Vegemite and other Yeast Extracts**** White pepper White Vinegar Wine Vinegar Worcester Sauce

**** Yeast extracts are high but they are different from the yeast used in baking. Baking Yeast is generally ok.

FATS & OILS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Butter***** Canola Oil Margarine**** Safflower Oil Soy Oil Sunflower Oil	Ghee	Almond Oil Corn Oil Peanut Oil	Copha Sesame oil Walnut Oil	Coconut Oil Olive Oil

**** Margarine- Only if it’s made from acceptable oils. Butter- be careful of butter that is made from sweet cream. They add sugar to this, which can contain high amounts of sals depending on the type of sugar used.

GRAINS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Barley Buckwheat Millet Oats (plain) Rice Rice cereals (plan) Rye Wheat			Breakfast cereals that include fruit, nuts, honey or coconut Corn/maize cereals Cornmeal Flavored breakfast cereals Maize Polenta

MEAT

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Beef Chicken Eggs Fish Lamb Organ meats Rabbit Sausage casing Scallops Tripe Veal Etc etc.****	Liver Prawns Shellfish		Fish canned in an unacceptable oil and/or with seasonings added Gravy made from prepared mixes (i.e. stock cubes/bouillon/meat extracts/etc.)	Processed luncheon meats (many are seasoned and thus contain salicylates) Seasoned meats (e.g. salami, sausages, frankfurters, and hotdogs)

**** Most meat, fish and poultry are salicylate free, but you should avoid meats that have been processed or seasoned as they often contain salicylates

DAIRY & SOY PRODUCTS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Butter Cream Cheese (not blue vein) Milk Yoghurt (natural only) Ice Cream **** Rice Milk Goat Milk Soy Milk **** Tofu		Blue vein Cheese

**** Be sure the read the label carefully on these things, they are ok only if they do not have any additives (gums, carageenan) or added flavorings. With ice cream it can be very difficult to find brands that make pure and plan ice cream without all the additives (though there are a few out there), I recommend just making your own Failsafe version.

SNACKS

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
	Plain potato chips (read the ingredients list)	Apple chips (only if homemade from acceptable varieties of apples)	Popcorn Popping corn	Chewing gum (all flavors) Fruit flavored candy, gelato, ices, popsicles, sherbet, sorbet, and sweets Licorice/liquorices (all flavors) Mint/peppermint/wintergreen flavored candy/sweets Pickles (and anything pickled)

BEVERAGES

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Decaffeinated*** Coffee (instant) milk (goat and cow) Ovaltine homemade pear juice soy milk rice milk water	Dandelion coffee Store bought pear juice Decaffeinated Coffee****	Coca cola Rose hip tea Rose hip syrup	regular coffee all teas Cordials and fruit flavored drinks fruit and vegetable juices**	chicory coffee

***Juices of acceptable fruits and vegetables are ok. If you want to have juice with acceptable fruits and vegetables, I would suggest juicing them fresh at home. Be careful of decaffeinated coffee. Many producers decaffeinate their beans using chemicals that many sensitive people react to. It's best to choose a brand that is organic and decaffeinated using the swiss water process.

ALCOHOL

Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Gin Whiskey Vodka		Cider Beer Sherry Brandy	Liquor Port Wine Rum

Many of the foods listed on these charts I would not condone as part of a healthy healing regime (like alcohol!), but I've listed them anyway as I understand that some of you who are reading this may still be consuming them. Be sure to check out my posts on safe brands, food handling/choosing, Failsafe recipes, and safe sources (I've done my homework!!). As always, I cannot stress enough that foods should always be organic, fresh or frozen, grass fed and free range (in the case of animal products) and from local organic farms whenever possible.

Products and Medications

Navigating your way through personal care products and medications can be very tricky when you're trying to avoid salicylates. Sals can lurk in all kinds of every day products, under many different names. This is a list of common products that contain sals, as well as the names that sals masquerade under. My best advice to you- become an avid label reader!! At first it may be difficult to remember what ingredients to avoid, but trust me, after a while you'll become a pro :)

Products that often contain Salicylates:

• Acne products
• Air fresheners
• Alka Seltzer
• Breath savers
• Bubble baths
• Cleaning products
• Cosmetics
• Detergents
• Essential oils
• Fabric conditioners
• Fragrances and perfumes
• Gums
• Hair sprays, gels and mouses
• Herbal remedies
• Lipsticks and Lip glosses
• Lotions
• Lozenges
• Medications
• Mouthwash
• Muscle pain creams
• Pain relievers
• Pepto-Bismol
• Razors with aloe strips adjacent to the cutting edge
• Shampoos and Conditioners
• Shaving cream
• Skin cleansers or exfoliants
• Soaps
• Sunscreens and tanning lotions
• Supplements derived from rose hips or bioflavoniods
• Toothpaste
• Topical creams
• Wart or callus removers

Terms/Ingredients to Avoid:

• Acetylsalicylic acid
• Aloe Vera
• Any coal tar derived dye
• Artificial flavorings
• Artificial food colorings
• Aspirin
• Azo dyes
• Benzoates (preservatives)
• Benzyl salicylate
• Beta-hydroxy acid
• BHA
• BHT
• Choline salicylate
• Disalcid
• Ethyl salicylate
• Eucalyptus Oils
• Isoamyl salicylate
• Magnesium salicylate
• Magnesium Sterate
• Menthol
• Methyl Salicylate
• Mint
• Nitrates/Nitrites
• Octylsalicylate
• Oil of Wintergreen
• Peppermint
• Phenylethyl salicylate
• Red Dye (#40)
• Salicylaldehyde
• Salicylamide
• Salicylate
• Salicylic acid
• Salsalate
• Sodium Salicylate
• Spearmint
• Yellow Dyes (#5 & #6)

Brand Names of Common Drugs containing Salicylate

This list was compiled by the Mayo Clinic. It is not a complete list of all drugs containing salicylate, but it is a good start. If you are taking a medication and you are not sure if it contains salicylate or not check with your pharmacist or doctor. Never start the elimination diet with out checking all medications and first and consulting a professional. Never start taking a medication with salicylate in it directly after the elimination diet and shock can occur from introducing too much salicylate into your body at once. And most importantly, never stop a prescribed medication without checking with your doctor first.

• Acuprin 81
• Amigesic
• Anacin Caplets and Tablets
• Aspirin Regimen Bayer Adult Low Dose
• Aspirin Regimen Bayer Regular Strength Caplets
• Bayer Children’s Aspirin
• Bufferin Caplets and Tablets
• Disalcid
• Extra Strength Bayer Asprin Caplets and Tablets
• Mobidin
• Mono-Gesic
• Norwich Aspirin
• P-A-C Revised Formula
• Regular Strength Ascriptin
• Salflex
• Salsitab
• Sloprin
• St. Joseph Adult Chewable Aspirin
• Tricosal
• Trilisate
• ZORprin

The list of salicylate containing products can be very daunting at first, but I promise you that it is very possible to live a low-sal lifestyle and still be able to keep good hygeine. Be sure to check out my posts about safe brands, and failsafe product recipes.